“Two types of fresh mushrooms were swimming in this thick cream sauce and the dish was topped large shavings of fragrant parmesan...” Daniel Levin and friend decided to check out Bredo restaurant in Netanya. In addition to a luscious meal, they left with 2 bags full of hot fresh bread.
I made a dinner date with Noa so that I could take a break from all my exam stress. There were 2 things that were important to Noa: that the restaurant be kosher and in the Netanya area. We arrived at Bredo in the early evening, just as the sun was starting to set and it was lovely outside. We settled on the restaurant's patio, which was made of wood and surrounded a large olive tree.
Bredo is an Italian style bread bakery and cafe, the waitress explained to us, and in addition to the restaurant menu, there is also a bakery and shop packed with various breads and baked goods. We decided to start with a platter of smoked salmon and – how could we resist – the house bread, Bredo's crowning glory. Two types of bread arrived at our table: whole wheat with seeds and whole wheat with nuts. Both were warm, soft and wafting with that special scent that fresh-out-the-oven bread gives off. Along with the bread came butter and homemade apricot jam that we polished off immediately. The nut bread had a nice crisp crust, with a soft and meaty interior and won us over with its sweet scent. The second loaf we received was encrusted with various seed, nicely browned and very dense.
Regarding the salmon platter, I am feel obligated to admit that I didn't quite understand what was so exciting about slices of salmon, but the dish was both indulgent and impressive. A large plate, filled with mini vegetables (from tomatoes, to mushrooms and even pickles), was brought to the table. On top of the vegetables were thin slices of smoked salmon. The dish came with a third bread – classic rye – as well as natural cream cheese and garlic-dill cream cheese. I could have been happily satisfied on these two starters alone, but I'd promised Noa pasta, so we saved some space for the dishes to come.
For the main course we concentrated on the pasta department, even though there were also some interesting Italian salads and sandwiches. I ordered an amazing dish of fettucini in alfredo sauce. Two types of fresh mushrooms were swimming in this thick cream sauce and the dish was topped large shavings of fragrant parmesan. The pasta done just as I like – soft, but not too soft (the waitress later explained that all the pasta is made on site). The dish was also just the right side of large – even the very hungry will be satisfied, but those who don't come staring won't be stuck with a massive dish and a matching price tag.
I actually like Noa's dish more than my own. Those who know me know that every meal ends with me stealing of my companions plate. Noa ordered sweet potato ravioli with pomodoro sauce (a close relation of tomato sauce). So why did I choose to steal Noa's dish? The answers resides in the ravioli's sweet potato filling which went perfectly with the piquant-sweet tomato sauce. The dishes other central ingredients included a selection of herbs (I tasted fresh oregano and fresh basil), that transformed the simple sauce into something gourmet.
After all this Noa ordered a cappuccino and I checked out how the pasta sauces go with hunks of the fresh bread from the start of the meal (the answer is yes, they most certainly do – in fact, there should be a dish like this on the menu).
Noa said that the cappuccino was 'really tasty', but because I'm not really a coffee fan I ordered the apple cider instead...along with a slice of apple pie. You must agree that hot sweet cider is the best beverage to accompany apple pie. The pie was tender and the crust, which is often quite boring, soaked up the subtle sweetness of the apples which had baked inside it. Along with the pie came a scoop of excellent pecan ice cream.
At the end of the meal I leaned back and was sorry that I'd eaten so much.
But on the way out I still stopped to buy a couple loaves of nut bread which I simply couldn't resist.
On the way home Noa laughed at me for smelling the bread I'd bought and I knew that good friends and tasty bread was all I need to be happy.
Bredo
12 Habonim, Poleg, Netanya.
Tel: 09-8654935
