Turkuaz Restaurant – Pretty Little Place [Closed]

There aren’t exactly many Turkish restaurants in Singapore. In fact the only time I had been to one was at ephesus in chijmes. That was 3-4 years ago. Recently we checked out another Turkish restaurant, this time at holland village. It’s this cozy little place called Turkuaz.

The first thing that struck me about the restaurant was how pretty everything was! Each table was clothed in turquoise linen and had beautiful flowers and colorful stained glass candle holders. The walls had been painstakingly sponge painted and adorned with paintings, pots and figurines. Turkuaz obviously has a lady owner, and one who certainly has her restaurant decor down pat! I especially liked the napkin ring; it must be one of the prettiest napkin rings around, with colored ribbons and a huge blue bead that I learned was the evil eye.

Burak began his long explanation on this popular Turkish belief. Despite its unfriendly sounding name, the evil eye is actually a talisman that protects its user from misfortune. For example, you wear a brand new pair of pants to work one day. Everyone notices and compliments you. You continue your day, feeling very good about yourself. Then all of a sudden, you hear “RIIIIIP” and realise you have overexerted and ripped your spanking new pants!

So in short, misfortune may befall the person that elicits envy. Perhaps the universe’s way of bringing balance! Apparently this custom is really big in Turkey. Within the restaurant alone there were many evil eye beads either hanging on walls, dangling off menus, or adorning the pretty napkins.

Turkey has never really been known for its wines. According to burak, their whites wines are better than the reds. I am no connoisseur of fine wines, but I’ll say I enjoyed what I had.

Check out the spread! It was all just appetisers! We ordered a fair bit, didn’t we? Appetisers are supposed to whet your appetite for the main course, but I got full on them because we ordered so much!

Baba Ghanoush

Baba ghanoush is eggplant salad and it came with tomato as well. I’m not exactly a fan of the salad, or any salad for that matter. You’re supposed to spread it onto pita bread, which I loved. It reminded me of pizza crust, and had been cut into cute trianglular pieces.

Humus

The humus tasted a little queer to me. Well I didn’t like it. Or maybe I simply can’t appreciate certain cuisines. I must say that for someone who’s accustomed to eating mostly Western, Italian, Chinese and Japanese food, Middle Eastern cuisine does take some getting used to.

Turkish Spring Rolls

The Turkish also have their own rendition of spring rolls. Among all the many different kinds of spring rolls I have eaten before, I declare that I love Turkish spring rolls the most! They are made up of all cheesy goodness!

Eggplant Dolma

Eggplant dolma, not a very attractive looking dish I must say. At this point I realise that eggplant is an ingredient that features strongly in Turkish cuisine.

Chicken Shish Kebab

Finally we make it to the main dishes. Most people would think of kebab whenever Turkish food is mentioned. And that was exactly what I ordered for my main course, the chicken shish kebab. The four huge glorious sticks of grilled chicken were accompanied by some very savory rice, and a mound each of tomato and onion. The rice had been nicely flavored and cooked, giving off a delicious whiff. The chicken though, had been slightly over broiled and was quite stiff as a result. It could also have done with a little more taste.

Eggplant Moussaka

The lady boss had recommended the eggplant moussaka from the vegetarian menu. Even with my strong bias against all vegetable dishes, I concurred that it was really good! Damn, I actually have half the mind to become a full vegetarian! Despite my frequent declaration of being a carnivore (simply because I love chicken so much), I realise I’m already a semi-vegetarian on the count that I don’t eat red meat! Look, there’s even an official term for it, “pesco/pollo vegetarianism“.

Throughout the entire meal I could not stop oohing and aah-ing over every pretty detail of the restaurant. There were even a couple of sheeshas on display. The waiter helpfully informed us that tobacco comes in many different flavors that include cappuccino and strawberry!

Of course, even when it comes to the check, it had to come in a beautiful exquisite box. I can’t recall the last time I went to a restaurant and the check didn’t come in a checkbook! Turkuaz is definitely one pretty little place. Her (yeah I decided the restaurant should be a female) owner deserves all the credit for paying attention to every meticulous detail of it.

Turkuaz Restaurant
26A Lorong Mambong
Holland Village Singapore 277685
(65) 6463 4610
Service:

February 3, 2007: My list of Best (& Worst) Restaurants in Singapore for 2006
- Winner of “Best Design”