In my last review I spoke about going with passion.
Today I am going to touch on authenticity.
Off the bat I am no expert on Turkish cuisine but I am pretty sure Café Turka is going to be as authentic as you will find on the North Coast.
The first giveaway is the owner is very Turkish, with limited English, which I think adds to the charm of this small establishment.
Murat and Tina Oncel (a Dolphin Coast local for the past 20 years) met in Turkey five years ago.
They have been a common sight at the I Heart Market and the Wonder Market for the past three years until they took the brave step and opened Café Turka takeaway and restaurant at the Salt Rock Shopping Centre at the end of November last year.
Murat trained as a chef in Turkey and is passionate about his food.
It is a very simple venue with the menu handwritten with chalk on a blackboard which I love.
When I visited Café Turka the menu consisted of three wraps to choose from: lamb, chicken and falafel. I ordered one of each.
The quality and flavour of the lamb was front and centre and it was well matured and had punch.
The chicken was my favourite – very tender with a wonderful smoky undertone.
The falafels were interesting – a very unique flavour profile which I could not quite put my finger on, but still enjoyable.
I like that they had a good selection of condiments to choose from, especially the beetroot.
I would have liked to see more garlic sauce as I found them all a touch dry but still enjoyable.
I got excited when I saw baklava on the menu but unfortunately it was sold out.
However, I will be returning to see what they are like, without a doubt.
They are also very reasonably priced – a great place for a quick meal on the run.
Download The North Coast Courier mobile app, now available free from the Apple iStore and on Google Play, for IOS and Android phones.
