PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIATurkish food in Canberra wavers somewhere between greasy “late-nite” kebab shops servicing the growing market of drunken party-goers, and what would arguably be the finest Turkish this side of the Bosphorus – at Ottoman Cuisine. Almost hidden in the leafy suburb of Barton, Ottoman Cuisine has achieved a well-deserved reputation among the movers and shakers of Capital Hill. The elegant dining room, resplendent with Turkish glass lamps and tasteful indoor palms looks out onto a peaceful courtyard lined with beautiful iznik tiles and a replica of the drinking fountain of Sultan Ahmed III. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that Ottoman Cuisine is trying a little too hard to create a unique atmosphere, as the overall effect can be distracting at times – but nowhere near enough to detract from the food.
Ottoman Cuisine has both degustation menus and a la carte menus. I would recommend the degustation menu with wine, if only for the thoughtfully chosen drops that accompany each Turkish taste. The wine list is an extensive blend of Australian and overseas wines – choose from the reserve list (for those of us with taxpayer-funded credit cards) or the regular list for the rest of us plebeians. Traditional dips and pide bread are hard to go past for entrees, but for the more adventurous out there, Ottoman Cuisine has a rare blend of Middle East-meets-“MediterrAsian” dishes such as the salmon belly and minced cray and prawn dolma served with a palm sugar and red wine reduction. Or perhaps try the biftek, a juicy eye fillet of beef served on skordalia with shitake mushrooms and beef jus. And of course it wouldn’t be a proper Turkish dinner without the almost obligatory Turkish delight and a strong, dark coffee to wash it down. Fantastic from start to finish, Ottoman Cuisine gives us a magnificent taste of Turkey here in our own backyard.
Russell Buzby