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