5, Fenchurch Place, London, EC3M 4AJ www.tikerestaurant.co.uk
That a proud and centuries old culinary culture should be reduced to this cliché is a shame because restaurants like Tike (pronounced TK, as in TK Max) prove there is much more to Turkish food than dubious meat dishes. Back in its home town of Istanbul, Tike has piled up plaudits faster than you can say Sogan Sarmisak Yoghurtlu (bbq’d shallots btw) and here in Milord Richard Rogers modern glass building, next to Fenchurch Street station, it already attracts a sizeable Turkish customer base, as well as more adventurous Western diners.
Staff, like the cooks, are Turkish and have the hospitality you associate with the culture and are happy to advise. We settled for a mixed selection of starters out of fear of missing something good. Presentation was smart, a tray of dinky dishes too many to enumerate here. Of the selection tomato pieces in pomegranate juice were tart and moorish, going well with a bowl of flat leaf parsley in lemon juice. The hummus was good too, although disconcertingly warm, but at least wasn’t over packed with tahini, which has a drying effect on the palate, the sliver of spicy sausage perched on top was unusual.
In any restaurant from this region, you know to brace yourself for the meats and to vaguely regret eating all that lovely bread. They do a metre long kebab skewer here, which we almost ordered for the potential comedy value if nothing else, but instead had a mixed selection of meats. This was a good choice because these were superb. Chicken grilled perfectly to be moist inside with good flavour-packed charring outside, doner kebab meat that was fine quality,
One of us slumped back and threw in the napkin, but I soldiered on for dessert. A strangely erotic-looking Irmik Helvasi -a ‘speciality baked dessert’ made with fresh semolina and pine nuts and scented with cinnamon with an ice cream centre. It was a bit heavy, but the ice cream leavened it. A peculiar dish but enjoyable.
Tike has lovely food, lovely staff, a modern vibe that makes you rethink Turkish cuisine, and it’s really not expensive at all. I’m going back, but this time that one metre kebab has got my name on it, albeit in long hand of course.