La Brava

Another trip to La Brava and another decent meal. For a Thursday night the place was really busy (apparently it’s pizza night, though no one was ordering pizza). G did order from the 10.95 3 assigini evening menu, but I just ordered from the main menu.
The highlight of this trip were our glutinous ice cream sundaes. On a hot summers evening they were the ideal ending to the meal.

Stephen F is right — this place is actually pretty decent. I’d been meaning to return here since I saw his review — it’s been about 3 or 4 years since my last visit when we came for dinner. I popped in for Monday lunch hoping for some takeaway, but when I had a look at the menu and saw the eggs fiorentina I couldn’t resist, so decided to eat in instead.
La Brava isn’t quite sure what it wants to be — it looks like a café, has a bit of a deli selection but has restaurant offerings/​prices for dinner. It’s a perfectly pleasant place to dine though. I ordered the eggs fiorentina (2 poached eggs with spinach cream sauce and topped with cheese, with toast) and a pot of tea.
It took a little while to arrive but I don’t mind when it’s being freshly cooked. It looked absolutely luscious with a nicely baked top with parmesan, and the eggs were perfectly poached. It was a little hard to eat as there was a lot of cream sauce so it was like a soup but the toast was good for mopping it up. It needed seasoning but overall I really liked it and for £4 it was pretty amazing.
Service was friendly and helpful. I’ll definitely be suggesting that we come here for dinner soon to check it out as they have some good evening specials — all pasta & risotto is £6.50 after 6pm. They seem to have moved away from doing tapas like they used to but I look forward to another visit soon.

Well, I’ve been five times now so I think I can give an honest opinion now — it’s not very good! The service is a little better now but the food is definitely on the average side.
I’ve tried most of the Italian Small Plates (they do three for a tenner in a Tapas stylee) and a couple of the Specials too — I just don’t think the cook seems to know what he/​she is doing. On my most recent visit we had a very bland Salad (just some leaves — no dressing and nothing on the table or offered to go with it — I’d be very surprised to learn if this wasn’t a Salisbury’s Basics Salad Bag just dumped in a bowl), very bland Pesto Pasta (it honestly just didn’t taste of anything — no saltiness from Pecorino or Parmesan coming through, no delicious Basil and peppery Oil, no pine nuts) and my «Italian Roast Pork» was literally swimming in grease and was heavily over salted — bit of a disaster all in.
So, as much as I like supporting small local businesses, I can’t really justify spending my hard earned dosh in here again.

My brutally honest assesment of La Brava seems to have attracted the ramblings of either a staff member or someone who’s merely very easily impressed, so it looks like I’ll have to justify my opinions a bit further in order to ensure that my fellow Unilocalers know the natural pecking order in Netherlee.
Having visited La Brava twice, and found both the food mediocre and the concept of Italia tapas pointless, I really am baffled as to the venue’s popularity considering it’s now been opened quite a while. It’s soulless, expensive for what you get, and attracts a stuck-​up clientele oblivious to charm, warmth and character.
I give La Brava a couple of years tops, as the Daily Mail reading Clarkston demographic will move onto something else sooner rather than later.

La Brava is a brand new deli opened on Clarkston Road. This place has a great feel and everytime I’ve passed recently it’s been full to bursting so I’d recommend booking ahead, although I’m sure they will be able to squeeze you in if you forget.
We opted for the tapas style evening menu where you can choose 3 dishes for £8.95. This was great value for money and the food was delicious. I chose aubergines in a tomato sauce with melted cheese, a risotto with muscles and a chicken pasta dish. Good sized portions and I was full to bursting on the way out!
The desserts also looked delcious but I was so full I couldn’t have eaten another morsel, but there’s always next time!
The staff were really helpful and attentive and we didn’t have to wait very long for our food. I would definitely recommend it! I live right round the corner from La Brava so it’s definitely got the convenience factor for me, but to be honest, I think I’ll always be a Derby girl.