Turkuaz

 

It's been a while since I actually went to this Turkish restaurant 'Turkuaz'. I have got to say that I wasn't too hyper or excited going for this. Well, the main reason is that Turkish food somehow relate to the strong smell of 'lamb' meat (which I'm not a big fan of). But as a food enthusiast, it's a sin to reject food in any cause. So, the 7 of us had this for a late Sunday lunch. There weren't much crowd during that time, only around two other tables were occupied. Turkuaz is situated on the Gunawarman Street, just besides Lobbie (the lobster eatery) and thus not a problem to locate it. The decor is plain and very much insipid and dim. What's with the lighting? I think they need more lights everywhere, the lack of it makes the place smaller and somehow 'dirtier'. Wasn't impress with the decor, but what about the food? Let's chat about it !!

Menu : Top Left (Zeytinyagli Hummus), Top Right (Teryagli Cam Fistikli Hummus), Bottom Left (Acili Hummus), Bottom Right (Etli Hummus)

Price : Rp 55.000, Rp 90.000, Rp 60.000, Rp 75.000 ++

Score : An average of 7.0 / 10

>> Gosh, so much hummus dip to begin. I got confused caused it very much all taste the same after a few dips. I'll try to break it down.

- Zeytingali : Pureed chickpeas with tahini with extra virgin olive oil. The most subtle of them all.

- Teryagli Cam Fistikli : Pureed chickpeas with tahini with sauteed butter pine nuts. The most expensive but rather much the same with Zeytingali. Except for the extra crunch.

- Acili : Pureed chickpeas with tahini with sauteed fresh chili, shallots and homemade chili paste. My favourite among all 4. Love those sauteed onions and chili, which gave that sweet taste. Gotta love the slight spicy kick it gave.

- Etli : Pureed chickpeas with tahini with butter sauteed lamb and chili flakes. I gotta admit that they were quite generous with the lamb portion. The smell was there, so not much of a fan of this (being biased, sorry).

Menu : Patlicanli Kuzu Incik Kebabi
Price : Rp 235,000 ++
Score : 6.5 / 10

>> This is the chef's signature lamb shank dishes and the waiter urge us not to miss on this one. The sauce has strong herb and spices smell; infused with the sweetness of tomatoes as the sauce, which was still a liking for me. The lamb meat itself was as predicted tender, slit easily off from the bone and yes strong in lamb odour. Not my favorite but definitely popular amongst the lamb shank fans. Forgive me for my biased opinion on lamb meat, but hey by all means try this menu!

Menu : Left (Icli Pilav), Middle (Burgul Pilavi), Right (Sehriyeli Pilav)
Price : Rp 28.000, Rp 28.000, Rp 20.000 ++
Score : 7.5 /10 ,  7.0 /10 ,  6.0 /10

>> The photo look like a single dish? Well it's actually 3 different menu that we ordered. The chef  helped to save the table space and thus put all 3 into a single to share plate.
- Icli : Slow cooked rice with almonds, pine nuts, raisin and Turkish spice. Love the sweetness from the raisins and the crunchiness from the pine nuts. My favorite among three.
- Burgul : The texture of the rice is somehow similar to couscous. It has that brittle and sand like effect on the tongue. The spices was fragrant and I thought it was pretty tasty overall.
- Sehriyeli : The cheapest among three and the most bland. It's basically a slow cooked vermicelli with rice. It didn't make too much sense to me. Vermicelli with rice? Ummm...wasn't a hit for me.

Menu : Sis Kebab Beef, Sis Kebab Chicken, Karides Guvec,
Price : Rp 210.000 , Rp 85.000 , Rp 205.000 ++
Score : 7.0 / 10

>> Again, the photo looked like one single dish but in fact 3 separate dishes. All three meat ; beef, chicken and jumbo shrimp were marinated and char grilled. I'm not a chef but I definitely think all three are in fact marinated with the same spices and sauce. They tasted the same. Well, they all taste good don't get me wrong ! I like the beef best, they were cut into cubes and thus a good size to bite and chew on. It was tender and definitely not overcooked. An important issue would be the portion versus the pricing. This plate cost exactly Rp 500.000 ++ and giving a better portion to the customer is very much advised. I don't think 4 shrimps should cost Rp 205.000 ?? But overall base on taste, it's a 7 pointer for me.

The final question of 'will I come back again'? Hmmm....I think I might, but there is a big BUT ... I probably come back in a long period of time. Nothing in the near future and I'm not sure either hahaha !!

Turkuaz
Jl. Gunawarman No 32, Kebayoran Baru. Jakarta Selatan
Phone : +62 21 72795853

Mykonos Greek Restaurant - Bali

I've been to Bali countless of times and passed by Seminyak area countless of times also. And saw this eatery called 'Mykonos' many many times before but didn't thought of having a meal there. Ummm...maybe the thought of having Greek food in Bali was slightly off to me? I'll hunt for Balinese food while there and not Western. But nevertheless, I've heard reviews about this place and a friend wanted to try and hence why not? 

The eatery situated at in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Seminyak. Certainly a prime area and you wouldn't miss it. Ask any shopkeeper and they'll recognize this iconic restaurant. The decor had a theme of 'Mediterranean' thing going on. Lots of blue and white all over the place. Oddly said, it turn out to be quite okay. Nothing posh or fancy but certainly made quite a name for themselves. Three of us ordered lunch to share among us and here are my reviews !

Menu : Pita Garlic Bread

Price : Rp 20,000 ++

Score : 8.0 / 10

>> Fluffy dough checked. Steaming hot temperature checked. Wonderful garlic taste checked. Perfect combination for soaking in the sauces double checked !! I like bread to begin with and this is glorious for all sorts of dipping sauces. But by itself is good enough for nibbling.

I love how the garlic is infused in but still managed to be subtle, didn't overpower the taste of the sauces when dipped in. The temperature of the bread when served was perfect too. Still hot and fluffy and like those oven burn marks distributed evenly.

Menu : Sahanaki Garites

Price : Rp 45,000 ++

Score : 6.5 / 10

>> This is the combination to order when you have a dipping bread like the one above this. This dish is a basically melted feta cheese, prawns, olives and tomatoes all cooked into one. It's too salty to be eaten on its own. Bread or a plain rice is crucial to balance off the taste.

The portion was alright and enough to be shared among 4 adults. The prawns were cooked well and the olives and tomatoes were fresh too. Overall a good dip without nothing to complain about :p :p

Menu : Risotto Poseidon

Price : Rp 75,000 ++

Score : 8.5 / 10

>> I loveee risotto!! And maybe one of the most well done cooked risotto I had ever taste in Indonesia. Crunchy risotto is a BIG no no and mush risotto is a BIG no no too. This beauty over here is perfectly cooked! The risotto is cooked with spinach and served with prawns and calamari tomato sauce.

The seafood was nailed, cooked very well. The meat were succulent and fresh. The additional touch of the spinach with the creamy risotto was brilliant. Spinach serves not only as your greens in your diet but also serves an additional taste to the rice. Instead of a plain buttery creamy risotto, you get a slight hint of herbs from the spinach. Overall, my favorite complete meal of the day ^_^

Menu : Souvlaki Pita Bread
Price : Rp 55,000 ++

Score : 7.0 / 10

>> There is a choice of beef, chicken or pork to this souvlaki and for an additional Rp 25,000 you have a lamb meat instead. My friends opt for pork and yes I enjoyed it ! The greens were plenty, all fresh and crispy. The pork meat was generous and succulent.  I like the idea of not using mayonnaise and instead, they used yogurt. Not only the yogurt was home made, it's adjusted well to the Asian palate too. Not overpowering the pork meat.

But if I'm allowed to give a constructive input, it will be to toast the pita bread slightly much longer. It was too cold when served and toasting the pita bread will give a crispy texture which will bring up the score higher than a seven. But still, a recommendable dish !

Mykonos Greek Restaurant

Jl. Laksamana 52, Oberoi - Seminyak, Bali.

Phone : +62361 - 733253