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After opening branches in Chingford and Harringey, the Gokyüzü restaurant group has now set up shop in Walthamstow’s Mall shopping centre. It’s a noisy, hard-floored, two-level restaurant, decked out in latticed screens and the chain’s signature teal. You might describe the vibe as ‘Turkish Nando’s’.
Turkish hospitality abides: bread and tarator is immediately served upon arrival, along with condiments of garlic yogurt and ‘ajvar’ sauce made with red bell peppers and oil. The menu plays it very straight: hot mezze, cold mezze, pide and a long list of grilled chicken and lamb dishes that you’ll need to play spot-the-difference with. (Vegetarians will be disappointed by the scant options on the menu.) But portions are generous, and will certainly set you up for the evening. A kunefe – a Palestinian dessert made of two pieces of honey-drenched wheat with soft cheese in the middle – was huge, and luscious.
The staff were friendly, and a sense of fun hovers around the place – in no small part due to the fact that most diners were in their late teens, either in pashing couples or excitable groups. At 9pm, the lights were turned down , which brought a little buzz to what otherwise could be a rather sterile environment. There’s a branch arriving in Finchley soon: these guys are clearly doing something right.