Tas Pide is a fabulous Turkish restaurant located right across from the Shakespeare's Globe. Even better, they have a few more restaurants in London so it quickly became a favorite of the ProjectExplorer team. Today, we were also joined by our friends from London, Shaima and Ahmed.

The kitchen is wide open so we could see food being prepared. This made it feel like the customers were the audience and the cooks and servers the performers on a stage. Very theatrical. Looking at the menu, I noticed that some things looked similar to dishes from Greek restaurants I had been to before. There were still many things on the menu that were very foreign to me. I wanted to try those more exotic sounding names. Wanting to sample everything it was difficult to decide. We were not without help though; Zeynep, the restaurant's manager, was there to guide Christopher as he led our dining adventure. With Zeynep's assistance, Christopher selected almost a dozen dishes to give us the best examples of authentic Turkish cuisine.

First, we were served with a series of small dishes. At Spanish restaurants this would be called Tapas, which is a variety of small plates. Of these, I think my favorite was the hummus with lamb on top. This was great because Jenny and Christopher are vegetarians, so that left a lot for Sarah, Hannah, and me.

Then, came the main meal. We shared several dishes, but these were much larger. First, there was Turkish pizza, with Hellim cheese and apricots. Zeynep told us that this was an original Tas recipe. There were also fried clams, mussels, and another lamb dish. All were uniquely flavored and totally delicious.

I think we all loved the borek, which is a savory pastry filled with spinach and cheese. Another traditional dish, and Zeynep told us every mother in Turkey knows how to make Borek. Of course, every kid claims his mom's is the best!

I was starting to get full and there was still dessert in our futures. During dessert, I got my first taste of Turkish coffee and Turkish Delight. With Turkish coffee, you have the option of unsweetened or sweetened. I opted to have it sweet; Jenny took the unsweetened. It comes in a tiny little espresso cup because it is very strong.

I loved Tas. I think there is something really great about sharing a good meal with your friends.

Hosça kal (so long in Turkish),

Go to the next day >

Copyright © 2006 ProjectExplorer, LTD. All Rights Reserved.