Ali Ocakbasi

Cig kofte was one of the worst I’ve ever tasted. It had no structure, tasted like cumin paste with some tomato puree. Muhammara was much better. Yet it lacks a flavour layer of grilled red peppers. Eggplant mezes were ok however kopoglu should not have been served with yoghurt. Instead, vinegar&oil dressing should have been used. Zirh kebab (tried Urfa) was one of the best I’ve tried in the UK. Kusneme was on the other hand too chewy. It is one of the tender part of mutton. I wonder how they managed to bbq it that chewy. Gavurdagi salad was incomplete: it was only a mixture of chopped tomatoes, crushed walnuts and pomegranate paste & olive oil dressing. In fact, myself is a better representation of an authentic gavurdagi salad than that (!)

You can’t deny that Central London has a certain buzz to it! We visited Ali Ocakbasi, a fantastic Turkish Restaurant in Leicester Square and dined alfresco on a warm evening. The staff were super friendly from the outset and there was a lively and relaxed atmosphere. There is a whole host of amazing dishes on the menu focusing on traditional Turkish feasts. You can choose main dishes from the grill or oven or, like us, choose several starter dishes as mezzes. There are 14 cold starters and 5 hot starters so plenty of variety and choice. We paired our mezzes with a glass of Turkish red wine each (Buzbag, Anatolia, Turkey £7.75 glass/£39 bottle). It was a warming wine, yet light and crisp with deep fruity notes. We had the following Cold Mezzes all priced at £6.40: Beyaz Peynir – Traditional Anotilan white cheese Acili Yogurt – Homemade yoghurt served with chili red pepper slices on top Kopoglu – Small cubes of fried eggplant, potatoes and green capsicum (pepper) served with special tomato puree and yoghurt on top Muhammara – Traditional spicy paste prepared with crushed walnuts, twice-baked bread, tahini, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice Kisir – Special bulghur salad mix with Anatolian spices and vegetables Turkish restaurant in Leicester Square We opted for the following Hot Mezzes: Semsek – Traditional pidette with cheese (£3.80) Sigara Boregi – Deep fried pastry rolls, filled with cheese and parsley (£6.40) Sicak Hummus – Warm homemade hummus served plain or with your topping of pastrami, Anatolian sausage or both (£8.40-£10.90) As you can see we had 8 mezzes between the two of us and this was absolutely plenty. Each dish was pretty much perfect – amazing colours, great levels of spiciness.We were impressed by the quality and flavour of every dish and all had something different to offer the palate. This is just such a stunning Turkish restaurant in Leicester Square. In such a busy part of London you really do get the best of both worlds here – the tranquility of exquisite dining whilst watching the hustle and bustle of the busy tourist hub. There was amazing hospitality, something we saw them deliver to every customer which makes all the difference. A thoroughly recommended restaurant.