OTTOMAN KEBAB & GRILL, BEDOK MALL

Wednesday, 16 April 2014

OTTOMAN KEBAB & GRILL, BEDOK MALL

Posted by Unknown at 4/16/2014 03:31:00 pm Categories bedok mall, cuisines, family meals, food for families, halal eatouts, turkish food

OTTOMAN KEBAB & GRILL OPENS AT BEDOK MALL

First Gourmet Pte Ltd, the homegrown company behind successful brands like award-winning contemporary Indian restaurant Zaffron Kitchen and casual chic Prata Wala presents its latest brainchild – Ottoman Kebab & Grill at the newly-launched Bedok Mall within Bedok Central.

Signatures: Pide flat bread, Homous, Falafel, Cheese Borek, Iskender Mutton Kebab, Doner Chicken/Beef/Mutton, Ottoman Shish Platter, Kunefe

This new eatery is helmed by Turkish native Head Chef Ali Kose, who has over ten years of culinary experience, two of which saw him as the Sous Chef at Gordon Ramsay’s Michelin-starred Maze in London.

In line with the group’s penchant for cheery and chic interiors and furnishing, the frontage of the intimate 40-seater casual restaurant beckons with its Ottoman-style ceramic tiles of cobalt-blue geometric patterns.

Starters and Sides

An authentic Homous is oft-considered the hallmark of a good Turkish restaurant, and Chef Ali’s rendition of this chick pea dip is gratifyingly creamy with a deft balance of tahini (ground sesame paste), lime juice, and garlic. This is best mopped up with the pillowy homemade Pide Flat Bread which is cooked over lava stones for a characteristic char-grilled aroma before serving. For a healthy and refreshing salad, pick the Tabouli which is a riot of colours with bulgur, chopped parsley, tomatoes, onions and diced cucumbers. Other moreish starters to share include the Cheese Borek Turkish spring roll of feta cheese, and Falafel which are deep fried patties made from ground chick pea and fava beans.

Mains

The substantial portion of the Iskender Mutton Kebab makes it a satisfying main course which can be shared comfortably between two diners. Minced mutton patties are grilled and arranged atop a bed of crispy pide croutons, then generously slathered with a rich sauce of sun-dried tomatoes, celery, carrots, shallots, and dried mint; spoon over a dollop of tangy yoghurt before tucking into this rustic dish with gusto.

Doner kebab is a quintessential aspect of Turkish street food and here at Ottoman Kebab & Grill, the meats – chicken, beef, and mutton – are first marinated with celery, onions, garlic, coriander, tomato paste, and milk before they are roasted on a vertical rotating spit. Diners can enjoy the doner in several delicious combinations - as a wrap using lavash (a thin Turkish unleavened flat bread), stuffed in a pide, with a tabouli salad, or with pilav rice (rice cooked in broth with vegetables such as carrots, peas, and corn).

Shish kebab, another archetypal Turkish classic whereby meats and seafood are threaded onto metal skewers and grilled, is available as individual skewers, or served with bread and pilav rice. Ottoman Kebab offers a choice of chicken, beef, mutton, and seafood (fish fillet and prawns); as well as the all-encompassing Ottoman Shish Platter which comes in a combination of chicken, beef, and seafood, alongside pide and pilav rice.

Desserts and Drinks

Ottoman Kebab & Grill takes particular pride in being one of the few Turkish restaurants in Singapore to serve authentic Kunefe that is freshly prepared upon order (20 minute preparation time). Not for the faint-hearted, this ambrosial traditional Turkish dessert, which comprises stretchy nabulsi goat cheese encased within shredded kadayif phyllo pastry, is pan-fried with butter to a golden hue, then drizzled with sugar syrup and crushed pistachios before being served. Striving for perfection, Chef Ali has even imported the traditional kunefe cooking pan from his homeland as its unique aluminium base allows the heat to be distributed evenly during cooking.

Relish this ethereal finale with a sweet Apple Tea, or a dainty tasse of Turkish Coffee which is boiled the time-honoured way in a copper cevze pot. For little ones, order the Sutluc rice puddings which come in milk and chocolate flavours.