Review: Las Rada Wine & Tapas Bar, Naas, Co. Kildare
We felt quite smug with ourselves when we discovered the little gem that is Las Rada Tapas, Naas, Co. Kildare. This modern tapas bar combines simple, tasty food with the kind of exquisitely relaxed ambience most Michelin-starred restaurants would give their right chef-white-clad arm for.
The charming couple who run this tapas bar are Jules and Joanne, and as one part of a pair who work together myself, I have to admire and respect their energy and enthusiasm for their roles, and their remarkable ability not to roar at each other in front of customers. It can be tough y’know!
Don’t be put off by the exterior, as the bland gable-end car-park entrance belies a warm and welcoming interior, designed in the manner of the Mediterranean without once veering into the kitsch like so many others have done (not mentioning any names except one very well known Dublin super-bar with its own set of er, palm trees).
We occasionally stop in at the end of a long tiring week, as this is one great place to soothe the senses, unwind with a glass of wine and chat over great food. To be honest, I would imagine many people use it more as a wine bar – of which Ireland suffers a severe lack – than a place to go for dinner per se, but the tapas are so well – priced that they provide an excellent accompaniment to the quality vino and natter among friends.
Recently we stopped in one Friday evening, and were seated without delay, despite being very full, upstairs and downstairs. We were proffered very reasonably-priced cocktails, which were duly rustled up by Jules. We very quickly ordered five tapas and one bottle of our usual Malbec, a delicious full-bodied beaut of a wine seemingly designed for perfect partnering with the extensive cheeseboard.
The food. Oh the food. Well, firstly, if you’re looking for ‘a feed’ this isn’t the place, best take yourself off to an all-you-can-eat buffet. This is about small portions, big tastes. We chose five tapas, each one priced at €5, which, when added to the €30-odd for the wine, €13 for the cocktails and €12-odd for the cheeseboard came in at €80 isn’t bad considering we spent a good three hours in there and felt fully and utterly satiated when leaving. The wine really was our big indulgence here, but it really is worth every penny – good Malbecs are hard to come by in Ireland, and we tend to splash out when we discover something special.
Our tapas included the surprisingly light duck spring rolls w/plum sauce, deliciously flavoursome Sicilian meatballs, garlic, butter and chilli prawns, red onion & goat’s cheese tarlet, which was sumptiously tangy, but not too heavy, and finally, chorizo and cider, which was a little on the titchy side, but we used the bread to mop up the sweet flavour. While the dishes came quickly, we refrained from wolfing everything down, savouring each taste and enjoying the differences between each dish. Accompanied by the wine and a good rant about the week gone by, it was a very enjoyable way to wind down on a Friday night.
The guys manage a very good Facebook page, so if you live anywhere close and fancy popping in you might want to become fans so you can check out the weekly tapas, be informed of their very popular tasting nights, peruse the photos or even make a booking if you’re more organised than we are. Las Rada, Naas Town, Kildare, 4.5/5