Turkish delights
A new independent restaurant in the heart of Beverley? It’s just what the town needs says our reviewer. Words and pictures Dave Lee.
Now this more like it. I’ve been complaining for a while that Beverley is filling up with chain restaurants and the local establishments are getting slowly pushed out. One victim of this creeping corporatisation was Panizzi, the snug but satisfying Italian/ Mediterranean restaurant just inside the North Bar. But arriving in their stead is Jardelle, a snug but satisfying Turkish restaurant. The little man will, apparently, not be kept down.
Jardelle is the first venture of journeyman restaurant manager Murat Bayar. He’s worked at varying levels in half a dozen restaurants or more in the East Riding for nearly two decades now and this is his first jump into ownership.
He knows his trade and he knows the market, and it’s clear he’s running as tight ship. The restaurant offers just the right thing for Beverley with plenty of lighter choices for lunching shoppers keen to rest their legs as well as more substantial offerings for evening diners. Some may not consider Turkish cuisine for lunch but the smaller meze dishes are absolutely ideal.
The décor has changed little since Panizzi left but it’s been made to feel distinctly more Middle Eastern by the addition of Turkish-looking cushions and ephemera. We ate on a busy Saturday night and it can feel a little closed-in but the staff are so on-the-ball and attentive that the lack of space becomes the only (and easilyforgiven) issue.
The menu has mainly been filled with many dishes with which all of us will be familiar, stuff like humus, tabule and babaganoush (their spellings, not mine) for starters and kalamar and shish for mains. These are the staples that anyone with a nodding acquaintance with the Med all know. There are a few items, though, that were relatively new to me.
Tarator, for instance, was a surprising delight. A mix of pan-fried carrots, spinach, garlic, yogurt, mint and paprika all served together as a dip with pitta chips. A simple, delicious dish but as good as anything we had all night. You may consider yaprak sarma similar to many stuffed vine leaves you’ve had before, but I found these veggie versions equally as tasty as any I’ve had with meat. Borek – triangular filo pasties filled with feta, spinach and meat
– I could eat all day long forever. I’ve had them before a few times (there’s a fella in Hull makes them longer and rectangular