by ADELA EILEEN
There’s no denying that Oman has witnessed a growth in Turkish restaurants in the past few years, and we can’t be mad about it; there’s nothing to not love about this flavourful Mediterranean cuisine. This week we’re taking you to a new favourite spot of mine: Turkish Sultan Palace, another diner to add to your list of best Turkish restaurants in Muscat.
Located on Al Barkat Street in Al Khoud (same street as Mango Talaat, 3rd Street Donut, and NBO). The place seemed quite busy as we entered to dine in early on a weekend, which was an excellent sign. The lovely waiters asked us if we’d like to dine on the ground floor or underground, we picked the latter as it offers a dedicated play area for kids.
The interior of this place is stunning. Black marbled tables with white, golden chair occupy the space, giving it a royal atmosphere. As we settled on our table, the menu was handed over. We were craving a few Turkish staples and luckily everything was available on the menu.
For appetisers, we had kimali pide (meat pie), a Turkish flatbread filled with flavorous ground meat, a bunch of vegetables, and Turkish cheese. This simple lemon-shaped pie has a perfect balance of spices.
You can’t dine at a Turkish joint without having the famous Rocca salad, it is what we’ve been having at other Turkish places in town, served with little pomegranate molasses and sprinkled with grated cheese. Nothing to dislike here.
We also ordered a mix appetiser platter, which included mezze favourites such as hummus, baba ganoush, spicy ezme, muhammara, haydari and spiced olives. These creamy dips are accompanied by lots of bread. They tasted amazing.
When it comes to mains, the meatier the better. We had lamb chops, beyti kabab and sultan oven. The lamb chops are spiced with cumin and other spices and are grilled to perfection. The famous beyti kebap (mince meat with spices grilled and covered with lavish bread ) is served with rice. A dish you’d absolutely love.
Sultan oven was the main highlight of this place, which comes as a show stopper with fire blazing around the dish. The meat is cooked in a clay pot with garlic, onion and tomato as a base, and then is covered with dough and baked till the top crust is cooked, then it’s served immediately before the puffiness fades. This presentation was quite impressive but flavours fell short a bit, still a fantastic dish to try for lovers of Turkish delicacies.
In general, Turkish cuisine is all about simple flavours, that’s what makes it special. The meats are succulent, the bread is freshly baked and the sips are delicious, too. We recommend you to visit this on a weekday lunch or early dinner. You’ll love it.
Care For Some Turkish?
Location: Al Barakat Street, Al Khoudh, Seeb
Contact: +968 2454 4840
Opening Hours: 12.00pm to 11.00pm
