Turkish Village

Being a fan of Turkish food I have been meaning to try out Turkish Village for quite some time. Unfortunately, due to its overwhelming popularity every time we would call to reserve a table during the weekend we were told that it was completely full. Taking the opportunity of being off on a weekday we decided to try it out. 

The restaurant is strategically located on Beach Road close to places visited regularly, like Spinney's and Fridays, allowing it to be spotted easily. It provides the option of indoor and outdoor seating with a terrace on each floor. We opted to sit outside on the ground floor since the weather was nice. With anticipation and an empty stomach we all grabbed the menu and started skimming through. It was refreshing to have a menu that was completely visual and had a picture of each dish that was offered. The options were mouth watering making it harder for us to choose. 

We ordered a couple of appetizers and three main courses to share. While waiting we were offered a basket of bread with a sampler of dips. The bread was just as expected, delicious, reminding me of my bread eating days in Istanbul. First came the appetisers: Gavurdagi Salad (Almonds, Tomato and cucumber), Semizotu Yogurt (Yogurt and Purslane), Taze Zahter Salata (Fresh Zaatar Salad) and Istanbul Borek (Cheese Stuffed Pastry). Even though the plates were quite small and probably not enough for a group of 5 people they were full of flavor and were eaten in a matter of minutes. The real winners, for me, were the Semizotu Yogurt and the Istanbul Borek, I am a lover of anything dairy and practically ate both plates all on my own.

Next came the Konya Etli Ekmek  (a very long piece of Lahm B3ajeen) and the Kirsik Pide (Mixed flat bread). The Konya Etli Ekmek seemed to be a very popular plate since each table had a minimum of one. It definitely did not disappoint, try it with some lemon or laban and enjoy. The Kirsik Pide had something for everyone, I personally tried the Lahm B3ajeen portion and it was even better than the Konya Etli Ekmek.

Finally, two plates of mixed grill found their way to our table. They were beautifully garnished and presented. Taking a few minutes to admire the plate, we finally dug in. The grilled meat and the chicken were cooked and seasoned beautifully, unfortunately the Kabab did not impress. 

After having been disappointed with the food in Istanbul I was happy to have finally had some Turkish food that I could boast about and try again. When visiting, one should take some time to pass by the gift shop for some Turkish delights and Simit bread. Overall all, I would highly recommend trying this restaurant out,
my advice would be to book a table on the roof to avoid the hustle and bustle of Beach Road.  

The Bill ( For 5):

Gavurdagi Salad (AED 20)

Taze Zahter Salata (AED 18)

Istanbul Borek (AED 20)

Semizotu Yogurt (AED 20)

Konya Etli Ekmek (AED75)

Kirsik Pide (AED 60)

Mixed Grillx2 (AED 110 each)

Diet Cola (AED 7)

Spritex2 (AED 14)

Water (AED 12)

Simit Bread x2 (AED 10 each)

Box of Turksih Delight (AED 40)

Total: AED 526 (Around 100 DHS per person)