Since it was my turn for 'date night', my initial idea was to go to Syon Lounge which is situated in the Hilton in Isleworth. The website looked promising and the pictures of the sushi looked amazing. However, once we got there, the place was full of people smoking shisha and nothing else. The music that was playing was dreadful. Think of the crap Capital FM and Radio 1 plays and you're not far off the mark so with that in mind, we headed off to find somewhere else.
Since it was a nice day, we walked to Brentford to The Old Fire Station Bar and Grill only to find it doesn't open on Sundays. Very strange considering a weekend would be their busier days.
Whilst walking back, we spotted a sign for Galata Pera which is a Turkish restaurant situated by the river. The location is 'off the beaten track' so to speak and is not easy to find hence when we got there, we also thought it was closed. After trying the door, and it is a heavy door, we were in.
The first thing that grabs you is the smell. The wonderful smoky barbecue smell that you can't help but breathe in over and over. It's the sort of smell that you never tire of.
Once we have chosen our table, and there was plenty we could pick from, we were given the menus by a smiley and friendly waitress (Rebecca) who seemed very pleased to see us.
The menu looked so enticing and we wanted to try everything so we opted for the set menu for two which offers just that.
For starters, it was a selection of mezes and Turkish bread.
Since it was a nice day, we walked to Brentford to The Old Fire Station Bar and Grill only to find it doesn't open on Sundays. Very strange considering a weekend would be their busier days.
Whilst walking back, we spotted a sign for Galata Pera which is a Turkish restaurant situated by the river. The location is 'off the beaten track' so to speak and is not easy to find hence when we got there, we also thought it was closed. After trying the door, and it is a heavy door, we were in.
The first thing that grabs you is the smell. The wonderful smoky barbecue smell that you can't help but breathe in over and over. It's the sort of smell that you never tire of.
Once we have chosen our table, and there was plenty we could pick from, we were given the menus by a smiley and friendly waitress (Rebecca) who seemed very pleased to see us.
The menu looked so enticing and we wanted to try everything so we opted for the set menu for two which offers just that.
For starters, it was a selection of mezes and Turkish bread.
The trick is not to eat a lot of bread and fill yourself up too much as the main course is not far behind.
The meats were wonderfully cooked and full of flavour and the portion size is just right. We managed to polish off the meat but the rice was a bit too much to handle.
For dessert, it was a choice of Sutlac or Baklava and we opted for the latter. This is the only part of the menu I felt it was a bit of a let down as the Baklava was so sweet. Maybe it is meant to be like that but we felt it was too much.
Overall, the restaurant is very nicely decorated and the food served it great. Galata Pera is a nice little find however I do fear for its long term survival as it is in the wrong location. The website that is advertised (www.galatapera.co.uk) is no longer up and we were one of the two tables occupied that evening.
Score: 8/10
Galata Pera
Unit 1
Town Meadow
Brentford
TW8 0BQ
