Restaurants

This brand new City offshoot of the Pimlico original has an unassuming exterior, which conceals an opulent den where diners can recline on banquettes for a true Turkish feast. The restaurant combines modern touches with traditional Turkish dishes, which range from hot and cold mezze to substantial kebab mains. The 'Sultan's shish kebabs' are juicy chunks of chargrilled chicken or lamb sandwiched between peppers and oniones, served straight from the skewer and with perfectly-cooked rice and the house chilli sauce – a piquant, fresh-tasting concoction vastly superior to the processed stuff found at takeaways. Istim kebab is tender cuts of lamb wrapped in meltingly soft slices of aubergine, far removed from the usual meat-on-a-stick kebab. On our visit there was a notably long wait between mezze and mains, but at least this suggests everything was freshly prepared. Dreamy, delicate rosewater ice cream and good, strong Turkish coffee ends the meal with a zing, along with a flurry of complimentary Turkish delights.

Time Out August 2008