With Italian cuisine and drink products amongst the hottest attractions at the recent Taste of London restaurant festival then maybe you’d like a real restaurant experience to go with those appetising samples of Ronco Calino 2008 Italian champagne hot off of Italian Fizz’s Taste of London stalls. Look no further than the Strada chain of Cucina Italiana, made for both your pocket and palate in mind.
The nutritious and delicious lunchtime menu will put its local fast food rivals well in the shade. What would you prefer, a hastily made burger from a burger chain down the road or the delightful starter of Tuscan Bean Soup as part of your two course menu? Nature’s own cannellini beans, tomato, spinach and leeks served with focaccia bread and each vegetable ideally selected to mop up those harmful cellular free radicals that are stressing out your body after a hard morning’s graft. Still on a burger tip now?
Or perhaps as an alternative starter certainly try the intriguingly titled ‘Involtini’. It’s carefully prepared buffalo mozzarella and rocket wrapped in prosciutto, an Italian dry-cured ham with a hint of balsamic and olive oil. This is gentle on the discerning palate and has a melt in the mouth quality that distinguishes it from any other lunchtime grab you’ve ever struggled to finish. It’s so finely balanced and meticulously prepared that after the first bite you actually feel a bit guilty about finishing it off. It deserves to be preserved on a golden platter somewhere as some sort of trophy meal. But having said that, it would be too small to survive the sample bites from curious diners. Yes, it looks as good as it tastes – small as it is.
If you fancy something more familiar for your main course then why not grab the well recommended Penne Pomodoro pasta. You’ll get your fix of slow-release energy carbs to fight that 9-5 stress in this dish of Penne pasta, torn mozzarella, pangrattato and creamy mascarpone. Add to this a blend of garlic, tomato sauce and cherry tomatoes and you’ll leave the establishment truly believing your body is a temple. The Italians don’t take their cuisine lightly. If you feel the same about your health and nutrition then a visit to this excellent restaurant on Parkway, Camden on any given lunch hour is a must.
Strada – Cucina Italiana, Parkway, Camden. Lunchtime menu two courses £10.95, three courses £13.95.
