You’re not spoilt for choice of places to eat in Exeter – but Pasha on South Street turned out to combine great food with excellent value.
On a recent visit, and looking for something a little different, we headed away from the chain stores of Princesshay and the High Street and happened upon this ‘authentic Turkish restaurant’. Lured in by the lunch-time set menu offer (two courses for £10.90, three for £13.90, available from 12 noon to 5pm), we were instantly greeted by a waiter who gave us our pick of the tables and promptly brought over menus.
There weren’t many other customers but this was a welcoming, warm and cheerful venue with low-level Turkish music as background. For starters we chose hummus with flatbread, and a Greek salad (the cross over between Turkish and Greek cuisine was obvious from the number of ingredients they have in common), with a pot of mint tea to share.
Those quickly arrived, very tasty and refreshing, and then the mains were brought over – I had lamb kebab with bulghur wheat while my partner had moussaka with chips. Everything was obviously freshly prepared and delicious – the lamb was well spiced and succulent, while the moussaka was a cut above the ordinary.
The service was excellent, there was a good range of vegetarian options, the waiter was friendly and helpful, and the meal was completed with Turkish delight and Turkish coffee on the house. All in all, a great value lunch for under £25 – highly recommended if you want something that’s a class above the High Street chains that predominate in the more touristy areas.
