St Pauls

Becoming a Strada Tasting Menu reviewer was some positive news which was for me some comfort due what was been a hard year during 2012. After ringing around the places, decided to settle for Strada St Pauls and booked a table for three (myself including a university friend and their contact).

It was a cold but dry evening but was a good time to relax after a hard day’s of work. Our waiter Fabio was our person for the night so was going to take us a trip consisting of 3 starters, 5 main courses and 3 deserts. We ordered two soft drinks and a beer along with some tap water as our refreshments.

After the drinks were served we were given the starters which were the Schiacciatella Aglio essentially was thin Italian bread and Antipasto which consisted of ham, mozzarella and some bread but decided to omit the olives since all of us three were not olive fans. The Schiacciatella Aglio was good, not greasy but not too heavy with a nice flavour in the mouth. Whereas the Antipasto was delicious, the Parma ham, Napoli salami, speck ham from Trentino we were all impressed, tasty but light and wanting you to have more. The buffalo mozzarella was light, not too heavy but creamy, the vine-ripened tomatoes, olive tapenade and bruschetta pomodoro were nice sides to go with the starter. Mixing the Schiacciatella Aglio and the ham, salami and mozzarella all worked well and could have been a good sandwich I must say. Overall the starters were a good hit and a good start for the tasting menu.

Then it came for the main courses, this was two guys and a girl Vs Strada as we had to finish 5 mains but have enough room for the desert but were we all tough enough to take on the challenge?

The first three main courses were the Strozzapreti Pugliese, Risotto Zucca and Quattro Stagioni. We decided to split the courses into three sections so we can try out all the mains and individually review each one.

Out of the three the Risotto Zucca was our favourite main. The risotto was like butter melt in your mouth moment that was like an out of this world moment, the pumpkin and butternut squash was soft and suited really well with the dish, the pancetta was lovely and the spinach and pine nuts all worked well. It was a definite hit and all three of us could have more if it was possible.

For the Strozzapreti Pugliese, the pasta was not heavy but filling, the sausage had a kick but was not dry and just tasty, the pancetta was melt in your mouth and the broccoli was cooked properly not too soft or hard just in the middle as we like it. We all unanimously agree it was a good main but lost out narrowly to the risotto.

For the Quattro Stagioni it was good. The base was thin crust which did not matter but at least it was not dry, there was a nice selection of toppings but unfortunately my university friend was not a fan of the roasted artichoke unlike me and their contact. It could have done with a bit more cheese and tomato base plus the toppings could have split better, however its not a bad pizza indeed and at least its better than those rubbish take-away and frozen ones you usually get.

With three mains out of the way, there was still another two courses and our stomachs were getting rather full but we decided to press on. Fabio brought out the Saltimbocca Mailale and the Orata Al Forno.

Out of the two the Orata Al Forno was our entire favourite. The sea bream was delicious that it was soft so you can see it was cooked properly plus it was fresh not caught and stuck into a freezer then cooked. The roasted new potatoes tasted like Christmas roast ones and made a fine compliment and the green salad was suited to at least take away the greasy nature of the dish.

The Saltimbocca Maiale was good but did not have a lasting impression compared to the Orata Al Forno. The pork filet was cooked properly with the ham was a good touch, however it was scattered in places and would have been better if the Parma ham was fully wrapped in the pork rather than being laid on top. The mash potato was creamy but not too heavy and the green beans were in between soft and hard, the right way to cook it. The sage butter sauce was milky and delicious, however to enjoy it you had to have all the parts together along with the sauce or the pork would be a bit dry.

It was two starters and five main courses down and time for the last three desserts. Fabio took our mains away and brough over the Affogato, Bunet Piemontese and Pistachio Gelato.

The Affogato was an instant hit and all three of us gave it the thumbs up as our favourite desert. The iced nougat semi-free ice cream felt like in-between ice cream and some cake, it was creamy, soft and light to the mouth. The expresso which we poured made a good touch; it was not strong but had enough kick to at least bring the flavour out that you could still enjoy the ice nougat semi-free ice cream as its best. We all wished we wanted more and could have had three separate deserts all to ourselves but it would all cost us money.

For the Pistachio Gelato it was essentially pistachio ice cream and sorbet. It was pretty good, the pistachio was nutty but it did not blow out that it was nut overload plus it was not oily. The ice cream and sorbet was melt in your mouth that you can taste the creaminess, sweetness and the soft layer of the ice cream then the pistachio kicks in. Pretty good as we all say and I and their contact really liked it. We agreed it could work well with homemade hot apple pie as a nice side or a treat to enjoy on a warm summer’s day.

The Bunet Piemontese was a game of two halves. Whilst we like some bits, we though it was the weakest dessert. We did not mind but there was nothing to shout about, the chocolate needed richer cocoa percent at least 70 or 80% to make the most as the flavour. Whilst nice just did not kick in and amaretti biscuits could have been stronger. It is not a bad dessert but could have had improvements that it would have been better that rivalled the two others.

For three people we all managed to wipe down all the food that was supposed to be for four people, the two guys and the girl won the challenge and the Strada tasting menu was beaten.

We really liked the atmosphere of the St Pauls location. It was not too bright but not too dark, had a nice layout that you can enjoy and have a meal in. Managed to book a window table on a weekday opposite the St Pauls Cathedral and at night was a view to be seen. You can enjoy having a nice Strada whilst looking at one of the most famous landmarks in London. The restaurant itself had a warm and pleasant feel about it and the decor was really nice. We recommend you book on a weekday and near the window of St Pauls if possible.

Fabio our waiter was very good; he was friendly, welcome and knew his stuff. Was able to tell the whole menu like the back of his hand, answered our questions effectively and made us at ease. Was a trained well oiled machine, was not too pushy but not too relaxed and knew when we were ready to be served so had that knack for detail. Well done to him!

We all enjoyed the meals that were top notch despite a few had their shortcomings. If we had to suggest improvements then a few beef or other meat courses that are not pork related to try out would have been nice as people I know cannot eat pork dishes. As well it would have been nice to have some vegetarian alternatives that were part of the tasting menu as nearly of all it was meat courses so it was not suitable if you were a vegetarian and Strada are not responsible for having the vegetarian option that was not part of the Strada tasting menu.

The whole meal would have cost over £100 if we ordered everything off the Strada tasting menu. For three people it was highly worth it and only had to pay the drinks which was not too much so easy to split the bill in three parts.

Overall, it was a great experience and if we had the time we would come again. We would recommend Strada St. Pauls if you want a great alternative Strada London location with excellent food, service and atmosphere. Hats off to Strada for giving us three a good time and hope I can be a reviewer again in the future. Thank you for making our evening!

Olives - Large and fresh
Schiacciatella Agilo Flat Bread - Better than thick garlic bread. Tasty and not so heavy as thin.
Antipasto - Very nice and well balanced. Olive tapenade silky and salty gives the garlic bread an edge. Mozzarella very milky melts in mouth.

Storzzapreti Pugliese - Pasta pieces are a bit long however they were very tasty and tasted very fresh. Would be nice if the pasta pieces were shortened. Sausage was delicious and I do not normally like sausage. Not a strong tasting sausage. Good chunks of broccoli and not hard. Bit of chilli added to dish as well which gives it a bit of a kick. All works very well together surprisingly. Would not normally order a dish with sausage in but now that I have tasted it, my friends and I would definitely order in future.
Risotto Zucca - Creamy and silky and presented nicely. Butternut squash good size pieces. Love the rocket and pancetta that is presented on top of the risotto.
Quattro Stagioni - Nice selection of pizzas in one however not sure about the artichoke piece as quite hard. However the pizza is light, thin and crispy.
Saetimbocca Maiale - Pork flattened too much so tasted quite livery and the sage over powers the pork. Mash very creamy though and tasty.
Orata Al Forno - Did not like the fact the fish was not filleted and came all in one. So had to mess around with the bones etc. Fish also quite salty in taste and very strong smell. I did like the fish but purely on the fact of the bones and the smell I would not order again. Salad that came with the fish though worked well and the balsamic vinegar on the salad went really well with the fish as cut the saltiness of the fish. I loved the selection of spinach leaves, cucumber and rocket together. Would love the salad with another fish i.e. Sea bass

Affogato - The nougat ice-cream was delicious and creamy. Very sweet tasting. Did not need the coffee as thought it spoilt taste of ice-cream however if you don’t like desserts too sweet then perhaps the coffee would be a good idea to use. Coffee should be an optional to pay with dessert as I was happy just with the ice cream by itself.
Bunet Piemontese - Different from a normal pannacotta. Chocolaty and nice pieces of amoretti. So if you love pannacottas, chocolate and amoretti then highly recommend.
Pistachio Gelato - If you love pistachio flavour then highly recommend as full of flavour.

First of all, I think this was the most incredible food myself and my friends have ever eaten!

St Pauls was a great location and was completed by excellent service. The waiters were friendly and polite and genuinely interested in our experience.

The starters were such a great portion size and the mains were just so tasty!

My favourite main had to be the Sea Bream (orata al forno) because the fish itself was delicious and the roast potatoes were the best I’ve eaten in a while (sorry mum!).

To top off the meal, the desserts we sampled were just so nice! I’m normally a chocolate cake kind of person but it was great to try some new puddings!!

All in all it was such a lovely evening and I would thoroughly reccommend Strada Restaurants and the St Pauls branch.

Thank you Strada!