Strada

My Ratings: 3 Stars

Cuisine: Western
Location: 238, Burmah Road (opposite Tan Mark Bookstore in Pulau Tikus)
Non Halal
RM40-50 per person

I came across a newspaper cut-out offering a 10% discount for diners who bring along the cut-outs. Great! I read in the newspaper couple of years back about the opening of this restaurant and it is not to far from where I live but all these years, I didn't have the opportunity to visit it and I did hesitate a bit coz I dun like to walk too far from where I parked until now.

My first impression of the restaurant is that it is a very cozy, quiet and dark coz the business is so slow. We were the only table dining for almost the length of our dinner there and it was a Friday night! and the lighting was at a bare minimum. The cake display is almost empty.

But hey, look at the bright side. It can be an ideal place to unwind, de-stress and consolidate your thoughts and life goals or hide from your fans. It has a chic boutique-like decor which is pleasing to the eye and comfy chairs to relax with a magazine.

About the food, we ordered a classic set meal coz we figured it was the best value. Here is what was on the classic set menu (RM35++ per set):-

• Calamari served with tartar sauce &
• Cream of pumpkin soup or tomato carpaccio with mixed greens
• Roasted chicken roll with balsamic reduction or
• Seafood Paella or
• Linguine with scallop and asparagus &
• Dessert with freshly brewed Americano/pot of tea
  

I chose the Seafood Paella with pumpkin soup while Amanda had the Roasted Chicken Roll with Tomato Carpaccio. The appetisers portion is small. My Paella is more like fried rice but the roasted chicken roll was a bit better. The dessert was a chocolate brownie for both of us.

Strada was the creation of Siew Chin who is a Penangite who had previous stayed, worked and married (to Patrick from Hong Kong SAR) in Canada but returned to Penang to call the state home. Trained in Canada as a chef and pastry chef, Siew Chin has single-handedly managed to whip up a comprehensive menu with a variety of food selection (meats, seafood, pasta, burgers, pizza) and cakes that can cater to every taste and wimps

Go to their website http://www.strada.com.my/ and check out their menu. They also do catering. You can print out a 5% discount voucher from the website and bring along when you dine there. Clearly, Siew Chin is a very talented chef and certainly her love for food and the restaurant business is clearly reflected in her style of cooking with quality ingredients and posh restaurant setup. What is needed is more awareness about this restaurant and more patronage. Parking is limited during lunch time but should not be a problem for dinner. Opens daily 12:00 noon to 10:30pm daily. Call 604-2290882 for reservations