Kebapci - a Turkish culinary revelation in Bangalore -

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My stint in gulf almost a decade ago, was further revelation of my love for the food in many more ways. It started with Middle East’s premier entrepot, Dubai and later my work took me to most fascinating and historic city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Both destinations are known for their world-class cuisine, and it was here I had my first date with the Turkish food. Unjustifiably associated with Doner Kebabs, this cuisine is much larger than most of us could imagine. A legacy of Ottoman cuisine, it has imbibed the Mediterranean, Balkan, Middle Eastern, Central Asian, Eastern European and Armenian style of cooking in a refined way.

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Turkey is on the crossroads of Europe and Asia, East and West. This unique location combined with the migration of Turks over the centuries from Central Asia to Europe has shaped the identity of its gastronomy. The great diversity of fauna and flora in Turkey has also contributed to the great variety in regional cuisines. Almost every region in Turkey offers its own gastronomic experience. Source : GoTurkey

With Ottoman era inspired interiors and allure, the recently opened Kebapci in Bangalore, is truly Türkiye in spirit. serving the delightful dishes from the region. We were here recently and were truly impressed by the experience. I was told that the Chefs have been trained in Turkey where cooking is regarded as an art form and eating a pleasure. Starting with the good Turkish tea is a great idea here, and we did the same. The tea is a way of life there and don’t get surprised to know that Turkish person drinks way more tea than water in a day.

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The “kafila” of our Turkish gastronomy began with the Adana Mutton Kabap and the Urfa Mutton Ribs, named after the two cities, Adana & Urfa in Turkey famous for their meats and kebabs, with spice level being more in former than later one. Another most talked dish that everybody should try at least once here is their three cheese infused large sized grilled juicy Mutton patty, Cihan Mutton Kebapci.

However we could not try the legendary Beyati Mutton, named after the owner of the most famous meat restaurant in Istanbul. But we intend to try this visually delightful dish that has grilled skewered minced meat which is usually wrapped in a dürum pita bread and served with topping of tomato sauce and yogurt. They also have Indian style kebabs that we deliberately chose to ignore during our visit.

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The Lamb Hummus and Falafel were absolutely spot on with flavours and textures. From their Indian curries, we could not resist from trying their slow cooked delicacy, Lamb Nihari Gosht with Tandoori breads. But wait, we were not done yet as most of us were eagerly looking towards their kitchen door, waiting for the Lamb Mandi. A Yemeni rice & meat dish I had relished numerous times during my Jeddah stay and now nearly a decade later, miles away, I savouring the similar taste again, in Koramangla.

Among the desserts options, we ordered Kunafeh, a semolina dough and thin noodle-like phyllo pastry that is stuffed with a white soft cheese such as Nabulsi cheese. I loved its crunchy exterior and taste when soaked in flavourful sweet syrup.

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With the opening of Kebapci, the quest for speciality Turkish restaurant in Bangalore finally seems complete. I could easily see the stamp of the Turkish allure, in the interiors and ambience.

The dishes here, I feel had good resemblance in taste and texture to the traditional Turkish foods that emphasis more on fresh ingredients rolled, kneaded, shaped and cooked to perfection and less on seasonings.

True to the middle eastern tradition of lavish eating, their portions are quite large and must check with their staff before ordering too many dishes at one go. Kebapci is truly a meat lover paradise.

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KEBAPCI

74, KHB Colony, 17th E Main Road, Koramangala 6th Block, Bangalore