Authentic Turkish fare at Turkish Cafe Istanbul

Throwback to birthday brunch: We tend to think of kebab as just meat on skewers but at Turkish Cafe Istanbul it comes in many forms. We ordered the Istanbul Lamb Kebab that had pieces of tender grilled meat on fries – unusual but appetising – covered with tomato sauce and cheese. In hindsight, one dish less would have been enough for the 3 of us as the portions are generous and the food heavy with cheeses and sauces, and they came with carbs as well.

Started slow with Turkish bread and eggplant hummus. This was so delicious that we almost wanted to get more bread. Thank goodness we didn’t as the following dishes filled us to the brim. Pide was like conventional Italian pizza so a safe bet. Crust was just slightly thicker than thin crust pizzas – nicely filled with minced beef and lamb, doused over with cheese, a crowd fav. 

The stew (Turkish Saute) came in a concentrated tomato-based gravy, pieces of chicken, capsicum, tomato, to be eaten with either bread or rice. Kinda like sweet sour chicken but more heavy-handed flavours, more savoury rather than sweet and sour. For Asians, this would be a comfort dish with rice that would fill that spot in the tummy nicely. 

Of course, we must have Turkish coffee. So thick that a spoon probably could stand in it, they give you a glass of water to anticipate how you would want to dilute the taste in the mouth.

We shared a slice of baklava to round off a great meal. I also understand now why it’s usually super sweet (the one we had was thankfully more well-balanced) to counter the strong flavours of the food.   

If you don’t know how to order, they have Mandy and Kebab sets that have a bit of everything which gives a good idea what Turkish food is all about. Having been to Istanbul a couple of times, I find the food pretty close to the real deal and prices very reasonable. Will definitely be back for more. 

Add: LG-08 Glo Damansara, 699, Jalan Damansara, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, KL. call 03-7731 1644.