Kapadokya Turkish Restaurant — Restaurant in Plymouth

Well it all started fine, so let’s get the good bits in first! As so many reviewers have said, it’s a delightful building and a cosy, tastefully decorated room. We only saw one waiter, but he was friendly and attentive, without being intrusive. Two starters, one humous with lamb and pine nuts and one of breaded chick pea croquettes were decent. The wine arrived. We ordered Pamukkale red. It arrived opened and the bottle may or may not have contained what it said on the label. Advice: ask for it unopened. Then the bread. Yesterday’s toasted. Ok, so it was Sunday. Then the main course of mixed sis. What can I say? Certainly, the worst Turkish meal I have ever confronted (note: confronted, not eaten) and possibly one of the worst restaurant main courses I have come across. I cook Turkish food and I eat a lot more of it. Let me try and describe it. It was a huge mountain of rice, with a huge mountain of meat on top of it and then some flatbread on top. The ‘doner’ was thickly sliced beef, though it could have been hippopotamus. No spice, garlic, herbs, nothing. Then the sis kofte. Minced lamb, with apparently no onion, spices, nothing. The chicken had been shown some kind of marinade, but the acquaintance was, I believe, brief. Now, all of this could have been a tiny bit better if it had been charcoal grilled. Nope. Or even apparently grilled. My guess was it was either done in an oven, or possibly a grill earlier in the day, then microwaved. The result was a sliminess that concealed a dryness, consistent with reheated meat. But there was plenty of it. My partner had some more none meat mezze for main course, which she pronounced ‘OK’. What is it about Plymouth, why so few Turkish restaurants? Just this one it seems. I would guess the city has got more Greek restaurants and more bad Greek restaurants per head of population than any other comparable city. Some of them do a side-line in roast dinners, which are better. There was once a Turkish restaurant, Le Ziz, that was as good as any ocakbasi as you’d find in London. But though busy, it lasted only months. Just one decent authentic Turkish restaurant would...

What a find! Came across this little back street restaurant whilst exploring the old part of the Barbican. Were drawn in by the smells coming from the kitchen window as we walked by. The restaurant was quite quiet for an early Tuesday evening as was the whole of the Barbican. We decided to go for their special evening offer of two courses with a glass of wine. We have eaten in other restaurants on the Barbican when we have visited Plymouth but never this one. I opted for the lentil soup for a starter and my other half went for the hummus topped with pulled lamb. Both came with bread which we were informed was made by a local bakery just down on the Main Street. My soup was just perfect for warming me up and obviously home made as it wasn't the usual gloopy thick consistency that you get in lots of restaurants. I followed the waiters advice and squeezed the fresh lemon wedge into it. Delicious and fresh. For mains we had the chicken sis and meatballs. My chicken was cooked to perfection and the meatballs were lovely and juicy in a fresh tomato sauce. All washed down with a glass of the house red, very palatable indeed! We left feeling totally warm and satisfied and couldn't have asked for anything better for a mid week meal deal! Well worth hunting this place out (we even left with a cheeky take out of...

Staff great, drinks reasonable, atmosphere and decor beautiful, meal portions were generous but unfortunately the food wasn't as good as the last time I ate here, back when it was Shirley Valentine's...we shared a starter platter and some calamari which was generally nice with some interesting selections, however the tarama and hummus were a bit bland and the Turkish bread felt dry. We only had one main, a doner kebap house special, maybe my expectations were too high but the meat didn't taste fresh or home-made (I've made my own, it's time-consuming but worth the effort) and was dry and tasted the same as any back-street takeaway - disappointing for £16.50, and too boring to finish eating. This restaurant is also on the pricier side compared to its other main rivals (probably due to location) but £50 for 2 drinks, 1 main and some starters isn't great value, my partner and I have been touring the Turkish and Middle-Eastern restaurants of Plymouth recently and this just wasn't as interesting food- or price-wise as their competitors that are situated more centrally in the city. I'm not writing this place off yet though, and I'm sure their other meals are more interesting, but it's going to be a long while before I risk dropping £50 on a meal I don't...