An insiders' small essential list of food and drink venues in Cambridge 2011

This is an Italian chain restaurant that I am sure you are very familiar with as they seem to be on almost every High Street. Actually there is much more of a monster lurking than you realise. Strada is part of a portfolio of restaurants owned by a company called Tragus. Tragus also owns familiar brands like Bella Italia and Cafe Rouge.

I quote from their website -

“Formed in 2002, Tragus is one of the UK's largest independently owned restaurant chain operators with over 280 sites across the country serving over 20 million meals every year”

It is thoroughly dull to find that one company owns so many familiar brand restaurants, all of which are in Cambridge. It makes the city centre seem even more homogeneous than it would first appear. I am certainly no fan of Bella Italia (especially as it is hogging a beautiful building in its restaurant by the Mill Pond), and to find out that there is a link with the more upmarket looking Strada disappoints me. I just hope they do not share pasta sauces when they run out...

Strada is well located on Trinity Street. Easy to miss as there is only a doorway and no obvious frontage. You enter into a cool, modern bamboo style place with a feeling of quality to it. The bar area is large and stylish, and gives a sense of space to the centre of the restaurant.

I normally go for lunch if I want safe standard food which is reasonably priced. My most recent meal was a pizza. Big, pleasant and filled a gap. The service while efficient, was however not over friendly on arrival.

This is the sort of place where you feel at home ‘hanging out’ with friends, and could chat for quite some time. It has a calm massaging atmosphere, and is nearly always busy enough to make it vaguely interesting.

Verdict

A safe comfortable option, but don’t expect to be wowed by the food. Very formulaic

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