Mezze Ocakbasi

1016 Reviews

Star Travel Rating

4/5

Review type

Things to do

Location

Date of travel

December, 2016

Product name

Mezze Ocakbasi

Product country

Woodford Green

Product city

Woodford Green

Travelled with

Reasons for trip

When we’re eating out, it’s usually either locally in Walthamstow or Central London. But friends in Epping suggested meeting half way at “Mezze Ocakbasi”:http://mezzeocakbasi.com/index.php in South Woodford, Essex we jumped at the chance to try a new venue. It was also ideal as we could all get their by bus.

On arrival at 6pm on a Friday, the bar and restaurant were quiet and although we’d booked, we were shown to a round table laid for six although the two extra place settings and chairs were quickly removed.

The menu is extensive. There is a long list of Turkish “starters”:http://mezzeocakbasi.com/index.php, both hot and cold, but we decided an easy option was the large hot mezze starter sharing plate at £16. The platter had grilled helloumi (sic) cheese, falafel, sigara boregi (stuffed filo pastry ‘cigars’), meat kofte, lahana sarmasi (cabbage roll stuffed with meat) and sucuk (slices of Turkish spicy sausage). It was ideal as there was four of everything and so none of that polite ‘no, you take the last piece’ or ‘let’s chop that piece into four’. It was also a good chance to try new things. Diane had never had the cheese before and asked how it tasted. My reply, ‘lovely, it’s salty and rubbery’ nearly put her off but she loved it as did I.

We all chose a main course from either the grill section or the steaks and specials. Roy’s slow braised lamb with chickpeas cooked with celery, onion, carrot, green beans and aubergine was so tender it could be cut with a fork.

Diane’s five lamb chops were a hefty portion, perfectly cooked to taste and devoured quickly by being gnawed off the bone.

John had the special chicken – a diced breast cooked with wild mushroom, green and red peppers, onion, mustard and tarragon and cooked in creamy garlic sauce. To me, it looked the least appetizing, but as there was a clean plate, it was obviously good.

I chose chicken beyti – spicy minced chicken fillet mixed with herbs and garlic formed into two long sausages. As soon as I saw the huge dish, I knew it would defeat me and so left one ‘sausage’ on the side of my plate intending to ask for a doggy bag but as soon as the waiter saw my plate, he offered a take-away which I thought was excellent. Half of the sausage went into a chicken ceasar salad the following lunchtime and the rest made a sandwich the day after that. You can’t argue that wasn’t value for money!

All the dishes were priced on average £10 and were served with an individual portion of rice (a reasonable size) with a salad bowl being placed in the middle of the table to share.

The house white wine was well priced at £15.95 and more than acceptable.

We’d been too busy chatting to notice how quickly the restaurant was filling up but at 8.10pm, we were very politely asked if we’d vacate our table (as I have not done the booking, I’d not realised they had a two-hour policy). As soon as we’d got up the table was being set again which wasn’t surprising as when we left through the bar, it was absolutely heaving.

A great find, and one to return especially at lunchtime when there is a great value special lunch menu.

Helen Jackson

Join the club

Become a member to receive exclusive benefits

Our community is the heart of Silver Travel Advisor, we love nothing more than sharing ideas, inspiration, hints and tips between us.

Come feel the love on a Princess cruise. You’ll enjoy the MedallionClass experience others simply can’t, and it’s exclusively for everyone. Visit incredible destinations and be involved in the best experiences around each one of them.

Experience more with Princess and connect effortlessly with the world around you, spend time away with loved ones, take a moment for yourself, and fall in love with your holiday of a lifetime, every time.

With over 20 years of experience, Wendy Wu Tours has mastered the art of creating exceptional, fully inclusive tours which showcase the very best of each destination.

Each tour is led by a world-class guide, who will highlight the very best of their homeland, and includes authentic cultural experiences so you are not just seeing the sights, but truly immersing yourself in local life.

Say hello to ease at sea. Ambassador’s purpose is simple: they want to inspire every guest to experience authentic cruising, effortlessly and sustainably. Passionate about protecting our oceans and destinations, their ships comply with the highest industry emission standards and there is no single-use plastic on board.

On your voyage, you will receive the warmest of welcomes from the Ambassador community as you sail upon the friendliest ships afloat.

This is a global co-operative co-owned by local partners using real local experts and guides, which supports local communities, environments and wildlife. It offers travellers quirky places to stay, activity holidays and learning experiences. Not In The Guidebooks gets travellers off the beaten track into local culture with day experiences and longer, immersive adventures.

From wild wellness breaks in Wales to painting in Portugal, sustainable adventures in Mauritius to food safaris in Brazil, this is immersive, exciting travel.

Seabourn’s five intimate ships carry guests to the heart of great cities, exclusive yacht harbours and secluded coves around the world, while two new purpose-built expedition ships will combine exhilarating adventures in remote destinations with the sophisticated amenities of the world’s finest resorts at sea.

From the luxury of all suite accommodations to complimentary fine wines and spirits, and a no tipping policy, Seabourn exemplifies the definition of travelling well.