[UPDATED on July 2017] – Ottoman Kebab and Grill has located to Science Park area (address mentioned in the end of this post). The Bedok Mall outlet is permanently closed.
One of the best aspects of Turkish cuisine is the fact that there is no dearth of options for vegetarians. During a random outing to Bedok Mall, I stumbled upon this hidden joint called Ottoman Kebab & Grill . It was quite unassuming but the exhaustive menu placed on the stand outside made me decide to give it a chance. Specially since it was a chance to have a Turkish meal on the East side of Singapore.
The Orders
For starters, we ordered the ‘Borek Platter’ which reminded me of spring rolls. They are the Turkish version – rolled baked pastries with a filling. In this platter, we got both the Potato Borek and Cheese Borek which were crispy and yummy. They are also good to set the tempo for the meal till the mains are served.
Since we had heard about ‘Turkish coffee’ at the start of the meal, we were looking forward to tasting it. The unique presentation in a small cup had a distinct aroma and resembled a much finer version of the espresso. It is supposed to be sipped slowly for you to enjoy the taste fully.
For the mains, we went for the ‘Falafel Pita Sandwich’ which was grilled to perfection. The falafels were deep-fried and crunchy. They are are dense and full of flavour. You will find it a little hard to eat but the spices and textures will make you swoon over it. The cucumber and tomato salad on the side is fresh and perfect to enjoy with this dish.
The ‘Falafel Wrap’ is another variant to eat the crunchy falafels in the main course. This consisted of toasted tortilla served along with a salad. Highly recommended.
Eggplant is widely used in Turkish cuisine and if you like it, you should try the ‘Vegetarian Mousakka’ which is a layered oven casserole dish made with eggplants, tomatoes, carrots and potatoes. This was quite filling and tasty and all the veggies were well cooked and seasoned.
It is difficult to nail the traditional desserts in Turkish cuisine. After tasting the ‘Kunefe’ here, I can say that personally for me , this is the best that I have had in Singapore. Kunefe is made from stretchy goat cheese encased in phyllo pastry and drizzled with sugar syrup and pistachio flakes. Every bite was literally poetry in motion. I highly recommend this dish to finish your meal. Since it is made fresh, it takes around 20 mins to be prepared, hence order it in advance.
After the meal, I went personally to compliment the chef for the dessert and it was nice to talk to Head Chef Ali Kose who has previously worked with Gordon Ramsay. On the whole, for its extremely pocket-friendly prices, for delicious Turkish food and for it awesome Kunefe, do try Ottoman Kebab and Grill!
| In a Nutshell | Deelightful Rating |
| Cuisine Type: Turkish | ★★★★ |
| Nearest MRT: Kent Ridge | |
| Address: 2 Science Park Drive, #01-34 Savourworld, Singapore 118222 | |
| Timings: Mon-Fri: 11am – 8.30pm | |
| Website: http://ottomankebab.com/ |
Deelightfully Veg 