Review: Strada, St Katharine Docks

By John Hill on October 6, 2008 9:00 AM |

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Only a couple of decades ago, the idea of going to an Italian restaurant was pretty exotic.

I remember discerning diners flocking to the Pasta Pasta restaurant on the seafront near Hastings,
humming to themselves at the unique prospect of eating tagliatelle cooked in an actual professional kitchen.

Since then the British have been treated to everything from dim sum to shark vindaloo, and we’ve started taking the delights of pizza and pasta for granted.

But for me, it’s hard to top the taste of a freshly-made Italian-style pizza when it’s done well.

And at Strada, it’s done very well indeed.

The contemporary chain prides itself on its hand-made doughy delights, and uses fresh ingredients such as Parma ham and buffalo mozzarella imported from Italy.

Many people are suspicious of chain restaurants, but there’s no vacuum-packed flavour here.
The Rosso Pizza (£8.95) – a melee of spicy salami, red peppers, chilli, onion, garlic and oregano – has a good kick to it, and there are other options ranging from the basic Margherita (£7.25) to the sausage, artichoke and caper blend of the Rustica (£8.95).

There’s much to recommend at the St Katharine Docks outpost, which nestles in the midst of other contemporary eateries just yards from the water. It’s a sleek and soothing environment, with none of the eye-searing checked table-cloths and obnoxious swing classics of its more “authentic�? brethren. In this stressful age, city folk don’t necessarily need to feel like they’ve stepped into mamma’s kitchen – they put up with enough noise at the office.

That’s not to say that Strada doesn’t look after you. You can nibble on olives or flatbread lacquered with pesto while mulling over your starter, and your first course could range from the buffalo and mozzarella combination of the Caprese (£4.95) to the tangy Gamberoni (£7.25), featuring king prawns soaked in garlic, white wine and chilli. The full pasta roll-call is present, from Penne Con Bufala with peppers, aubergine, olives and mozzarella (£8.25) to Spaghetti Al Ragu (£8.95), the squid, mussel, prawn and clam-loaded Risotto Al Frutti Di Mare (£10.50) and the Linguine Alla Pescatora with a seafood and chilli accompaniment (£10.50).

There is also a range of salads and desserts, a healthy-looking wine list, a host of specials and even a £8.50 lunch menu which comes with a choice of wine, beer or soft drink.

Your mind may not boggle anymore at the thought of Italian cuisine, but if you sample it at Strada, your taste-buds will be more than happy.

Strada (St Katharine Docks)
2 Tower Bridge House, E1W 1AA
0207 702 0123