Don't ask me to try, either.

Strada, the new Italian in Sheffield's Leopold Square (our fourth visit to the square in as many months) doesn't do pizza-style garlic bread.

But it does do schiacciatella, big semi-crisp, still warm slices of bread heaven glistening with oil and heavy with fresh rosemary and garlic for £3.40. We gave Strada the thumbs up for most of the meal although I still can't quite make my mind up about it. The pre-opening publicity warbled that it would offer "rustic, traditional dishes from the Amalfi region of Italy."

This seemed unduly ambitious and it was - I couldn't find a single Amalfian dish and only one wine (from Campania, of which Amalfi is part), unless you count the pizzas. They come from Naples, the capital of Campania, but then everyone does them.

Actually, Strada's website makes no mention of Amalfi although it does include a restaurant critic's quote claiming the food tastes as if it's made in Florence. That's Tuscany. The schiacciatella is from Emilia-Romagna. I'm geographically confused.

You might not care very much about that but you might about this.

The website warns: "a suggested discretionary gratuity at 12½ per cent will be added to your bill."

What do you think? Post your comments below.

I can tell 'em now. It's not a suggestion which will go down well in Sheffield.

"Don't you think that's a bit cheeky?" queried the man at the next table who asked the waitress for it to be taken off.

My thoughts entirely and I'm not alone. It seems head office has had a bit of a talking to from the local management. And it's been cut to 10 per cent for Sheffield alone.

"We're from Sheffield and we know how it works here," explained assistant manager Katy Deighton, who at least had the satisfaction of a partial victory.

Strada has the feel of a hotel dining room with an oddly dated decor - more Sixties than Noughties: red and aubergine walls, dark wood, red lampshades, round mirrors and jars and bowls of lemons, chillies and aubergines.

"Squeeze one," I asked my wife. She reported it was past its best.

We began with zuppa pasta e fagioli (£4.50), a more than creditable Tuscan soup with depth of flavour, and a charming Caprese salad (£4.95). This is one of those simple dishes which is more than a sum of its parts and Strada buys good creamy buffalo mozzarella to partner some fine tomatoes.

For an Italian restaurant they don't do an awful lot of pasta or risotto here, just eight dishes in all. A seafood risotto (£9.95) proved to be pretty good, too, with plenty of clams, mussels, squid and prawns in slightly soupy rice.

One of the specials was porchetta (£12.95) which should be a slice of suckling pig but in Strada's case is "slow cooked pork belly."

I was impressed by its succulence. It was incredibly tender. But there was one thing missing - no crackling. And at this point a little red light flashed up in my mind.

To be honest, the cooking was too good for a theme restaurant.
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