Lalou

SVH Master Chef Mario Ridder has enriched Delft's culinary landscape with a breathtakingly beautiful brasserie that also serves as a wine bar. Located in a historic building in the city center, Lalou gets it right in every respect with its warm, intimate decor. The space features wooden floors, pastel-colored plush armchairs and sofas, snow-white table settings, and authentic touches like tall wood-inlaid sliding doors. A sturdy marble bar offers a spot to enjoy a glass of fine wine, complemented by an extra dining area at the back. The bistro kitchen, specializing in classics such as carpaccio, Niçoise salad, beef fillet, and pork entrecôte, takes precedence here. While there are two separate menus—one for the wine bar and one for the bistro—you are free to order across both and dine wherever you settle. The maestro’s welcome is genuinely warm, and soon we find ourselves sipping a glass of Rafael Palacios’ Louro do Bolo while enjoying oysters and crisp bread with salted butter and rillettes. The wine list, featuring no fewer than 750 references, is quite a feature. The selection is enormous, spanning from approachable to exquisite, and so are the price tags. A salad with lightly seared tuna is accompanied by an aromatic 2020 Jean-Claude Bachelet Le Charmois, while the exceptionally tender beef fillet, cooked to your desired medium-rare preference alongside a side of stroganoff sauce, is paired with a full-bodied and rounded 2021 Groffier Passetoutgrains. We conclude with classic crêpes Suzette, effectively emptying our wallets. This experience would benefit from a higher level of professionalism from the service staff—a detail that still needs work. Welcome to Lekker.