Strada, South Bank - Friday 24th of July, 2009

One might question the validity and necessity of posting a review of a Strada restaurant, but since my encounters with Pizza Express this year, I thought I would briefly highlight the gap in quality between the two. As you can tell, this isn't going to be massively flattering, but the reason this is worth writing is also because I expected quality from Strada. I've eaten at more than one of their branches and enjoyed it on various occasions before.

Some friends and I had a catch-up meal at the massive restaurant they have on the South Bank, right next to the Royal Festival Hall on a Friday night. You can imagine how busy the place was. Given the volume of customers they turn over, the service is pretty good there. It's friendly and prompt, and satisfactory enough to make you feel like you're not in a fast food restaurant. However, the food was not quite up to scratch: insubstantial mushrooms with polenta to start, a steak that was a little tough and a chocolate fondant that reminded me how important it is to do basic dishes well.

Again, I'm not trying to rag on Strada here, but I do expect more because they can do better. Compare this with Pizza Express who never seem to let you down, and I was a little upset. I realise that getting great food out to tables in a hurry in a packed restaurant is a tough challenge, but as the saying goes: if you can't handle the heat... I can't imagine Pizza Express presenting me with a side comparable to the mushy potatoes and onions I got with my main course.

There are a few mitigating features about the meal though. Strada has the delightful habit of giving everyone bottled tap water at the table: superb. It is also a very large restaurant, busy at all times of the day. They are also serving a more diverse menu than Pizza Express, which always makes things a bit more difficult.

The last point to make is that I don't think Strada really need to change much if they keep rolling out the tables as easily as they do : there will always be punters ready to jump onto a table any time after six in the evening. They'll continue to do what they do, regardless of what I think, or in fact what anybody might think. Tables will be occupied, money will be made and food will be eaten, even if it isn't up to scratch.