Tasty Turkish Food At Izgara Restaurant, Hatch End - what to order

 You can't miss Izgara with its wide frontage by day, and at night jumping flames. It evoked imperial Rome come to life, all excitement. My family already liked their branch in Edgware and were keen to try out their Turkish food in Hatch End.

Seating, Warmth, Welcome & Atmosphere 

The sign at the door said wait to be seated, but our group included a mother was not willing to wait outside in the cold with baby.  The manager in charge of seating rushed over to intercept us, to seat us and perhaps avoid crowding at the door in Covid-19 times. He was welcoming and immediately understood mother's concern about cold. He selected an indoor table far from the open sided front. The waiter who took the order was Greek and also engaging.

I loved the purple inside.

Interior at Izgara.

Five of us wanted a table late on Sunday night when it felt like Saturday, bustle and brimming with people, couples, foursomes and a jolly party at the far end. They laughed so much I wanted to rush over and ask them for ideas for my humorous speech contest. They were taking selfies and laughing at the results. Maybe that's the secret. Take selfies of yourself pulling funny faces and show the pictures to your audience - after they have had a few drinks from the cocktail list.

Cocktail Menu

The cocktail menu included cocktails but we went straight to the food. (The Sprite ordered by our table turned into Fanta, and though the Fanta was sent back it appeared on the bill as Fanta.)

The wine glasses were clearly marked with the measures. 175 ml. 250ml.

The four month old Baby on her back patiently waited for her bottle of milk, whilst being entertained by her grandad who asked her if she liked Turkish food, and did she want the fish or meat? She responded to his raised eyebrows with lovely smiles. This kept all of us amused.  

Food - Starters

The food was faultless, almost. The yogurt and bread was a great way to assuage hunger pangs of one of our members, mother. And as everybody knows from the film title, if Mother ain't happy, nobody's happy. 

The yogurt was just right for counteracting the slightly too spice red something or other.

We asked for the starters and main courses served together. We were hungry and in a hurry. (To get the baby home.) 

My chicken liver starter was perfect. The liver was slightly breaded. The ensemble was enlivened by cooked onions spiced up with some kind of herb. 

Main Courses

 Two sorts of fish, salmon and another, suited the pescatorian (who eats meat at home but keeps kosher). 

We picked and mixed. We were full and had enough food to take home.

No desserts

I never saw the coffee or dessert menu. I think that Covid-19 regulations mean they must reduce the tables and space them, and reduce staff, so the menu is limited.

Take away boxes

They spotted that we had stopped eating and I was holding a plastic lidded box  They brought up four silver foil take away boxes and a brown paper bag with handles.

The bill was 86 UK pounds sterling for four, including service. We had no coffee, nor desserts, nor alcohol.

Baskin Robbins

 However, we crossed the road to Baskin Robbins for ice cream cones. (Described in the next post.)

 I chose pistachio. A large scoop in a conical wafer, enough for two.

A day later I rediscovered the delights of the Turkish food in the take away boxes. (Americans say take out.) The liver was perfect. On a par with my other all time favourite in Hatch End, B & K. (B and K best for take away, kosher style European food and an unpretentious lunch for twosomes  and foursomes at tables for four. Izgara is ideal for a fun evening meal in a big place, more glamorous, for larger groups, at higher prices, two, four or more.)

The next day I was back to the Turkish takeaway of my leftovers and could not believe how good it tasted. Huge chunks of chicken kebab. Aubergine, yummy. Vegetables to tempt those who don't think of themselves as liking vegetables. Yummy. Yes, would I go back. Yes, yes, yes.

Given the oportunity, I might try the baklava, the mango dessert, the lattice apple tart, the figs.

Useful Websites

Izgara in Hatch End

https://www.izgarahatchend.uk/

https://www.izgarahatchend.uk/Izgara-Ala-Cart-Menu.pdf

Izgara in Edgware

http://www.izgararestaurant.co.uk/

Edgware Desserts (when available)

http://izgararestaurant.co.uk/desserts.pdf

About the Author

About the author of this travel blog

Angela Lansbury is British born and bred but has also lived in the USA, Spain and Spingapore and visited countries around the worl

She is a semi-retired teacher of English language and literature.

About the Teacher/Tutor/Trainer

She is a member of Toastmasters International and five clubs, Harrovians in the UK, three in Singapore (BHA and TCA and Senja-Cashew), a club coach for Nee Soon South, and a member of online only club, Singapore Online Dynamic.

 To find a club go to Toastmasters International Find a club or look on Facebook. 

BHA meets the first Wednesday evening each month, login 6.45 for 7 pm start Singapore time (SGT), which is noon in London UK, during British summer time, until clocks go back the last Sunday in October when the UK reverts to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

Cellar Gascon Wine Bar and Restaurant

Cellar Gasgon is part of a group of three restaurants.

This one is corridor style with seating along the windows and a bar on the other long side. Toilets are downstairs.

I am not a fan of bar stools, but I preferred them to the window banquettes which sloped forward, were too short for my legs, and they looked shiny and I kept sliding off. Long legged male diners either perched on the edge or used their long legs to brace and anchor themselves. 

Tables were so close together I was in danger of sweeping the four to six glasses per setting onto the floor as I passed. It happened when I tried to go in, then when I tried to get out to the toilet. When I came back I did not want to stress myself and everybody else again.   I transferred to the bar stool type chair.

We parked our coats, bags and rucksacks on the narrow window ledge behind.  A few seats of the same design as the bar stools but low enough for you to put your feet on the ground are at the far end and by the entrance door. I must remember to request one of these tables, although I think these tables are for four.

The set menu was four courses and four glasses of wine for about £40 per person. Many central London restaurants offer set lunches of two or three courses with a glass of wine for about £20. But £40 for dinner, four courses, including wine, is good value. This is especially good value for a speciality gourmet restaurant in central London.

Small pieces of brown bread were elegantly served on small squares of slate. The butter was served in the centre of another straight sided piece of slate. A change from curves, though I prefer cured crockery, I suppose square and oblong is easier to stack on a straight sided shelf.

I've looked into buying slate for home. I've check in supermarkets such as Waitrose. It's not cheap. 

The slate pieces are dark, so you can't see if they are clean, but also rough if you want to run your fingers over to check. The small ones look mean, but the large ones are heavy to carry. Slate is fine, amusing as a change and a treat - in a restaurant.

The starter was squid. I'm allergic to shellfish. I am OK with eel. We debated whether squid was a risk. I decided against it. There was no alternative menu, no choice. I ate around the squid.

The second course was the high point of the four dishes. Foie gras. Like many people, I have been influenced by the campaign against it. I think I've had it before and not been impressed that it was worth either the extra expense or the possible suffering of the animal, or bird. However, I do like chicken liver and this was grilled on the outside, like a soft chicken liver, with the most delightful extra flavours in the sauce. 

The sauce was so nice that I broke off bits of brown bread to scrape the last tasty morsels off the plate. British diners don't wipe their plates with bread. But the French do. Gascon is an area of France. (The Gascons or Basques are also in Spain. Not in the capital city. More rural, practical.) I sneaked a peek. Nobody was watching me disapprovingly. In fact, everybody else was doing the same.

The main course was lamb casserole with beans and barley. Lamb a bit gristly and fatty, but all in all very good.

Here's dessert, pineapple with ice cream and a few specks of crumble. 

After four glasses of wine and delicious food I had forgotten my initial problems with the seats and seating close to others. Tables so near others enable you to chat more easily to couples either side. Would we go back? Definitely.

www.cellargascon.com

More pictures and story tomorrow.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Karu's Inexpensive Indian Banana Leaf Restaurant, Singapore

Karu's Indian Banana Leaf

Reasonably priced South Indian Meat, Fish and Vegetables Restaurant

What and Where?
On the upper Bukit Timah Road, in a row of unassuming shops.

Sotong (squid)

Masala crabs

Masala prawn

Karu’s Indian Banana Leaf Restaurant

I’d heard so many people praise it.

Chicken liver (3 varieties and three sizes of dish)

The menu says when available, so I was pleased I was lucky that it was available. When available is so much more positive. When it is off you are not disappointed because you were prepared. When it is available you don’t take it for granted but feel really pleased, like you’ve had a treat. Much better than being told ‘sorry it’s off’.

Decor

One large fish shape on the wall. Representing their signature dish. A bit basic. Not as glamorous as the restaurants such as the Apollo and others in Race Course Road near Mustapha’s 24 hour department store and Little India (Little India MRT or Farrer Park).  (Avoid Little India on Sunday when streets are crowded with Indians brought in by bus for their day off).

Karu's has long shared tables which is usual at many mid-price restaurants. You can cosy up to others if you want to chat or ask other customers for recommendations. Or leave a gap between you when it's not busy.

Toilets

Shared basin for men and women in back corridor outside. One ladies cubicle?

Fish head curry

The restaurant card announces above a tiny cartoon of a man carrying a fish head on a flat dish ‘I am the Fish Head King.

The fish head for us (party of four) was served in a deep bowl to hold the fish head and liquid.

Banana Leaf

Your meal is served on a large green banana leaf the size of a tray. The waiter comes around and ladles out rice and other dishes to everybody in turn.

Food

South Indian Food

Lunch - Dinner

10.30 am - 10 pm. 

Menu

Chicken Masala

Chicken Mysore

Pepper chicken

Fish sanbal

Fish roe

Fried Fish

Best Price

What’s best - the price. £7 each including rice, a fish dish, a chicken dish, a chicken liver dish, a potato-filled pancake (masala dosai) and a non-alcoholic drink for all four of us.

Drinks
Great choice and variety. Lassi, sweet, sour and mango. I'll have that next time. I tried a rose flavour drink which was a lurid pink but not much rose aroma. Not much rose taste.

The other lady diner chose a coconut drink which was served in what looked like a white coconut with the brown hairs shaved off. (The restaurant's chiller cabinet behind the bar showed the coconuts in plastic bags. Bought in?)

Lime juice, it said fresh lime juice, hard to tell. It did not have the ginger which is used to spice up drinks in Race Course Road.

The menu didn’t mention any desserts. The restaurant closes at 10 pm so we went home for coffee and our own dessert. 

Karu's indian Banana Leaf Restaurant

808/810 Upper Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 678145

Tel:6762 7284. Closed on Monday

www.karusindianrestaurant.com

karusmani@gmail.com

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author, speaker.