Fresh from Dubai comes an Anatolian restaurant to Mayfair. It certainly has that element of middle eastern wealth which is right at home in a suburb that I otherwise wouldn't be visiting. The female welcoming staff are all stunningly dressed in white gowns and the wait staff are in equally attractive suits for some females and long middle eastern style shirts.
The service is attentive - very attentive with lots of water top-ups, a sommelier, and multiple staff asking us how the meal is throughout the night. It is their soft opening with 50% off the food and so I suppose they want all the feedback they can get in exchange for the discount. And so be it because the prices are otherwise what I would expect for Mayfair. Luckily it is excellent and alluring for the return at full price.
The menu is explained (as well as the correct pronunciations I have been butchering for years) as modern Anatolian cuisine with a few twists. It is a far difference from the repetitive pides, kebabs and grills I have (lovingly don't get me wrong) experienced on multiple trips to Turkey. A cocktail cost £13 which is higher than usual but not extreme, although admittedly didn't taste very strong. Their cocktail menu definitely has some unusual and excellent ideas based upon various regions of Anatolia.
I've listed the full food prices, but paid 50% of it.
- Citir Kalamar (simit coated baby squid, avocado haydari) £6.5 - small pieces of crisp salty spiced kalamari with a coriander (green) sauce and a (red) pepper sauce;
- Zeytinyagli Ahtapot (marinated grilled octopus, black eyed beans, apple vinaigrette) £11.5 - remarkably tender octopus grilled to a bitey coat with a slightly tangy vinaigrette;
- 2 Cheese Pide from the Black Sea (slow-cooked egg) £10.5 - the dish is low baked for 90mins to get the poached egg which is then broken and smeared over the top. The bread and 2 cheeses have an excellent saltiness and deliciousness throughout. The best pide I've had;
- Keskek (barley risotto with pulled lamb & spices) £20 - an unexpectedly sweet risotto with tender lamb pieces stirred through;
- 24h Slow Cooked Short Rib (Turkish chilli BBQ glaze, spiced konya chickpea puree) £28.5 - the waiter recommended this as their most popular dish (over the whole grilled seabream) and the reasonably tender rib didn't disappoint with the slightly tangy sweet BBQ wet rub. The chilli sauce was an outstanding savoury one and quite spicy. The hummus was more subdued but still a good balance. I think some flatbread or salad could've transformed this into the next step. But that is just extras, the dish itself is pretty good already;
- Umut's Bayildi (grilled confit of aubergine, slow-cooked onions, tomato sauce, goat's cheese) £6.5 - a roast vegetable side to balance out the heavy meat main dishes. It was relatively plain in flavour with just the natural ones coming through;
- Kunefe to share (baked kadayif pastry, melted Majdule cheese, rose & orange blossom syrup, pistachio icecream) £9.5 - the freshly cooked sweet pastry hid a chewy and lightly (plainly) savoury cheese. The pistachio icecream was coated in pistachios but didn't have the strong flavour I like on my pistachio-gelato -connoisseur taste buds.
Overall the meal was exceptional from the flavours, presentation and service. Would I pay full price? I would be very tempted - I would probably order less dishes (as this was a lot for 2) and perhaps not alcohol.