Yesterday I had lunch at Strada. An interesting choice for me as I knew I wanted a decent meal to fill me up as I wouldn’t want dinner and my only dilemma was “where to go and still feel like I’ve eaten healthily?”
I had an image of my head of leafy rocket salads and fruit juices – which would have been all well and good had it not been for those darned courgette chips. I mean look at them – how dare they tempt me! That’s all chips seem to do to me these days. Once upon a time the local chippy was where you would be guaranteed to have a good portion of chips. Now with the never-ending choice of restaurants we have, the choice is never ending – sweet potato fries, cassava chips (which Cabana serves), skin on, skin off, twice or triple cooked – and courgette…
At the weekend I’d had a reality check – I’d got to that point where my jeans were feeling too snug and dresses that used to zip up easily were taking a strain. My friend Lee and I had planned to have a lunch gossip catch-up for a while but as time approached all I could think was “where would Lee agree to go which was tasty but tummy complimentary to me and in one hour?” the answer lay in Strada – thankfully on tastecard.
I had to ring in advance. I looked at their online booking option on but they didn’t have the time I had wanted on their or tastecard’s site – but this was o.k because with one speedy phone call they were more than happy to assist – even for my obscure timing – 1.45pm – I had to be back for a business call at 3pm!
First Impressions Count
Lee and I arrived and was greeted by the maître d’. He was so accommodating he served us for the remainder of the meal – it was peak time, very busy and not many tables available – It’s just as well that you have to book to use tastecard or we may not have had a chance!
Lovely sunny day at Strada, Market Place, London
Strada in Market Place can be VERY busy of a lunch time!
Asked what we would like to drink I asked for a small glass of Sauvignon Blanc and was told they did not have it (do I simply have bad luck when asking for this? It happened last time!) the waiter told me I could have a glass of the Sauvignon Blanc they usually only serve in bottles for the same price (I thought this was very kind of them). When the wine arrived I was overwhelmed by how lovely it was. Good choice.
Lee knew what he was having because he had told his colleague he was coming and she suggested the salmon salad and Rigatoni Speck. He opted for the salmon salad (probably after a session of me banging on about my new health drive).
I saw sardines on the seasonal specials menu and jumped at the opportunity. Lee and I share the same mentality for restaurant meals – order what you wouldn’t usually have at home – so sardines were a perfect fit. I LOVE sardines.
Whilst waiting we had some green Olives which were just o.k. To be fair they looked more like a fruit than olives when being served up. They didn’t taste awful but it just seemed like a lot of effort for olives (fiddly stones) and could have been served with a bit of olive oil.
Green Olives – look more like fruit. A lot of effort for little taste.
Bon Appétit
Our mains arrived in a flourish and I was impressed. Lee’s salmon looked amazing and I was satisfied with my sardines (I’m VERY fussy about sardines). They looked BBQ’d which is what I expect for grilled sardines – the whole chargrilled effect.
Looking over both of our dishes I was content. We had ordered well for a healthy dish. Oily fish. Good selection of greens my influence had paid off well.
My butterflied sardines from the seasonal specials menu “Inspired by the simple ingredients of the Mediterranean diet”
Lee’s Insalata Spinaci; Fresh spinach salad tossed with avocado, semi-dried
Italian tomatoes and crisped pance a with pine nuts and
parmesan shavings in a mustard dressing.
But we are true Brits – we had to order sides – aka chips. Lee ordered fries and I had ordered courgette chips.
For me the piece du resistance was the courgette chips. Oh those courgette chips. If there’s one thing us Brits do well, it’s taking a perfectly healthy item and brandishing it unhealthy by battering it in some way. The courgette chips however were a pleasant surprise. Tasty, light and one of my five a day (kind of). They were nothing like what you usually associate with potato products – no stodge whatsoever. I could eat them forever.
Strada’s Courgette Chips – One of my five a day. No – really!
Tucking into our lunches, I can say I found the sardines extremely tasty and a little different from the bog standard menu you would expect. I can’t recall when I last saw sardines on the menu at a chain restaurant. Strada were stepping outside of the box. If I had one criticism for my dish, it was a little too much (quantity). I had initially asked the maître d’ if the dish alone was enough, he’d said no and recommended a side salad or courgette chips which he added were very good, yet here I found myself struggling to finish my last sardine. Added to this, my dish was served with a slice of ciabatta bread. Why? I had no idea. It just didn’t seem to go. I tried the bread by itself and with a bit of sardine on top but still couldn’t comprehend why this wedge of bread was on the side of my plate.
Disappointed in myself for not finishing I allowed the maître d’ to remove my plate whilst that sardine sorrowfully left me. Glancing over at Lee I noticed he had cleaned his plate – main and chips. I had wanted to try his chips! I did get to try the salmon and it was fantastic – I forgot to ask Strada if they made their own pesto which had an amazingly fresh and rustic taste of the Mediterranean.
It’s fair to say we enjoyed our lunch…
Cheque Please!
Unfortunately there wasn’t a sweet tooth moment. We didn’t have time to sample dessert – who does on a lunch break? Lee and I take turns in treating each other for lunch so this one was on me. I had just enough time to run back to my meeting at 3pm – good timing! All thanks to our lovely maître d’.
I was able to have lunch and get back to my office all thanks to our speedy but efficient Maitre d
Lunch with service and one glass of wine: £33.58 (food saving = £10.95)
Strada offers 2 for 1 meals across all courses ordered from Sunday to Thursday (excluding Christmas) when you use your tastecard. Do you like Strada? Please tell us about your experiences.
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
The best courgette fries in the world (known as Deep-Fried Zucchine) are just £2.75 and freshly prepared every time at Giorgios in Headingley, Leeds. They are a side order on the menu but I often order them in place of a starter – delish…
Hi Little Enid,
Thanks for your comment. The best courgette fries in the WORLD? That’s quite a statement! I’m pleased to report that Giorgios is on tastecard (http://www.tastecard.co.uk/restaurant/details/4431/Giorgios-Ristorante-Italiano) so it sounds like I’m going to have to make it up to Leeds to try their Deep-fried zucchine for myself!
Claire
Best zucchini fritti in London have to be at Pescatori – Dover St or Charlotte St. They are skinny, really crunchy and totally addictive – £3.50 for a great sharing portion.
Thanks for that Deborah. I frequent Fitzrovia quite a bit and love Pescatori so I’ll have to give their zucchini fritti a go!
I recently visited my local Strada in Colchester for the first time, with my husband. I am vegan and spotted a tasty looking flatbread with roasted vegetables on the menu.
I explained that I was vegan and asked if it could be made without cheese. The waitress said yes it could, but suggested that as it was quite small I could have it made into a pizza instead!(which wasn’t even on the menu).
The result was a delicious thin pizza with roasted red onion, courgette and red pepper, topped with rocket and a lemon dressing.
It was delicious, and made even more so by the fact that it was free! (thanks to
taste card!)
Love that! It’s great to know that mainstream chains can accommodate specific dietary requirements. Thanks for that feedback Jen!
The best courgette chips in the UK are undoubtably those served at Two to Four in Dorking, Surrey!
I hadn’t realised Strada was on Taste, so thanks for the heads up!
Sounds like I’ve started a courgette chip war! I’d love to hear from anyone else that has a claim to having tried the “best”. Thanks for that Simon. Glad we’ve introduced you to another restaurant available on the tastecard.
I love Strada – i have taken friends and family to Strada in Leamington Spa and everyone has been impressed. Excellent service and wonderful food.
You are left to eat your meal at leisure.
The tables are not squashed together so you do not overhear anyone else’s conversation.
The only problem I have is deciding what to eat as there are so many delicious selections!
NO NO NO!!!
The MUCH better Cougette Fries are at ZiZi’s in Exeter(and I have no connection with them whatsoever), and Claire should give their’s a try instead – Strada (Exeter), have NO IDEA as to how delicately these items should be cooked and presented…actually, they’ve no idea of the idea of the Tastecard either!
Spaghetti House do wonderful courgettes and will amend almost any dish for the customers with particular needs. Pizza Express, on the other hand, seem not to be able to cope with people who have an intolerance to garlic. All the sauces come in pre-packs so find it hard to eat there.