A Journey To Turkey...
Had dinner at Efendy in Balmain on Friday - Loved it! Somer the owner was very friendly, generous and of course knew his Turkish stuff. Food was fantastic, very interesting and tasty dishes, all with a heartwarming feel to them. The restaurant itself was lovely too, as was the service - warm, professional and attentive. You walk into the spacious courtyard area where you can sit outside on a nice day, and see the Efendy bar on your right, and then walk into the multi-level restaurant with authentic decor all around.
True Turkish cuisine and atmosphere - delicious cold mezes, hot mezes, main meals and dessert platters, all very unique to the Australian food scene. Fantastic Lamb, Beef, Touches of yoghurt and spices, Aromatic Nutty rice, and accompaniments that stood out, such as the Ahirdagi Salata - Finely chopped salad of tomato, cucumber, red onion, walnuts, pomegranate...
At the "Mey" Efendy bar you can enjoy cocktails with a Turkish touch, aperitifs, digestives, cigars and a variety of boutique European and Australian wines by the glass before or after your dinner at the lower floor.
At the "Mey" Efendy bar you can enjoy cocktails with a Turkish touch, aperitifs, digestives, cigars and a variety of boutique European and Australian wines by the glass before or after your dinner at the lower floor.
Corner Elliott St (no. 79) and Darling St, Balmain.
Tel: (02) 9810 5466.
Strongly recommended if you're in Sydney, check this place out and get a real taste of Turkey - you won't be disappointed :-) Fantastic vegetarian selections as well :-) Also open for Lunch and Breakfast.
Tel: (02) 9810 5466.
Strongly recommended if you're in Sydney, check this place out and get a real taste of Turkey - you won't be disappointed :-) Fantastic vegetarian selections as well :-) Also open for Lunch and Breakfast.
Thank you Sarah for great review! Inner West Quest would recommend checking out Sarah's blog: Wineperson, Nutiritionist, Carnivore. Currently Bringing Wine for Asian food into Sydney.
For another fabulous review of Efendy and to check out a diverse foodie blog ("I love food and food loves me") head to Simon Leong's blog: Simon Food Favourites
the food is a winner at this place for sure. not sure how my dessert photo got on this blog but here's the original post http://simonfoodfavourites.blogspot.com/2010/04/efendy-meze-journey-to-istanbul-food.html :-)
ReplyDeleteI love Efendy! I have been twice and will definitely go back.
ReplyDeleteThe food is absolutely divine and there is something on the menu to tempt everyone. The portions are quite big so I would recommend not getting too carried away with the starters or the beautiful Turkish bread... Saying that it can be hard to resist the temptation - especially as they have a deal where you can select four mezes and a main for almost the same price as a main on it's own...
Wine list is good and the prices are decent. There is also Turkish beer on the list to keep the non-wine drinking boyfriend happy...
As to the desserts... YUM.
Service is spot on, the waiters are attentive and make you feel welcome.
All in all, my both Efendy experiences have been fantastic and I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone wanting to try something a little bit different!