29th March 2010

Harem Restaurant

posted in Restaurant Reviews by John @ 8:38 am |

282 Given Terr, Paddington Qld

It may seem odd for a Turkish restaurant to be reviewed on an Orthodox site, but the cuisine has similarities with those of Greece and the ancient Orthodox lands of the Middle East. For starters the Harem offers a platter of dips, comprising baba ghanoush, homous and, the most tasty, vegetable with chillie. These are less moist than they would be in an Arab restaurant, the homous in particular needing a knife to be loaded onto the beautiful thick leavened bread that the Turks serve so lavishly.  For the main course there is an old favourite, imam bayildi, in which the skin of half an aubergine is stuffed with an oily mix of vegetables. This is delicious, and the side servings of grated red cabbage and salad which come with a wedge of lemon are just the thing to offset its oiliness. You can also order borek, in which pastry comes stuffed with spinach and cheese; people have been known to find this dish a wee bit heavy and bland. There is much enjoyment in this cuisine, and endless fascination in placing it within the types of cooking originating in that part of the world.

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