Review: Kervan Turk

Tucked away behind People’s Square, this Turkish restaurant has an all-star menu and good service. However, it suffers from an awkward layout and furniture more appropriate for a fast food restaurant.

It’s almost redeemed by the macho grill at one end, where a moustached, caricature like Middle Eastern chef stands sharpening his knives.

The menu is impressive, covering a wide range of Turkish fare from pide (Turkish pizza) to manti (Turkish dumplings). We started with a plate of ispanakli ezme (¥28), a fresh and zesty spinach dip that comes with crisp, fresh bread, and a glass of far-too-bitter lemon juice (¥25).

Turkish food is all about hunks of meat prepared different ways and grilled to perfection, so we went on to the mixed platter, the karisik izhara kebab (¥128 for the small, ¥238 for the large) featuring chicken, lamb and beef and served with rice and lamacun, a simple Turkish pizza.

It’s long on herbs but short on meat, though what’s there is incredibly tender. Their beyti kebab (¥108) is excellent, with ground beef and lamb wrapped in flatbread and dressed with a sharp home-made yogurt and tomato sauce. It left us nodding along happily to the Turkish rock music.