I’m a bit in the middle with Mama Fatma.

Here are the positives:

The patio is wonderful. So beautiful and wonderful to sit in with your family or partner or friends. If you go around 5pm, you get to enjoy golden hour, and the weather wouldn’t be too hot or too cold. At night the lighting is calm, and reminds me a lot of those times I visited Turkish patios in Turkey.

The mantisi was delicious. The hot oil they pour over the garlic yoghurt was flavourful and the hot cold combination compliment each other very well.

The bread that arrived on our table before our food was delicious. Piping hot, soft inside and crunchy outside. So yummy.

Some negatives:

On our first time visit, we went during the week. When my sister and I found that the food and service was good we diced to bring the family on the following Saturday.

We came on time for our reservation, we’re given a small table and told that they could not provide us wirh something bigger. So our family had to be separated, with a group sitting behind the other. However, other groups that were bigger than ours and arrived later than us were given a large sized table, or were sat in close vicinity so that it was not awkward for them to see each other.

The groups that came after us and put in their orders later than us got their meals first. We sat for 30 minutes, with fussy children, and watched as the people around us were not only getting better service, but were receiving their food on time. It was a very strange experience.

When we ordered the mantisi, it arrived over cooked and cold. The hot oil they usually pour over the yoghurt was cold as well. The flavours were not as delicious as the first time. I did not get to enjoy the staple item that all Turkish people are proud of.

The Iskandar Kabab for some reason looked like sausage meat. It did not have the natural lining or strips of beef traditional Turkish Iskandar has. Between each layer there should be a thin line of fat to prevent the meat from drying. The red sauce was chalky and salty. The location was beautiful, but the food could have been better. Turkey is known for its high quality dishes, full of flavour and power. I did not experience that the last time I visited Mama Fatma. Neither did my family.

However, I’ll assume it was because it was a weekend and a full house that the food and service was like that. I recommend you try Mama Fatma during the week the way my sister and I did.