Several visitors checked out the new Turkish restaurant Mado, which has generated buzz on Florida Street in Durban. The restaurant is located within the Quarters Hotel complex and features the Mado brand of Turkish ice cream and pastries, which has over 300 locations in Turkey and 22 other countries worldwide. The brand was founded in 1850 by Yaşar Kangur and became a chain in 1991; this is the first such outlet in South Africa.
The first thing that caught attention was the impressive bakery display, filled with various and appetizing items such as kunefe, baklava, profiteroles, croissants, and pan-au-chocolat. There was also an ice cream display offering many unusual flavors. One visitor chose pomegranate sorbet, which none of them had tried before. Other available flavors included chocolate, coffee, almond, pistachio, orange, as well as melon and strawberry.
The restaurant is a large, modern establishment, which might have been overly brightly lit, but it was lively with families and large groups. On that cool Saturday evening, the restaurant was so full that they had to seat guests on the outdoor veranda, warning of possible delays in serving dishes. The menu, consisting of 64 pages with glossy stylized photographs, resembled a small magazine rather than a menu, making selection difficult. Ultimately, guests had to rely on the recommendations of the waiters.
Almost a third of the menu is dedicated to pastries and ice cream, followed by breakfast and drinks. Mado is a halal establishment but offers a wide range of lemonades, shakes, smoothies, juices, teas, and coffees. One visitor decided to stick to water instead of soda. Others inquired about traditional Turkish apple tea, which was unfortunately unavailable, as was mint tea.
Ordering Experience
Guests tried stuffed flatbreads (gozleme) and potato skewers. The potato skewers, made of miniature buns filled with potatoes, were extremely disappointing and overpriced, although the tomato paste-based sauce helped. One visitor preferred the salad topping. A lamb gozleme (R195) was also ordered, which turned out to be soft and greasy rather than crispy. For the main course, one woman chose a beef roll (R150), which she liked due to the well-cooked fillet and caramelized onions. Another guest ordered mixed meat stew (R195), which proved to be a tasty tomato-based dish with rice, but was accompanied by very dense pita bread.
The eggplant stuffed with minced meat (R195) was edible, though slightly overcooked; the sweet eggplant puree was enjoyable, but the dish lacked fresh ingredients, such as tabbouleh. Guests also tried butterfly flower lemonade (R80), which had a complex taste: a thin layer of very sweet blue-green syrup at the bottom, topped with a very tart lemonade. A special juice requested by one visitor was unavailable due to a lack of one of the ingredients.
Overall, the pomegranate sorbet (R55) was rated as beautiful and rich, and the raspberry sorbet (R55) as delightfully tart. They finished the meal with a double espresso (R60). With a total bill of R1260 for three people, the food rating was 2, service was 2.5, and atmosphere was 3.