Today I went to a wonderful Turkish Restaurant in Victoria, Kazan, with colleagues from my old team at work. I was here for a Christmas do this time last year, and once again the food was absolutely excellent – a great plate of mezes to start including my favourite, houmous with little cubes of fried lamb and pine nut kernels. The main course was a mixed kebab with rice and salad, polished off with baklava and mint tea. Absolutely scrumptious. Great waiter service too.
When I used to live just off Green Lanes in Haringey a few years ago you couldn’t get me out of the Turkish restaurants in the area. Because there’s a big Turkish and Kurdish community on the stretch between Manor House and Turnpike Lane tube stations, there are lots of restaurants competing for business which, strangely enough, keeps prices down and the quality up. My favourite was the Mangal at 443 Green Lanes, closely followed by the Yasar Halim bakery at no. 386, which must have the largest selection of baklava on the planet. The bakery sells borek too (crisp pastry parcels filled with either spiced lamb mince, spinach or goats cheese). I really must find the time to go down there again soon…