Bury New Road, Prestwich
Istanbul Grill is a modern and
casual restaurant serving classic Turkish cuisine in the heart of Prestwich
village. Having recently been crowned the Best Turkish Restaurant in the UK at
the 2018 Asian Restaurant Awards, expectations were high.
We were greeted by
ever-so-friendly front of house staff and, at seven o’clock on a Friday
evening, it was already over half-full, an immediate sign that the restaurant
has earned and, more importantly, maintained its reputation.
They boast one of the biggest
a la carte menus I’ve ever seen, with a vast array of hot and cold starters and
traditional meat, fish and vegetarian dishes. If you prefer a more select
choice, there’s a set menu available, with a generous pick of starters and main
courses for varying prices across the week, ranging from £8.95 on weekday
lunchtimes to £12.95 at the weekend.
Turkish isn’t a cuisine I’m
overly familiar with, nor am I very adventurous, as I can’t afford to gamble
with spices. It’s the kind of place where I have to play it safe and order what
I know and love. So I broke the foodie code of conduct and opted for a la carte
rather than the set price menu. Yes, it’s more expensive, but there’s little
point in going for the cheaper option when it’s not really what you want.
I was all set for going for
the Turkish classic Muska Borek to start - feta cheese deep fried in filo
pastry - until another heavenly combination caught my eye: creamy garlic
mushrooms with king prawns. They may be two of my very favourite things in the
world, but I wasn’t sure how they would combine. I didn’t have anything to
worry about, as it was delicious. It was a huge bowl full of garlic mushrooms
and four huge, juicy king prawns in a rich cream sauce: quite heavy for a
starter, but for me, there are few things too creamy. It was accompanied by sliced
pitta bread, so you could mop up the sauce, making sure none went to waste.
£6.75 for a starter featuring king prawns is sensationally good value.
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| Garlic Mushrooms and King Prawns |
My friend had garlic bread
with a Turkish twist. Garlic-coated pitta bread served with a sun-blushed
tomato dip. It was refreshing to see garlic bread served as a portion for one.
In Italian restaurants, they’re generally designed to be shared, making you
feel a little awkward if you’re tucking into one on your own.
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| Garlic Bread |
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| Muska Borek |
Our main courses were three
vegetarian options. I’m a meat eater, but can be perfectly satisfied by a tasty
veggie dish. I had Mousakka, a traditional dish which needs little explanation:
an assortment of courgettes, potato, mushrooms, peppers and tomatoes sandwiched
between layers of aubergine, topped with a creamy béchamel sauce and melted
cheese. It was deliciously tasty and didn’t have the oily texture I’ve
experienced with the dish previously.
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| Mousakka |
My friend had an intriguing
Halloumi Bake: chunks of halloumi fried with mushrooms, peppers and onions in a
tomato ragu, topped with cream and finished off with melted mozzarella and
rosemary. With halloumi and mozerella, you’d have to be a real cheese lover to
enjoy this double dose of dairy delight.
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| Halloumi Bake |
The third main course, from
the set menu, was falafel: fried balls of chickpeas, wheat and coriander,
accompanied by a refreshing yoghurt dip.
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| Falafel |
All three main courses were
beautifully presented, well balanced and generous in size.
I was already on the way to
being suitably stuffed after two courses, but there was one final hurdle to be
jumped before the finish line: baklava. It’s an authentic dessert which you don’t
see very often and therefore has to be enjoyed at every available opportunity.
They serve it with a range of
toppings: ice cream, hot chocolate sauce, cream, even with Turkish milk
pudding.
We all tucked into it: I with
ice cream, my friends with cream and chocolate sauce. It wasn’t the best
baklava I’ve had. It wasn’t sweet or sticky enough, the layers of pastry fell
apart and it was rather dry. However, with was greatly enhanced by the hot
chocolate sauce. This was definitely the winning topping, so if you fancy it,
the chocolate version is the way to go.
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| Baklava with Ice Cream |
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| Baklava with Hot Chocolate Sauce |
Istanbul Grill is a local gem.
It’s a change from the ever-popular Italian restaurants and American diners and
offers excellent food in relaxed yet sophisticated surroundings. There’s a very
lively atmosphere too, and the staff are friendly and attentive. We sent our
waiter away on a number of occasions as we were too busy talking we forgot to
read the menu, but they didn’t mind and still served our food quickly.
So, congratulations to the
team at Istanbul Grill on your award. It seems you’ve earned it.
See the huge menu in full online: http://www.istanbulgrills.co.uk/
