Yesterday evening, I headed out with SWMBO and a friend (not forgetting his wife) to celebrate their recent birthday. In a break with tradition, we eschewed our usual choice of Indian food and, instead, decided to try an Anatolian restaurant which was highly recommended by the regulars in the uk.food+drink.misc newsgroup.
Tas Pide opened last year as the third acclaimed venue in the Tas group and specialises in serving pide, a boat-shaped Anatolian bread dish, baked in a wood fired oven, upon which a variety of foods are served.
Immediately upon our arrival, we were served with complimentary bowls of red lentil soup, which had an unexpected but delicious citrus taste unlike anything I have tried before. Having despatched the soup very rapidly, we proceeded to demolish our chosen starters which included falafel, grilled mussels in batter and a lamb mince and houmous dish. As is often the case, SWMBO chose not to have a starter and wait for her main course. The chef and waiter would have none of this and presented her with a complimentary dish of finely chopped salad and herbs, so she would not be left out whilst we other three ate - a little thought goes a long way.
Over these and copious amounts of bread, we chose a variety of dishes for our main courses. My friend's wife had a Kiymali pide with a meat and vegetable filling while he choose a deep and rich Moussaka with a green side salad with figs. SWMBO chose a Peynirli Bademli Patlican, which comprises an aubergine casserole with almonds, tomatoes and organic mulberries. I went the full carnivore route and had the excellent Kuzu Tandir, perfectly ovencooked lamb piled high on toasted bread and served with piles of herbs and spices to dip each morsel into. No-one could find a thing to be less than satisfied about and each of us groaned and waved away the dessert menu when it was offered, choosing to end the meal simply with regular and Turkish coffees.
With three bottles of excellent house wine, including the superbly named BuzBag red, water, and service charge included we just tipped the £100 mark. For three courses and drinks and all the trimmings in a prime London location, that constitutes good value for money in my book.
Posted by bignoseduglyguy at September 28, 2003 12:40 PM | TrackBack