La Strada

La Strada’s recent renovations added a bar to the space, but the spotlight still shines on Aussie chef Leandro Panza’s modern Italian menu. The tagliatelle ragu is an extraordinary blend of pork, veal and beef cooked first in tomato and milk, and finished in the oven. Also superb is the large slab of ravioli filled with foie gras and an entire cut of quail; the rust-red stew of fat clams and mussels in an intensely flavoured tomato base; and fork-tender spring chicken. For desserts, the uplifting tiramisu is rich with liqueur; the cheesecake features a brittle, saltish, crisp base; while the chocolate cake is worth the trip in itself. All this is backed by flawless service.