Ottoman Kitchen — Restaurant in Southampton

When they opened few years back - it was really an amazing place to go and enjoy Turkish (and a bit of Greek) cuisine. September 3rd, 2021 marks a day I decided for myself - sadly it is not the case anymore. It was a party of 10 pre-booked and we had a great time chatting away, but we had a few issues. This was a second time we had to really wait (1hour and 27 minutes this time) for our main courses. Some of us had ordered starters, but they were arriving with such gaps, that some had finished theirs before last one arrived. The member of staff could not tell what she brought over, when asked (it was Spinach & Ricotta wraps). As for main courses - I ordered liver and asked our lovely waitress to add a note not to overcook them. Plate arrived as one of the last and... Liver was almost lukewarm (and overcooked). When I pointed that out to one of the staff no apology, no sympathy was offered. Lady asked if I wanted them to be warmed up. I pointed out that they are already overcooked. And... She left with the plate. Few minutes later without any words a plate reappeared now with same pieces of liver so overdone that they now had a crispy crust. At that moment I realised that there's no chance for me to enjoy the food at the same time and had lost my appetite. I asked for the plate to be taken away. A promise was made to me by a male staff, that the meal will be taken off the bill. There was another dish which was not hitting the mark - ribs. My friend received her order just to discover, that the amount of rib bone is equivalent to the amount of mainly... fat. She did not wanted to make a fuss and her boyfriend shared his chicken. So they were fine, if not disappointed. But honestly - I've never seen ribs so poor. When we asked for the bill, it arrived with my liver dish still present and I had to go by the bar to explain why it shouldn't be there. Again - no emotions or words were spared for me. Just another bill with my main course taken off. I've worked in a restaurant for 10 years myself and understand, that service is not always going smooth, but two recent trips to this restaurant just shows signs of systemic failures. I hope they will get back to the level they used to be, but for now - I'll think twice before giving them a chance to...

Avoid if you have food allergies. Booked here as the menu is marked with GF items.

On arrival I spoke to our server to inform him I required food to be Gluten Free. He didn’t seem to know what I was talking about. I said that I’d like to order the Falafel which states it’s GF and the server said he’d double check with the chef. A few minutes later the server came back to say that the Falafel wasn’t Gluten Free. I asked what was, as the menu indicates they are. We then watched our server as he asked the chef. The chef shrugged and said “I don’t know”. We were utterly horrified. Either the chef forgot that customers can see him, or he didn’t care. Our server then disappeared for 3-4 minutes before returning to say that if the menu says it’s GF then it’ll be GF.

Concerned, I ordered the Falafel and then ordered the Mixed Grill (which also states it is GF). I then asked for it without the rice as the menu states that the rice isn’t GF. (I don’t know why they’re adding gluten products to their rice). Our server seemed very confused by this so I had to point it out. He then asked if I wanted chips instead (also not GF).

Fast forward to when the food arrived. I was horrified to see that the mixed grill was served on a slice of flatbread! Twice we tried to call someone over but they kept avoiding our eye and walking away. In the end we gave up, removed the flatbread, finished our food and left. It seems they’re completely incapable of catering for food allergies despite the menu seeming to do so.

Food wasn’t particularly great either. Hummus was bland, Lahmacun soggy, kebabs over cooked and dry and the prawns in the spicy prawn pot were rubbery.

We love Turkish food and it’s generally easy to serve Gluten Free but Ottoman Kitchen got it seriously wrong.

I emailed this experience to the manager afterwards. They have since held a staff meeting again to explain the allergies to the front of house staff and kitchen team, but I’m yet to find out why GF items are...

Overall - not a outstanding as we had hoped for.

After hearing various reviews from friends we had to come and try. We booked but when we arrived we were ushered to a seat and I didn't get the chance to say we had booked or for how many.

We ordered a couple of drinks, a mojito and an other cocktail. They arrived very quickly.

We took our time and decided what to share for starters and what to have as mains.

Again. The food came out quickly. The picked cabbage was very nice indeed which was served with the falafel. The falafel was good too. The vine leaves were good too. ( Note that I am saying good. Nothing about it was above average)

We were putting the last forkful of starter in our mouths and we were descended on by a vulturous group of waiters who were clearing plates before my fork had even got to my mouth. Come on guys- we all understand that you want as many covers through as you can , but at the expense of good dining etiquette?? It was an uncomfortable moment to be honest and I bristled! As quickly as the plates were cleared our main dishes were put down on the table. I was seriously unhappy about being rushed.

Two mains were ordered. Mixed shish Lamb casserole.

The mixed shish came as four cubes of chicken and four cubes of lamb, with rice on the plate and a side salad. In all seriousness - are you really charging this price for overcooked chicken breast and lamb of which one cube was more chewy ( sinue ) than it should be and an average bowl of salad. If there is not much volume, then you really need to ensure the quality of the butchering.

Now, we didn't come here with the expectation of fast food. We were expecting the service and the food and drink to match the grand decor! It fell very short. We expected fresh cocktails made well and fresh food served at a restaurant pace with good quality service.

Overall poor value Hurried service Low quality cheffing. Some nice flavours...