A delightful taste of Turkey in Orléans

• Name + address: Little Turkish Village Restaurant 2095 St. Joseph Blvd.

• Type of food: Turkish

• Appetizers: $8-$16

• Mains: $17-$35

• Diet: Seafood, meat, vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options

• Wheelchair accessibility: Yes

• LCBO Licensed: Yes

• Website: www.turkishvillage.ca

One of the unsung benefits of Turkish or other Middle Eastern cuisines is that it can bring people with a broad variety of dietary restrictions around one table. Whether you’re a vegan or vegetarian, pescatarian or gluten free, the Turkish Village Restaurant has something for everyone. In short, it’s a no-brainer for celebrations.

Then of course there’s the major selling point: the food here is very good and fairly priced. There are a few caveats to dining here but we’ll come to those.

I sat down for lunch and took in the room. On the long wall opposite me, a mural of a bridge spanning the Bosphorus and leading to Istanbul in the distance.

The halogen lighting and the mounted television screen displaying images of your food choices can be quite harsh. The room is otherwise quaint with traditional decor so these additions are a major distraction and the lighting creates uncomfortable hotspots if you’re at the wrong table.

Order the hummus and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by their expression of this classic. It has a coarser texture and feels as if it’s been made from dried then soaked chickpeas. It’s darker and nuttier and just lovely with the extra kick of garlic and lemon.

Tarhana soup was an education for me and yes I would order it again. Tarhana is a powder that is made by mixing yogurt, flour and a variety of finely grated vegetables that is left to ferment for a few days. This paste is then dried and powdered.

To make the soup the tarhana is added to water, butter, spices and milk and simmered over a low heat. The addition of butter-fried pita bread reminded me of the crunch found in tortilla soup. How that butter added a most comforting dimension was almost too good.

The special Turkish combination platter consisted of salad, rice, potatoes and three different skewered meats.

For purposes of timing, their kitchen had opted for quick cooking parboiled rice and potatoes that had been pre-boiled and then deep fried. The salad was fresh, but save for the bright and delicious dressing, fairly generic.

The meat however revealed another story. That of an experienced cook with a deft touch for perfectly grilled, moist and tender beef, lamb and chicken. What a delight to enjoy these skewers without sinew or dried out portions.

The seasoning was just-so and when I bit into the chicken breast (something that usually fills me with dread) found the most tender morsels. I suspect they may have employed a trick from the Chinese kitchen where meats are lightly dusted in sodium bicarbonate and allowed to rest for thirty minutes. Always a no-fail strategy.

I've saved one big caveat for the end. In all my travels, I have never seen alcohol markups as high as at this restaurant. When you're in this industry, you know what things cost and when you see a 355 ml bottle of gluten-free beer for $13 you know you're sticking to water. Wines and spirits were equally egregious and I would encourage an otherwise wonderful restaurant to review its pricing.

Devastating earthquakes have hit Turkey and Syria. Until Feb. 22, the federal government will match any donations to the Red Cross Red Crescent relief efforts. You can donate here.

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