IT’S one of the best locations in Manuka and it’s exciting that a new restaurant has opened on the corner of Furneaux and Franklin Streets. Better still, a new restaurant that has invested in making this special spot its own and lifting the bar on the interior fitout and large outdoor dining area.

We’re talking Avesta. I’ve dined there twice and, so far, it’s pretty darn good.

Avesta celebrates Kurdish cuisine, which shares similar qualities with Turkish cuisine. The restaurant bills itself as a smokehouse specialising in charcoal-grilled food.

On my second visit – the subject of this review – a bunch of us descended on Avesta, opting for the “deluxe banquet”. I put my hand on my heart and proclaim that this is one of the best banquet deals in town. It’s $40 and enough food is dished up to feed a small army. When I read the menu I wondered about “quantity over quality” but needn’t have given this a second thought.

The deluxe banquet is designed for a minimum of two people and vegetarian and gluten-free options are available.

We started off sharing generous serves of tasty hummus, carrot, beetroot and baba ganoush with bread (some of which seemed a bit stale to me, disappointing given the restaurant has its own wood-fired oven).

Next up was oven-baked, spiced mushroom topped with bits of goat’s cheese, and then the super-tasty, marinated king prawns. Who can go past these beauties when they’re simply and carefully pan fried in garlic and olive oil?

My favorite dish was chargrilled Atlantic salmon. While slightly overcooked for my liking, it wasn’t dry, and the flavours were fabulous. It was served with a Mediterranean-style salad – tomato, cucumber, olive and feta cheese. Indeed, several dishes came with the salad, which I found tedious by the end of the meal.

The signature dish at Avesta is called the “Kurdish-style TKA” – skewered beef, lamb, chicken or kofta. The presentation is amazing. The long skewers, loaded with meat and veggies, hang from a rather tall structure that looks splendid on the table. And poking out the side are four brackets, each holding a bowl of fluffy rice. It’s fun and the meat is super tasty.

The service at Avesta is delightful and the staff couldn’t do enough to make us happy, even bringing out a gigantic silver bucket loaded with ice, in which we rested our wine. It was a lovely touch.

Avesta is BYO and working on securing a liquor licence. Breakfast (from 7am), lunch and dinner (till very late). I’m not sure the restaurant will be able to sustain such long hours, but hope they do.

Avesta, 2 Furneaux Street, Manuka. Call 6239 6671.