Planning a trip to Queanbeyan? Perhaps heading to The Q for a show or the shops? Take time to have a bite at Turquoise Turkish, says dining reviewer WENDY JOHNSON.
Turquoise Turkish is nicely positioned on Queanbeyan’s main drag Monaro Street. It’s been there for more than 13 years, and (as we discovered) for a reason.
The colour turquoise features strongly in the renovation this restaurant underwent not quite a year ago – on the walls, tiles and woven through ornate, detailed fabrics.
The restaurant has an exotic but relaxed feel, and we were comforted by the sun streaming through the large front windows flooding our table. The Turkish music, playing at just the right level in the background, added ambience.
Turquoise Turkish promises traditional food and delivers with a reasonable price point. The chef is passionate about crafting time-honoured Turkish recipes and promises that each bite will transport you to the heart of Turkey.
We kickstarted our lunch with a couple of selections from the hot entrée section of the menu (all $16). Bursting with flavour were the feta spring rolls – super thin pastry filled with salty feta, parsley and fresh herbs. We always find cigarette-shaped Borek fun to eat. These were deep-fried to perfection and a delightful start.
Next were potato balls, golden on the outside and rustic chunky on the inside which added an element of fun with great texture. They featured spinach and more of the fresh herbs so prominent in quality Turkish cuisine.
We didn’t want a heavy meal but a tasty one and the prawns didn’t disappoint. The Sis Karides dish featured plump king prawns char-grilled to add a smokey element. The prawns were lifted with paprika, Turkish herbs, a touch of garlic and a smattering of sauce($34).
Carefully positioned around a mound of fluffy rice, they were served with veggies that were still firm after being grilled, including superbly cooked eggplant.
I can’t go past an amazing pide (Turkish pizza) and struggled to select from the 16 on offer.
The Keymali was an excellent choice, and the freshly baked pide was artfully laid out on a long wooden board with a wedge of lemon, grated carrot and lettuce ($26). Minced lamb – the main ingredient – worked wonderfully well with finely diced onion, cheese and, once more, fresh herbs. What a soul-satisfying dish.
Our meal was topped off with four cubes of gorgeous light pink Turkish delight, lightly dusted with icing sugar and celebrating rosewater. It was as fresh as Turkish delight could be, and not too sweet.
Turquoise Turkish offered us attentive and knowledgeable service. I had never been before and wondered how I had missed out all these years.
Turquoise Turkish is BYO. Dine in or grab quality takeaway (kebabs with bread baked onsite daily is only $16 and a snack pack is available).
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