A real Turkish delight

Turkish cooking suffers from an image problem in many countries of Europe – and that is largely the fault of the takeaway kebab shops that litter so many streets.

However, Turkish cuisine is magnificent, full of freshness and taste that relies on plain and simple cooking, often over glowing charcoal, and the finest ingredients. In London recently, we went to the Cirrik Grill and Meze Bar and had a terrific meal. The only problem was the huge portions meant that everyone was offering everyone else samples of their food.

The kebabs here are skewered and cooked over the coals. Lamb Shish Iskender kebab and was delicious, served with salad. The meat was taken off the skewer and laid on a bed of toasted freshly baked bread, covered with garlic yogurt and tomato butter sauce. “Iskender” means Alexander and, no doubt, Alexander The Great enjoyed a good kebab. There are even vegetarian kebabs for non-meat eaters, along with dishes such as courgette fritters, vegetable moussaka, aubergine stew and vegetarian casserole.

Grilled sea bass and sea beam and king prawn casserole tempted the seafood enthusiasts. Sharon tucked into sautéed tiger prawns as a starter. Albanian liver was a new taste, very rich and, again, cooked over the coals – the first time we had ever tasted an Albanian dish.

Special main courses included Ezme Kebabs, which were laid on a bed of tomatoes, onions and parsley and dressed with olive oil and pomegranate juice. There was also Ali Nazik, with the kebab laid on a bed of chargrilled aubergine, tahini, garlic puree, served with butter and tomato sauce.

For real men, such as our son James who is a bit of a gourmet, there was only one thing to drink. That was a fiery concoction made with grated turnip and hot spices that keeps the chills at bay in the Turkish mountains. Not at all a lady´s tipple.

Sharon said: “The food was absolutely delicious and so fresh. But it was very, very, very filling. I loved it and it was one of the best meals I´ve ever had anywhere in the world. I only wish I could have eaten more and gone to the restaurant every day during my stay in London.”

Cirrick Grill and Meze Bar, 19 Green Lanes, London, N16 9BS. Telephone 020 722 61866. This is very close to Newington Green and there are plenty of bus services.

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©Phillip Bruce 2009.