Day 6 Cont... – Lades
Oude Vest 19, 4811 HS Breda
First Impressions – High expectations. This is the number one restaurant in Breda on tripadvisor.com (correct at time of writing). For all intents and purposes this should be amazing, however Al Dente is something like number nineteen and Gauchos is quite high on the list too, number four I think? You know what I am trying to say... It was packed in there (Saturday night) and smelt very authentic. I holidayed in Turkey earlier this year so I can confirm that I know how to recognise the smell of an authentic Turk(ish restaurant).
Interior – I'm not just Gauchos bashing all the time now, but so far if I had to pick an interior to be my new lounge I would choose this. It's quite like it already with the damask style wallpaper and soft furnishings. The flooring was real wood and aged, it went together amazingly well. I have since decided I will purchase big drapes upon my arrival in Blighty. Please note I think I caused a bit of offense taking this photo. The bloke on the table was looking right at me, which made it hard to comfortably take the rest of the images in peace. This was not the first time the camera would get me into trouble this weekend.
Service – Noticeably good. As the whole menu was in Turkish/Dutch we just picked the things which were for two people to share. The waitress stood and explained everything when it came out. I felt that everybody knew what they were doing and there was no unnecessary panic, (a state of mind which can easily be subconsciously transferred to the public, thus accumulating in a stampede/riot/coup of the restaurant). Thankfully none of the above happened.
Food – €12 + €29 (starters and mains, for two people) – For the starter we shared the meze plate. I shall try to remember what each thing was. Anticlockwise from bottom right; tomato salsa / yogurt with mint and cucumber / ratatouille / meatballs / cant remember / artichoke hearts (pickled) / little chilli gherkin pepper things / feta wrapped in filo pastry in a sweet chilli dip. I liked everything apart from the one I cant remember, (which is why I cant remember it). For €12 is was more than enough for two people to share. This also came out with a Turkish flat bread which had been baked in a stone oven. My favourites were the artichoke and the ratatouille. There is too much food here to annotate each dish.
Food – €12 + €29 (starters and mains, for two people) – For the starter we shared the meze plate. I shall try to remember what each thing was. Anticlockwise from bottom right; tomato salsa / yogurt with mint and cucumber / ratatouille / meatballs / cant remember / artichoke hearts (pickled) / little chilli gherkin pepper things / feta wrapped in filo pastry in a sweet chilli dip. I liked everything apart from the one I cant remember, (which is why I cant remember it). For €12 is was more than enough for two people to share. This also came out with a Turkish flat bread which had been baked in a stone oven. My favourites were the artichoke and the ratatouille. There is too much food here to annotate each dish.
Lades Izgara Specialiteit. Three words I have not said to anybody. I also cannot say the third word and nor can you. It is basically the dish you get in Turkey which comes out in a little ceramic pot, (sometimes they have to crack it open). They didn't smash up this bowl though as it looked expensive. The bowl contained a ratatouille style sauce, filled with peppers, tomatoes, beef chunks, lamb cutlets, chicken breasts, and a sort of burger (burger like in form). It was beautiful, especially the lamb, it was a shame that the cutlets weren't bigger as this was my favourite part of the meal. I don't think you can get better than tomato based sauces for a dish combining more than one type of meat. All of the meat was well cooked, it is a shame you cannot say that for a lot of the places in England - they just seem to know how to do it over here. I really enjoyed it and I would say that it was better than anywhere I ate whilst in Turkey! Served with potatoes (really tasty even on their own), and a good salad.
Final Thought – Tripadvisors number one. As I am now in direct competition with tripadvisor, *turns to the left and spits on the floor*, I don't want to mention them anymore as there is a possibility it could result in legal action, but I would say this is probably up there. It is good value for money and if I had eaten here earlier on during this trip I would have made an effort to return. As there are now only five eating nights available left, (some of which have already been earmarked), I doubt I will come again this break. I don't have anything negative to say about Lades, and I would be surprised if anyone went and had a bad experience.
I came across this excellent blog as i found myself at a loose end in Breda for a few days in need of some sustinance. I have to say (this is blasphemy i know) i had already eaten in Lades having seen it was trip advisor's number one restaurant. i fully concur with the blogger the food is excellent you get masses but are not overfaced. I have to describe the potatoes further, they were small roast potatoes, i think the skin had sea salt on as they were lovely and crinkly i can't describe the extra seasoning on the outside as i have never tasted the like before but they were delicious and i would happily have eaten a bowl full on their own. The wine was also very reasonable.
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