Strada seems to be everywhere - nary a high street in London can be negotiated without passing one. For that reason alone I’ve tended to steer clear, but when they launched a new menu I ducked in and found out for the second time recently that you write chains off at your peril.

We went for the full tasting menu and there is a lot to get through; it’s a real belly-buster.

It took us a while just to get through the plump olives, hand-stretched garlic bread with a big hit of rosemary and the obligatory antipasto selection; complete with tangy tepenade, smooth mozzeralla and salty parma ham.

The next course consisted of a subtle sausage based stozzapreti and a dense, slightly sweet squash risotto.

Hardly pausing for breath we ploughed through and excellent vegetarian pizza with creamy goat cheese and a crisp, crucnchy base before we tackled a dark, toothesome pork fillet decadently topped with parma ham.

By the time we’d polished off the triumphant whole sea bream, stuffed with lemon and herbs to flavour the tender flesh, we couldn’t even manage dessert

In short - impressive and enticingly cheap. If Strada weren’t a chain, I’m pretty sure I’d be telling people about this little gem I’d discovered.

Jon Dean