The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
A Turkish delight
Restaurant review: The Sultan Turkish Restaurant, Forfar
DESPITE ONLY a few independent remnants of bygone glory days remaining on the town centre streetscape, Forfar clings proudly to its honoured status as the county town of Angus.
And it has certainly fared better in general terms than some of its district neighbours in filling high street voids which can pretty rapidly contribute to a down-at-heel look that’s a turn-off to both locals and visitors.
Alongside the historic names of outfitters Jarvis Brothers and the David Irons hardware shop there are also a string of very different eating places cheek by jowl with each other whose family-run formula has seen them thrive over decades and continue to be a success.
But I’m fairly sure that when Haluk Atagan opened the doors of the Sultan Turkish restaurant just shy of 30 years ago that there were some — possibly even his local restaurant rivals — who may have even uttered the gloomy prediction: ‘It’ll never last.’
The Sultan, however, has remained a permanent fixture on Forfar’s (now one-way) Castle Street since Haluk’s 1984 arrival from the southern Turkish city of Adana, even if an undiluted Mediterranean accent belies almost three decades in Angus.
With room for around 30, the tasteful restaurant is best described as bijou, so if it’s an intimate meal for two you’re looking for then maybe the height of the weekend is not the time to book — although you might do well anyway to beat Sultan regulars who have learned from years of experience to get in early for a peak-time table.
What will strike first-time visitors is just how close you are to the kitchen action — every aspect of preparation and cooking is literally carried out in front of you and, for many, that is an integral part of the Sultan’s charm.
Pleasantly welcomed and promptly seated, our Friday night party of six began the task of selecting from the traditional menu with a round of drinks which included crisp Turkish Efes lager
The menu offers around a dozen starters and half of our group selected an opener, with hummus (£5.10), cacik (£4.90) and sucuk (£5.50) soon arriving, accompanied by a small basked of warmed pitta bread.
The smooth hummus of chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice and a touch of garlic was a pleasant share for two of our group, and the cacik yoghurt, with grated cucumber and rather more garlic was sweet and refreshing, even if there was a little too much for me. The sucuk was the top find — a trio of slices of strong beef sausage, grilled and served with salad. It was an instant hit with a teenager on his first visit to the restaurant.
The Sultan is a slick operation and as you tuck into the starters the work is going on over your shoulder to deliver the main courses, with a myriad of choices based around charcoal-grilled marinated lamb and chicken as well as vegetarian offerings.
Two of our group plumped for the restaurant’s famed Iskender kebab (£13.90), which gives you the flavour of a selection of meats, with a delicious yoghurt and tomato sauce. My selection was the Sultan special (£13.90), tender cubes of lamb sis kebab and chicken, with mushrooms, peppers and tomato marinated in wine and herbs.
Two of the girls opted for sis kebab (£13) whilst the teenage first-timer went to the top end of the menu and combined Mediterranean influence with his county roots in the choice of a substantial and succulent fileto biftek of prime Angus fillet steak (£22.50), cooked to medium perfection.
The success of the Sultan experience is a combination of the expertise and care which goes into the cooking of the flavoursome food and the quality of the meats which have come from one local supplier throughout the restaurant’s entire existence. Alongside soft accompanying rice and strong, fresh and beautifully balanced salads, it all makes for a very satisfying event.
The Sultan is a place for big appetites but after the main course diners can quite often find themselves getting a little time to sit back and contemplate dessert during a chat with the owner if the demand on the charcoal grill has eased and he gets the time to ‘wander the tables’.
Sticking with Turkish tradition I thoroughly enjoyed the layered filo of baklava (£4.45), a perfect-sized portion with the ideal weighting of pistachio nuts. Those with more of a penchant for walnuts should opt for kadayif (£4.45), a shredded pastry and syrup wrapped finale which two of our party wolfed down.
And, though it certainly doesn’t have any deep-rooted Turkish culinary connection that I’m aware of, there is good reason why the pineapple delight (£4.20) of crushed pineapples, whipped cream and marshmallows has been a fixture on the Sultan menu since its doors opened.
Haluk is heading towards 30 years in the county town with the passion for the food of his homeland burning as strong as it ever did.
And that’s good news for Forfar.