Choosing
How to Judge a Turkish Restaurant in Dubai
We are not going to tell you we are the best Turkish restaurant in Dubai. Here is what to actually look at, and you can decide.
Search for the best Turkish restaurant in Dubai and you get listicles, most of them ranked by whoever paid or whoever has the most reviews. Neither tells you whether the food is any good. Three questions do.
1. Are the mezze made in-house?
Hummus, haydari, muhammara and saksuka are easy to buy in from a supplier, and a lot of kitchens do. Made properly they are prepared fresh in a cold kitchen each morning, and they taste of that. Ask. The answer is usually honest, and it tells you how the rest of the kitchen is run.
2. Does the grill run on charcoal?
Gas is cleaner, faster and cheaper to run. Charcoal is what gives Turkish şiş its char and its smoke, and it is the single clearest difference between a Turkish grill and a generic one. If a restaurant runs charcoal, it will tell you, because it costs them more to do it.
3. Is the bread baked on site?
Lahmacun and pide are opened and baked to order in a stone oven. Delivered flatbread reheated on a pass is a different thing entirely. This one you can judge yourself when it reaches the table.
What we do
The mezze at Karaf by Bahçe are made in the kitchen each morning. The kebabs are finished over live charcoal. The lahmacun and pide are baked to order in a stone oven. We are at Club Vista Mare on Palm Jumeirah, with a terrace facing the water, open daily from 11:00 until 01:00.
Come and apply the three questions.