On Wed eve I had dinner at Anatoli in Napier St, Green Point.   It is a Turkish restaurant that’s been around for about 26 years and is housed in a beautiful Victorian warehouse dating back to 1904.

Now those people who followed my travel blog would know that I got to spend a day in Istanbul on my way back to SA, and I didn’t have the best experience.  As a woman traveling alone, I wasn’t made to feel very welcome and I had to resort to eating some Turkish delights on a lonely park bench for lunch.  Not so cool.   So the thought of finally getting to experience a proper Turkish feast was just way too exciting for words.

The decor I thought was amazing.  It makes you feel like you’ve truly just stepped into a local spot in Turkey:

We were quite big group – so I had organised with the restaurant before hand that we would be going for one of their set menu options:

Topkapi – R195.00 p.p
Selection of 10 mezes,small garlic bread, lamb chicken and vegeterian cooked dishes served with rice, baklava, stuffed apricot and date lozenges as dessert.

This worked out really well because we didn’t have to wait long for our food and everyone’s food came out together.  This is not something that’s usually achievable with a big table.  So it was great.

Our starters consisted off a spread including the following mezze’s (plus bread):  Humus, spicy lamb meat balls, chicken & walnut puree, finely chopped tomato, cucumber, chillies & olive oil, broad bean puree, green beans cooked in olive oil with tomatoes, garlic & black pepper corns, grilled peppers, dolmasi (wine leaves stuffed with rice, pine nuts, black currants and spices) & a tzatziki type item:

That bread rocked my world! I'm still lusting after it... Then I enjoyed most of the other things except the dolmasi (it's just not for me). What's really nice is that this option gives you a chance to try things you wouldn't normally have ordered. Thus opening your mind to new tastes. Love it.

I was sticking to white wine for the evening – I seem to be slightly paranoid about red wine now after splashing out on a Brite Smile treatment, hehe (I’ll get over it soon I’m sure) – but I did have a small taste of this Jason’s Hill Merlot which everyone at the table was raving about:

I had never heard of this winery before. But that Merlot was beautiful. Very smooth & easy drinking.

For mains they brought out big platters of rice, a lamb dish, a chicken dish & a vegetarian dish:

I enjoyed everything – it was a good, hearty meal that reminded me of a great Sunday lunch buffet.  Was very filling though, we ended up with quite a few doggy bags.

Then for dessert we had a small piece of Baklava, a stuffed apricot & a small taste of some sweet orange item:

For those hardcore dessert lovers out there – you might be thinking that this sweet spread looks a bit tiny.  But trust me – it packs quite a punch!  It’s way too sweet to have any more than this serving.   I enjoyed the baklava – but the other two items weren’t really my thing.   I’ve mentioned before that I’m not a fan of fruit as a dessert – fruit is for breakfast, end of story.

Now this might seem strange, but I have to show you some pics of the toilets! haha.  It was just sooooo pretty.   Look at these awesome Turkish lanterns they have in there:

I really wanted to buy some of these while in Istanbul at the Grand Bazaar, but I didn't have any space left... bummer.

And then look at the beautiful tiles:

Could have had my meal in here! hehe

My dad always reckons you need to check out a restaurant’s toilet to get an idea of how clean their kitchen is.  Based on what I saw there – I felt pretty reassured that the kitchen was in top notch.

OK – back to the dinner table.  So how do you end off a Turkish meal?  With a punch-in-the-face Turkish coffee of course!  I went for the medium sweet option.  After those super sweet desserts, I figured the very sweet option would literally cause my brain to go explode.

Trust me - you need the water. This little baby kept me awake until about 3am, but it was really tasty. Just a tip: Don't sip all the way to the bottom of the cup. Try one and you'll see what I mean.

The general consensus from the table was that this spot was a winner. It was really fun to try something totally different for a change and now I know exactly which Turkish dishes to opt for next time.

My Miss K Kiss-o-Meter ratings for Anatoli would be:

• Vibe: 
• Price:
• Food: 
• Service: 

xxx