La Strada - 1st May 2018
La Strada Ristorante recently underwent a facelift, a renovation to spruce up the interior and a new menu. The new look is a lot more modern and minimalist. The restaurant was busy on the Friday night that I dined there and for good reason I was about to find out.
Burrata with raw gambero rosso, beef carpaccio
and Sicilian green tomato puree
For starters, I went with the burrata with raw gambero rosso, Sicilian green tomato puree and the whole dish was dressed in a fruity olive oil. The burrata is very creamy and you don’t get the skin which for me is less desirable than the creamy centre. The red prawns added to the sweetness and the tomatoes provided some acidity to the dish. The carpaccio is another dish that I can recommend. Wagyu rump is seared on the outside and served with grain mustard, parmiggiano-reggiano and lemon zest. There was also some Portobello fritters to provide a contrast to the dish.
char grilled octopuszucchini flower stuffed with buffalo mozzarella
and brown anchovy
The char grilled octopus was cooked to perfection with the herbed crumbs and tomato salsa complimenting the tender tentacles. However, the star antipasti for me was the zucchini flower stuffed with buffalo mozzarella and brown anchovy. The zucchini flower was lightly battered and the crisp exterior gave way to a soft and moist filling. As for the stem, it has a similar texture to green asparagus with a nice crunch.
the famous chitarra alla carbonara tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms and
oxtail in red wine
For mains, I had the famous chitarra alla carbonara. Typically I don’t order carbonara when I dining out as it is a common fixture on my home menu however La Strada’s one though not the traditional carbonara, is something special. There is a mild flavour of truffle infused into the egg and cream sauce with a generous doss of shaved parmiggiano. Unfortunately they could have been more generous with the ham which would have lifted this dish to another planet. I also got the tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms and oxtail in red wine. Both the carbonara and this dish was rich but thankfully not overly.
spaghetti all’aragosta
The final dish which we shared was the spaghetti all’aragosta. The tomato sauce was mixed with cream to form a rose sauce that had sweetness from the lobster. The lobster meat was firm and the claw shell was pre-removed so that the meat was easily accessible.
The wines recommended by the sommelier was good and well priced. I think the revamp has been great for La Strada and Chef Dalton has done a good job with the food. It is definitely worth a visit when you feel like having some good Italian food.
~ Andre Huber
Executive Director
La Strada is located at 1 Scotts Road, Shaw Centre #01-13
To make a reservation, go here
