Amygdalia's Blog

Mmmmm Turkish restaurant review!

Last night I went into the city with a friend of mine, to see the ballet. We were looking for a reasonably priced place to eat dinner beforehand, and although A La Turca’s online menu does not have prices, we decided to give it a try.

Boy, were we not disappointed! We arrived just at 6 PM, as on street parking becomes available. The place was nearly empty at that time, although it had filled up almost completely by the time we finished our meal.

The waiter who greeted us was friendly, and spent quite a bit of time chatting with us about his favorite dishes, and helping us decide what to order.

We ended up deciding to share a few items. Our meal began with the dolmas – stuffed grape leaves. They were tender and lemony, with just the right amount of seasoning. We also received a basket of pide – fluffy bread with just a light sprinkle of sesame and black nigella seeds for interest.

When our entrees arrived, we decided to eat half from the plate in front of us, and switch. I thought my friend was going to change her mind, after taking a bite of her chicken Iskender. Unbelievably tender chicken from a spit, in a lovely spiced tomato and yogurt sauce, on top of cubes of pide, which soaked up the sauce and became delightfully soft and chewy. The Iskender was served with cacik, a yogurt sauce that complemented it perfectly.

My own dish was the chicken shish kebap, and I was not disappointed either. Fluffy white rice, flavorful in that wonderfully buttery way that rice can be. Beautifully seasoned and grilled cubes of chicken breast, along with a side of yogurt sauce that again complemented the chicken. And a light salad of lettuce and red cabbage that added some crunch and refreshment to the dish.

The only complaint I have is that our waiter did not take a drink order for us. We had to ask for water from another server. He made up for it, however, by bringing us complimentary glasses of tea with sugar lumps on the side, as we were finishing our meal.

Again for dessert, we decided to share. I ordered the sutlac, a rich and creamy baked rice pudding that was topped with crushed pistachios. Not too sweet, and absolutely delightful. My friend ordered the burma, a pinwheel of phyllo dough with honey and pistachios that was absolutely out of this world.

A La Turca is definitely worth a try – it’s even worth a drive into the city from wherever you reside. I’ll definitely be returning.