Food and alcohol are usually one of the biggest expenses for a bride and groom, but that does not always mean the meal at a wedding is particularly memorable.
Even when the food is good, many couples – and indeed guests – may not even remember what they ate at the reception.
No so at La Rosa The Strand, in the beautiful and historic Strand Arcade in Sydney, where the exceptional food and wine is often talked about long after the event.
“We take every aspect of the La Rosa menu very seriously,” says executive chef Nino Zoccali.
“Our brides and grooms are unanimously positive. People really do just go on and on about the food.”
The stunning La Rosa The Strand is sister restaurant to The Restaurant Pendolino, which was named the RCA Best New Restaurant in 2008 and listed in the AFR Top 100 Restaurants in 2015.
Nino is an acclaimed chef and an expert in Italian cuisine, particularly pasta. At La Rosa The Strand, he has created wedding menus that cannot fail to impress. Everything from the bread to the pasta is made in-house.
Nino says while weddings have fewer guests than they once did, couples have increasingly high standards.
“There has been a movement towards smaller weddings to be able to have the very best food and wine for their guests. They are often spending more per head, however they want and do expect the very best quality.”
At La Rosa The Strand, Nino says this means the pasta has to be so good that people will never forget it.
“We are renowned for our pasta. We have a dedicated chef and there job is to make all the pasta for both restaurants. It is of the highest quality and that really is a point of difference for us.”
“We are absolutely meticulous about using the best quality ingredients. We have had Italians say that pasta of this quality, they would be lucky to eat like this three times in their life.”
Nino is also passionate about the wine pairings and travels regularly to Italy for wine tastings.
“We have unique arrangements with some boutique suppliers, some of the wines we have here at La Rosa are not available anywhere else.”
The restaurant, nestled in the heart of Sydney at architecturally beautiful Strand Arcade, is also memorable.
“La Rosa has quite an intimate and romantic feel. We have large and expansive windows running down one side of the venue, looking out across some beautiful buildings that are lit up at night, La Rosa has a lovely outlook especially in the evenings,” Nino says.
“It is a very sophisticated venue. We are a popular venue for people who have been living abroad in cities like New York.”
