TL;DR --- If you've not eaten at Irmak BBR restaurant, you're in for a treat. Even if you're unsure, give it a whirl you won't regret it. In fact, you'll quickly decide to add it to your short list of places you'd recommend to others.
If you're passing Irmak BBQ restaurant and takeaway on the A505 crossroads at Dustable, you could be forgiven for thinking it's just a regular kebab takeaway with a few tables out front. But that assumption or best guess on your part couldn't be further from the truth.
When you enter the restaurant, (dodge past the takeaway queue as it's likely to extend out of the door) you'll quickly encounter the polite, efficient but not pushy and in-your-face attitude the staff have. Their attentive, professional, quiet but friendly manner is something many restaurants strive for (including the bigger chains) but few achieve except the more exclusive outlets.
The restaurant's main seating area boasts modern decor with its marine blue and white chairs, retractable roof and pleasant ambience giving it the ability to be light and airy on a warm summer's evening, or softly lit and a little more intimate with the roof closed.
The same level of thought and attention to detail as was given to the decor is engrained into the DNA and the bar, kitchen and those who prepare the drinks and plate the food. For them, this is anything but "just another kebab restaurant"; it's abundantly clear this is a business which they care about deeply, where every effort is made to provide an experience which would set itself apart from anywhere else you'd eaten that month.
We considered a starter but then decided to skip it and just go for the mixed platter for two (lamb doner, chicken doner, lamb shish, chicken shish and lamb kofte) served with a side salad, cous cous and Turkish bread. Good choice as the portions are generous. Once the food had been presented at our table, the moment was topped off with the theatre of a bowl of dry ice. You may think this is a little OTT and unnecessary but I'd respond by saying it only lasts a couple of minutes and doesn't detract from the food at all, for most people it'll add to the experience. My eagle eye watched numerous tables being served their food while we were seated and each received the same attention to detail and thoughtful service.
Everything we ordered was prepared, cooked, plated and presented perfectly. A good example is the salad, which I've seen a similar selection of ingredients (tomato, carrot, lettuce, red cabbage, pomegranate seeds and cucumber) served in other establishments. The way they'd been combined together demonstrated this wasn't an afterthought or 'cost-effective dish' that had been added to this menu option simply to help bulk it out. The marinade on the red cabbage turned it from a coarse vegetable into something that worked with and complemented the meat dishes without being overpowering. I know from personal experience this takes a degree of skill and craftsmanship to achieve with the subtlety and grace demonstrated by the chef. For the sake of brevity, I'll leave it there.
Lastly, the £64M question - "would I go back?"
So often I've eaten at a place which has been enjoyable, but when asked I've had to reply, "given the number of other places I'd like to sample I did enjoy it and would return, but probably not for 6 months or so." Whereas when I think of the food and service we received at Irmak BBQ restaurant, if asked, my answer would be DEFINATELY! And quite soon.
(For the avoidance of doubt, this was not a paid for review. The proprietor did not know I was a Google Local Guide who fully intended to review the experience, we ordered, were served and paid for our food. My review is an account of the service we received and my honest and frank critique of the food and the overall experience received...
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