Chaineating Strada Style

With the definite exception of wagamama, I am most certainly not an aficionado of the various London restaurant chains, yet having enjoyed a number of meals at Strada in recent years; I thought that a Friday night pre-theatre trip to the New Burlington Street branch with my sister was worth a shout.

Situated just moments from elegant Regent Street, this particular Strada is undoubtedly well-placed for London’s shoppers and as such was exceptionally busy by the time we arrived. The high quality interior works well with dark wood tables, wood floors and various plants combining in a large modern space.

A bottle of complimentary filter water was brought over to the table – a nice touch, especially in London. Having recently been told that trying white wine is altogether unnecessary, I gave the go-ahead for the waitress to ‘pour away’ from the excellent bottle of house white that we had also ordered.

Admittedly, the menu all looks good and I know from previous experience that the Strada pizzas are first class, but this time I had a cunning plan. By ordering a basket of hand stretched pizza bread with pesto and tomato as a starter I could go for a more traditional main and get the best of both, or so I thought.

As such I opted for the Pollo alla Milanese of pan fried chicken breast in seasoned breadcrumbs with spaghetti in a tomato and basil sauce. The pizza bread arrived quickly and was as good as I remembered, with the authentic, thin and crisp base covered in a rich combination of delicious pesto and tomato.

Unfortunately what was to follow was not of the same quality and looking at the various mains being served, Strada need to urgently re-think their strategy on plates and the plating up of their food.

Sitting on a huge, long white plate I was met with a decent sized chicken breast, a segment of lemon and a pathetic spoonful of spaghetti that looked like it had come straight out of a tin marked ‘Heinz’ and certainly never seen a basil plant before. Fortunately however, it tasted, really rather good.

The chicken was succulent and whilst hardly testing of a professional chef was faultlessly cooked. The lemon was squeezed of its last bitter drop and worked wonders, combining nicely with the spaghetti and tomato sauce, which by now was almost making me smirk it was so paltry in size.

Having both ordered the same main (again!), by the end of the meal there were two clean plates on the table, which were swiftly whisked away into the kitchens and replaced with dessert menus. Whilst I couldn’t claim that ‘it was all that pasta I‘ve eaten’ I was however, in no need for any further food.

The bill of £44.26 was settled and the last of wine finished before we left having enjoyed two delicious courses in lively, smart surroundings and actually with very little to grumble about. Whilst I still prefer the charms of the independent restaurant, Strada now joins wagas on my list of ok chains.