director@allaturca.co.uk
Please e-mail your CV to join to the Team
Director Burak Soyusinmez - director@allaturca.co.uk Company Secretary Lisa Perrie - secretary@allaturca.co.uk Head Chef Kajin Sor - careers@allaturca.co.uk Musician Armagan Alakus - music@allaturca.co.uk Sous Chef Ali Kerim- info@allaturca.co.uk Awards 1 - Scottish Tourist Board & Eat Scotland Standards Achievement 2 - Voted as The Top Rated Restaurant in Glasgow by Top Table Diners 3 - Achived Top Table Gold by Top Table Diners votes 4 - HitListed for 2008 - 2009 by List Magazine, Also recommended for 'Best for Budget Meals' 'Best for Lively Parties' Best for 'Live Music' 5 - Voted as The Best Glasgow Restaurant for The Food - The Service - The Value - The Atmosphere - The Overall by Glasgow Eating Customers Votes The Proprietor & The Director - Burak Soyusinmez Alla Turca's young host and creator Burak, at the age of 27 and after his ten years of international experience in catering from the hometown of Karsiyaka to Marmaris in Turkey, from The Ivy - Caprice Holdings to Mosaique Restaurant - in London. Burak has now opened the only Turkish Restaurant in Glasgow after managing many restaurants from Bistro 1 to Oran Mor's Brasserie & Private Dining Rooms. Burak been managing his own Restauraurant Mosaique Restaurant & Piano Bar in London since 2004 and managed to get Mosaique Restaurant in top 3 for the service in 2004 in London. It is time to bring the success to Glasgow in Turkish Style in a new concept in the UK and making sure our customers will be getting the best of service - food - wine, music & dance. So watch us for AA Stars and national awards in 2009! Head Chef - Kajin Sor At the age of 30, Kajin is joining to Alla Turca as an Head Chef after managing many Restaurants in th UK whom has been running kitchens successfully since 2000. Kajin have been working in London as a Restaurant Manager - Sous Chef and Head Chef in last 7 years and now he comes to Glasgow to bring his culinary skills to add the perfect touch to every plate prepared in Alla Turca's kitchen. He has not only been the greatest Head Chef to Burak but also a golden friend and shared many success stories with Burak in London's Restaurant Market and consulted many Restaurants in the areas of restaurant opening, advertising, training, kitchen management, menu creation, waiting staff management and also general management and running of Restaurant Business. Watch this young and passionate Chef for AA awards in 2008! Musician/Dancer/Entertainer - Armagan Alakus At the age of 27 but another 10 years of international experince from France to whole Europe and winning the best performance award in Dijon - France, the first Turkish artist in Turkish Music & Dances is comming to UK as a Turkish Musician / Dancer / Entertainer for the first time ever... Armagan have been on tours and danced all over Turkey with Burak in late 1990's with a professional folk dance groups for many years and now Armagan is playing & dancing every night from Monday to Saturday at Alla Turca to make sure that our valued customers will receive the best live music in Scotland. Ali Kerim - Sous Chef Alla Turca's Famous Singing Chef Ali Baba has joined our team from day one of our opening after managing some Middle Eastern Restaurants in Glasgow as a Head Chef. Now he is adding a perfect touch with his culinary of traditional Turkish home cooking. At Alla Turca you will taste the homemade bread that you have never tasted before and you will enjoy the real barbeque dishes freshly made by Ali, you will taste the difference. ALL ABOUT ALLA TURCA Outside Catering Outside Catering is available 7 Days a week We cater for Meze & Barbecue Parties, Private Functions, Weddings, Christening and any other Social Events Just tell us your needs, requests and budget and leave the rest to us for your special event. Please give us a call from 0141 332 5300 alternatively e-mail to info@allaturca.co.uk or just pop in to discuss your requirements with the Maitre D and the Head Chef. We are happy to tailor a menu to suit you requirements from one bit canapé to Summer Barbeque Parties . Outside Catering starts from £15 per head. Minimum Spending Applies Business Breakfasts We can organise a breakfast, cold or hot depending on your preference and number of guests. Business Lunch options For an idea of what we can offer please see our menus. These can be adapted to your needs, maybe you are looking for something more exciting than the usual sandwiches? We can supply tasty buffets direct to your office. Minimum Spending Applies Cocktail Parties A business anniversary, leaving party or even a recruitment drive; wherever the location we can organise a Champagne reception with delicious nibbles. Allowing you to mix, mingle and enjoy your event. Our History Our individual histories go back to Turkey and Turkish heritage to 1970S & 1980s. Alla Turcas name history goes back to Mozart and his Turkish March Turkish Melody that he created for Turks and also Great Ottoman Empire, which at its time had ruled some parts of Italy and added a touch from Italian & Greek cultures, as well as a beautiful name; Alla Turca Our Cuisines history goes back to thousands of years ago, with a mixture of Asia, Middle East, Northern Africa and Europe as big as the empires that Turks had but the empires rises and falls but it always added more spices and colours to the Great Turkish Cuisine. My grand mum Fatma Gun the most sweetie and colourful grand mum in the world and my beautiful mum who shows her beauty in her food, too also added a wee personal touch to Alla Turcas stylish Turkish Cuisine by giving the best Turkish Recipes but also they showed us and shared the secret family recipes as well as to teaching us how to put our love into our cooking. Our Music history is as proud and old and colourful as our Cuisine's history. Join to the Team We always are looking for team members who are passionate about the perfection in the service, food, wine & music. We are not looking for an experience but a good personality, trustworthy, passion and eager to learn. As long as you have the excitement in your heart about it, than let us to train you to perfection. The company has an increasing need for educated, well trained and competent employees. It therefore has a progressive training policy and operates numerous training courses both regular in-house and externally every year. You will start to your training on your first day with the Company Director and the Maitre D and than both Head Waiter and also Head Chef will help you through your Training as well as your well - trained colleagues. Our primary object of waiting staffs and young chefs training is to potentially take a young waiter / barmen / commis waiter / young passionate chefs and Kitchen Porters through the ranks into senior management roles as we are planning to open up 3 Restaurants in 3 Years in Glasgow so we will need a well-trained Management Staff. Please get in touch with the Director directly for your applications. Send your CV to director@allaturca.co.uk and we will come back to you soon to discuss how we can work together to give a better service to our customers and make them happier. Dont forget that our first target is customer satisfaction and also employees satisfaction. Links about Turkey www.theturkishhome.co.uk Your Agent in Glasgow for buying your dream Turkish Home in Turkey www.restaurantagency.co.uk UK's first Restaurant Agency for Running - Buying - Selling Restaurants www.turkishkitchen.co.uk Turkish Restaurants in the UK Special Offers, News & Gossips, New Turkish Restaurants and all about Turks in the UK www.restaurantagency.co.uk Restaurants for Sale in London & Glasgow directly from Restaurateurs www.reviewthereview.co.uk Your Restaurant Reviews and Restaurateurs answers back to your reviews! www.turkishdance.co.uk The only Professional Turkish Dance & Music Group in the UK Please get in touch with us or just pop in to discuss about; Holidays in Turkey where to go, what to do, where to see Buying a Home in Turkey where is the best, city centre or near by a wee quite village, private beach, private pool,when to buy, how to negotiate, how to deal with legal stuff, solicitors, estate agents, direct sales, housing trips, mortgages and lots more Turkish Marriage in Glasgow at Alla Turca??? We would love to arrange it for you in our Stylish Turkish Restaurant up to 100 people! Turkish Music??? Just visit Alla Turca to listen to the best in UK Turkish Folk Dances??? Visit Alla Turca to watch the best performances in the UK Turkish Food??? Just visit Alla Turca to have the privilege of it Turkish Wines??? Alla Turca has the most extensive Turkish Wine List in UK Anything else??? Just ask us and we will be more than happy to help or email to director@allaturca.co.uk The Art in Alla Turca All the Turkish Arts in the Restaurant entrance, in the reception & bar areas, in the main dining rooms, private dining rooms, in the kitchen, offices and even in the WCs are hand made by my beautiful mum Emine Gun who shows her love, passion and creativity in her art which is not only decorating many houses and businesses in Turkey but also for the first time in UK she also is decorating Alla Turca. She is comming to UK in September 2009 to decorate Alla Turca from the hand-made glass painting on the entrance, Hand-Made painting on the walls, mirrors in the WC s, designs in the bar to the hand-made bill boxes and service trays in the restaurant. If you would like to buy any unique pieces of art in Alla Turca, please ask a member of our team and we will order it from Burak's mum in Turkey. You can also require any design, any pictures, and any motifs that you like to have and she will meet your individual requirements in her art. Please remember that all the pieces are hand-made, unique, original and made in Turkey by Emine Gun whose son Burak runs the Restaurants. Because every piece of the art is very unique, it can not be copied or re-made as same as the originals which guarantees that you can have a piece of art that no one has ever can and it will be unique only to you. director@allaturca.co.uk Finest Turkish Art for Sale All our products are hand-made, unique and all by Proprietor Buraks Mum Emine Gun from Turkey in Karsiyaka - Izmir where she makes all her products at her home by putting her years of experience, her passion and love into them. That is why every piece is very special and every piece takes at least 2 - 3 days to produce, some of them takes weeks. Her piece of Turkish art can not be found anywhere in the World, not any shops or anywhere else. She only produces Finest Turkish Art from Serving Trays, Tea Tables, Plates to Chests, Boxes, Frames, Painting, Ottoman Style Painting, Modern Turkish Paintings and more If you have anything in mind or would like to create your own idea, please get in touch with us and we will get it done by Proprietor Buraks Mum Emine Gun in about 4 weeks. director@allaturca.co.uk REFERENCES By Gilmarc Associates in London in 2005; Mr Burak Soyusinmez - Operations Director / Manager Mr Soyusinmez has worked in the catering industry for the past 10 years, his credentials are very substantial having trained at both the Caprice Holding and the Ivy, my client also has a degree in Tourism and Hotel Management, and was previously restaurant manager of Bistro 1 in the West End; a 90 cover-table service restaurant with annual gross profit in excess of £1 million. Today Mr Soyusinmez is Owner/Manager of Mosaique Restaurant and Piano Bar (www.mosaiquerestaurant.co.uk). He also consults a number of other central London restaurants in the areas of service, management and marketing, more details can be made available on request. Bianca Harris - on be half of LONDON EATING & CITY EATING GROUP in 2006 Owner-operator, Burak, is a very gracious host, keeping a watchful eye over the nights proceedings and ensuring that everything runs smoothly. The ingredients are the star quality of this restaurant. That and a varied menu combined with excellent service. No wonder the ITN boys and girls love it so. By Sir Trevor McDonald in 2007 I have come to know Burak Soyusinmez over the last three years as the owner/director of Mosaique Restaurant and Piano Bar. I am a regular customer and was pleased to officiate at the Grand Opening of the Restaurant in September 2004, as it was the first restaurant I have opened. I have seen how he has transformed the business from a local place to a fine-dining restaurant and probably one of the best Piano Bar & Restaurant style businesses in the capital. The delicious food, first-class service, ambience and Burak's personal service have added an extra je ne sais quoi to the business. He has always been polite, courteous, helpful and attentive - the perfect restaurant host and a valuable friend. Pat Byrne - Glasgow West End Website Alla Turca - Great New Restaurant Comes to Town A great new restaurant has come to town in the form of Alla Turca - a wonderful Turkish Restaurant down in Pitt Street. Jim and I joined Roy Beers and Tommy McLaughlin at the launch of the restaurant and we had a great night. Burak Soyusinmez, the young, enthusiastic and multi-talented owner impressed us with some fabulous canapes, great music, dance and the Moet-Chandon was flowing. Good luck to Burak and his partner Lisa Perrie - Alla Turca is sure to be a tremendous success. Alla Turca - The Magnificient by Roy Beers Burak Soyusinmez, a passionate and committed exponent of one of the world's great traditional cuisines, is a man with a mission. "When," he asks matter-of-factly, "did you ever hear anyone in Glasgow say 'let's go out and eat Turkish tonight?" It's an oxymoron, because there simply aren't any Turkish restaurants in the city, or indeed in Scotland, with anything remotely like the ambitious food, drink and music offer he and his team have created, apparently out of thin air, on this two-level site in Pitt Street, a few seconds' walk off Sauchiehall Street. Quite simply the restaurateur sees the lack of great Turkish cuisine as a major omission in a city rightly famous for the diversity of its dining scene, one he and his colleagues are determined to rectify. The first introduction to the restaurant is its classical-Hellenic-style portico - a neat reminder, perhaps, of the days before the arrival of the Turks in Anatolia or Kappadoccia, when Alexander of Macedon ruled supreme across Asia Minor. Inside, rugged exposed stone wall contrasts nicely with a blond wood and Turkey-red design ensemble which immediately, and accurately, conveys the impression of smart fine dining restaurant and cocktail bar. It's unlikely, incidentally, that any comparable restaurant in Scotland can boast such an impressive and carefully-selected array of drinks to complement the cuisine (and see the linked section, below, on the drinks offer). Vegetarians, meanwhile, may be astonished to find what high store is set on non-meat dishes in Turkish cuisine - which arguably invented then perfected the genre many centuries before it became fashionable in the West (and see the linked article, below, on Alla Turca's cuisine). The last few years have seen the steady arrival in Glasgow of many engaging new restaurants inspired by the culinary traditions of North Africa and the Mediterranean, and what they all have in common - whether their inspiration is Iranian, Moroccan, Kurdish or even Greek - is a profound affinity with the vast international cuisine of Turkey. There are strong Turkish influences in Georgian traditional cookery, while a simple dish like humous, or hummus (there are as many spellings as there are countries which have this as a menu staple) effectively spans the whole of the Middle East. Listen to "real" Turkish music, and dine on "real" Turkish food, and if you are of an imaginative disposition you can glimpse in your mind's eye the sumptuous grandeur of the glory days of Suleiman the Magnificent. The once-mighty Ottoman Empire has left its indelible mark both in Europe and the Near East, in myriad ways ranging from art and architecture to poetry and music - a strong Turkish resonance echoes sibilantly in the ancient tunes of Ukraine and Hungary, Crete and North Africa. It was a fabulously rich cultural movement as much as an empire, and the birth of modern Turkey has only strengthened and given new energy to its enlivening influence. Until now, however, Glasgow's exuberant and fast-changing dining scene has been largely passed by when it comes to Turkish cuisine. There are perhaps 200 Turkish restaurants in London, of which a handful are perhaps truly excellent, but until now little or nothing here to acknowledge this immense tradition. Alla Turca is named after the unforgettably catchy tune of the same name by Mozart (it means "The Turkish Melody"), and it soon becomes apparent the restaurant - a "live music restaurant" - is a modern-day ambassador for Turkish culture at its most vibrant and exciting. It isn't, however, a social club for Turkish people. Its intended audience is, very definitely, the discerning diner whose tastes probably extend to an appreciation of fine wines - a particular strength here - and also the sort of person who wants to experience at leisure the higher-end food culture perhaps glimpsed during a holiday. Alla Turca has also been designed to appeal specifically to the corporate dining party organiser - or anyone planning a really special celebration party - with a dedicated private suite which offers both intimacy and comfort. This suite accommodates 40, but for larger corporate gatherings the entire restaurant is potentially available to book: the sound system is state of the art, and a plasma screen makes it possible for (as an example) screen presentations to be made before dining. While there are plenty of ancestral traditional influences in the cuisine the whole spirit of Alla Turca is undeniably modern. The Glasgow trend towards casual fine dining is completely empathetic with the restaurant's effortlessly classy but never stuffy style of service. Alla Turca is subtle, refined, even elegant, and its cuisine - presided over by head chef Kajin Sor - is of the sort you might encounter in a leading edge restaurant in the great modern metropolis of Istanbul. You might have to cover a lot of ground to find anything of comparable quality in London, and might search in vain for a venue there which can also offer "background music" - in this case the entrancing melodies strummed by musician Armagan Alakus - of such entrancing sophistication and depth. For Glaswegians, and also the increasing stream of visitors who seek out the city's unrivalled dining and drinking scene, a meal at Alla Turca is a journey of exploration into a world of fascinating complementary tastes and food textures: a candlelit oasis of romance and refinement at the busy heart of Scotland's premier fine dining milieu. The linked sections below elaborate a little on why this restaurant is a genuinely unusual and inspiring arrival on the west Glasgow dining scene, and there is very much more information on Alla Turca's own website, www.allaturca.co.uk where you can also download all of the menus while listening to some hauntingly exotic traditional Turkish music and, of course, that infuriatingly catchy tune by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Alla Turca - Food by Roy Beers Alla Turca - Turkish cuisine created from the finest of Scottish produce Scottish Salmon, Scotch Beef Club fillet steaks, Stirling Lamb and Ayrshire Pork may sound like the culinary line-up from some proud-to-be-Caledonian fine dining restaurant ... but they're also the staple ingredients of the fish and meat dishes at Alla Turca. Tour the spotless, busy kitchen run by head chef Kajin Sor and you are immediately struck by the reverence given to produce and its preparation - and fairly easily convinced by the assurance that everything, even the hand-cut chips, is prepared from scratch. The heat blast from that fiery tandoor oven, meanwhile, is a sharp reminder that the art of barbecue is at the heart of great Turkish meat dishes. There is a fascinating Turkish cookery book waiting to be written about how the best of Scottish ingredients are transformed into the star turns of the best of Modern Turkish cuisine, and in such a book there would also have to be special chapters on how to make world-beating Filo pastry (as in the Borek meze dish, of Filo stuffed with feta and parsley); and on how a cuisine with such a profusion of tastes and textures is nevertheless anything but "spicy" in the sense of, most obviously, Indian cuisine. In fact the stingingly spicy but nevertheless delectable Turkish sausage which appears on the menu is so unusual that it's specially highlighted as an oddity - in general Turkish flavours are easy on the palate but full of delicious and often multi-layered subtleties. Turkish food is not "like" anybody else's cuisine, except in as much as it has heavily influenced the cuisines of every region where it has ever held sway, and is at least as unique as Italian or Spanish cuisine; and possibly even more diverse than either of these great European traditions, which in their turn retain Almoravid or Ottoman influences. Given the current Glasgow fad for Spanish tapas, it's impressive, too, to find that Alla Turca's Mezes selection - really it's the Turkish equivalent of tapas - is enough to justify a full restaurant offer on its own. In fact for relative newcomers the great danger is that you might never get around to giving the entrees the consideration they deserve purely because of the variety of meze dishes on offer. Many are suitable for vegetarians, for example the Babaganous dish of roast aubergine, yoghurt, garlic and tahini; or Sarma, which are vine leaves stuffed with rice and pine nuts. The selection is divided into "traditional" and "modern", and the contemporary choices are particularly recommended - for example roast pumpkin with Jerusalem artichoke and red onion salad; or baked figs stuffed with Turkish Lor cheese served with rocket and basil salad. The restaurant also offers mixed mezes for two to share, hot and cold choices, served with crispy freshly baked Turkish bread. The bread, just a little bit reminiscent of some Indian roti, is one of what we're told are around 50 regional styles of bread throughout Turkey - and of course there are many more in Iran and other countries across the region. If you're a bread-head you can enjoy comparing the relative merits of crisp Turkish Izmiri bread and, say, Iranian flat bread - it's an essential part of a proper Turkish meal and is worth savouring in its own right. A look at the restaurant's menus online is recommended because of the variety of choice on offer - for example lunch, 12 till 3pm, two courses £7.50, three courses £9.50; then there are pre-theatre and also post-theatre options (for the nearby King's Theatre patrons): the post-theatre hour, 10pm till 11pm, gives late diners a bargain three courses for £15.50. There are many choices in each "set", with the lunch choices obviously intended as a generally lighter option to the a la carte options typically enjoyed in the evening. These, while not numerous, are really a bit special. The traditional barbecue selection includes a house special mixed grill of lamb, chicken, Kofte (minced lamb) and lamb cutlet with Turkish rice and the house signature salad; then there's "Pacific Sword Shish", marinated lamb shish, chicken shish or Kofte shish - the latter served with Turkish Cacik Yoghurt, Turkish rice and salad. The biggest meat dish seller so far has been Roast Crisp Belly of Ayrshire Pork - this is not a halal restaurant, and pork dishes are very popular - but the Modern Turkish entrees selection also includes pan-fried spiced duck breast, and a house casserole - Mediterranean vegetables, Kajin's Secret Sauce, rice and salad. Honey-glazed Scottish Salmon, by contrast, also features Mediterranean King Prawns, asparagus, beetroot, rocket and sesame salad. The vegetarian selection, meanwhile, includes Makarna Alla Turca, which is Turkish-style pasta with garlic-scented yoghurt and spiced red pepper sauce. Optional accompaniments include (highly recommended) freshly baked Turkish bread, humus and olives; seasoned new potatoes, and Turkish rice, yoghurt, etc. And often forgotten among all the other food and drink options is yet another world-famous Turkish staple - the Turkish coffee. What a perfect way to start any day. To finish a great Turkish meal, of course, there is a strong selection of suitably exotic desserts, led by Ottoman Palace Rose Petal Sorbet; there's also the time-honoured Baklava pastries; as well as traditional Turkish baked rice pudding with cinnamon, and a deluxe Turkish chocolate mousse with ice cream - or try a selection of Turkish and Mediterranean cheeses, rounded off, perhaps, with a fine Spanish dessert wine. There are a great many ways to enjoy this feast of flavours, from brunch options to full meals, post-theatre set choices to private dining banquets; and depending on the time of day and the occasion you may also be entertained by traditional - authentic - Turkish dancers, who we're assured are a world away from the frivolous sort found in some tourist resorts. More usually, an evening meal will regularly include the evocative melodies performed by house musician Armagan Alakus. The menu helpfully points out that there is no charge for this artist's performance - although there probably should be. A few dreamy chords from Mr Alakus transports the listener from Clydeside to the Bosporus, and a world of magical minarets under the Turkish crescent. His music is a special ingredient which, like Kajin's Secret Sauce, makes this restaurant really different - and, as promised, truly "live". Alla Turca Restaurant - Wines by Roy Beers Discovering the fine wines of Turkey and maybe some raki too It's arguably relatively unusual to find an above-average wine menu in a non-European "Mediterranean" restaurant, still less one which is complemented by a discrete and - in this case - quite extravagant cocktails list. Alla Turca's drinks offer is literally unique. This is partially due to the list carefully assembled with wines sourced mainly through blue chip wholesale supplier Forth Wines, but also because the restaurant has on its staff an acknowledged master of Scotland's renascent cocktails scene. The inherent knowledge of excellent drinks products shines through in every category: for example the "rum" entry alone includes premium brands including Matusalem 15 Year Old Gran Reserva, and, from Trinidad, Mount Gay Extra Old. There is an elite selection of the national drink too, including deluxe blend Bailie Nicol Jarvie (or "BNJ" as it's now widely known), Johnny Walker Black Label and Dewar's 12 Year Old. As a hint of the skill involved in assembling this list, it's worth nothing that while Dewar's has only recently been reintroduced to its native country it's a massive brand name in the USA, as of course is Johnny Walker: the inclusion of these Scotch whiskies is an implicit recognition that many future diners will be conference guests from all over the world - but particularly North America. The spirits list also boasts a bewildering array of top range vodkas, for example Ketel One and Zubrowka Bison Grass, of the sort usually only found in the very best cocktail bars. There is a tight but elite selection of gins - including two seldom-spotted Seagram-branded gins; and also the redoubtable Plymouth, sometimes argued to be the greatest of them all. Then there's the raki. It is just possible Alla Turca is the only restaurant in the west to list two varieties of this most famous of Turkish spirits (also hugely popular in those parts of Greece once occupied by Turkey); Yeni Raki (in its quirky curvy bottle) and Tekirdag Raki. Essentially a digestif, raki is a social custom as much as a drink - typically sipped by groups of diners along with plates of mezes (mixed starters which fulfil the same function as Spanish tapas). Often 80 or 90 per cent proof it is grape brandy flavoured with raisins and aniseed, and is diluted with water or ice to taste - definitely one to be savoured and never hurried. Many Turks choose to abstain from all alcohol for religious reasons, of course, but historically the Ottoman domains encompassed numerous people of persuasions or sects which were, and whose descendants remain, perfectly relaxed about drinking; in neighbouring Persia the wine-loving tradition immortalised in the Rubaiyyat poetry of Omar Khayam had its counterpoint among the mountain vineyards of Ottoman Turkey, where today's wines are for many Europeans an amazing secret waiting to be discovered. At Alla Turca the Turkish wines are the ones at the dearer end of the scale, and as a non-expert asked to sample a nice Turkish white against an Italian Pinot Grigio I couldn't risk insulting either nation by deciding which I liked most: for many, I suspect, discovering wines such as Kavaklidere Angora White 2005 ("Anatolia's new star") will be a major part of enjoying the whole dining experience. Sections which carry the dearest wines aim to provide connoisseurs with extensive choice for a special treat - the ultimate luxury option here is Chateau Margaux 1er Cru Classe 2002 - Bordeaux, at #250 the bottle. House wine, by contrast, is #4.50 per glass, and is guaranteed by the management to be "a very good glass of wine at that price". It acknowledges that in an increasingly drinks-aware and health-conscious world many will only wish one glass of wine with a meal, and that in any case there's a whole trend towards drinking less but also drinking higher quality. A good place to start with the Turkish selection might be a glass of Doluca Antique Red 2004 ("the best-selling Turkish classic, easy drinking, fruity and fresh wine in oak barrels.") Italy, Spain, France, Chile, Australia and South Africa are all well-represented - topped off by a trio of roses from Turkey, Italy and France. There's a full selection of Champagnes too, even before you consider the extravagant Champagne cocktails: "Snow Queen" is Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial, Belvedere and Rose Sugar. On the same list, meanwhile, there are no less than seven US whiskeys and Bourbons, half a dozen cognacs, and five tequilas - none of them "average brands". But if you are having just that one special drink, and you want to try something really louche, why not ask for a Turkish-spiced Tatanka? It's a long drink concoction of Zubrowka vodka, Teichenne vanilla, apple, cinnamon, sugar and lemon. Or you could be a bit more traditional and go for an Aberfeldy Mist: Dewar's 12 Year Old, lemon soda, Sinoma lavender, lemon, and bitters. Alla Turca's staff includes knowledgable people who will happily and intelligently advise on which wine may accompany a particular food, because the drinks selection is seen very much as a partner to the food menu rather than a mere adjunct. Like the food menu, too, it definitely repays careful study. The truth is that for wines and spirits this restaurant has a more impressive selection - and that certainly includes cocktails - than many of even the smartest and most self-regarding city centre bars.
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