If you ever thought Turkish food was all about kebabs, Chargal will certainly change your mind. Of course, it’s unlikely you thought any such thing because, if you’ve been to Turkey or North (Turkish) Cyprus, you soon discover there’s a lot more to it than that in terms not just of flavours and ingredients. There’s a cleanness about this Mediterranean cuisine and nowhere is this more evident than in the mezze.
For me, mezze is the best of Turkish cooking and I could happily dine on this alone. Our waiter, Miguel, offered to make the decisions for us on this – always a joy when you spend your entire day making decisions – and his choice was just right.
There were two slices of haloumi with a cherry sauce (this turns out to be a delicious combo), koftas on a white bean and parsley salad and an iced platter of dips – hummus, cacik (Turkish tzatziki) and muhammara (a smoky walnut and red pepper dip) – served with an inventive set of crudités (radicchio, baby sweetcorn, figs and the reddest, crispiest radishes I have ever seen).
Before this, the Major and I had settled at our table with a cocktail. We were on the ground floor where the cooking takes place in an open kitchen with four different work stations, a commanding chef with plenty of underlings and lobster and fish on icy display. This is a deceptively big Mayfair restaurant. There are lots of rooms and levels and on the ground floor, it’s all dark wood with images of burning logs that blend in with the open fire cooking. Upstairs, it’s a different matter with a cool and pale décor and private dining, while the basement is a late-night bar.
Chargal takes its cocktail inspiration from Turkey, too. The Major had, rather appropriately, a Sultan. This was vodka-based with citroc, red berry, lychee liqueur, dry white wine and infused with fruit, hibiscus gel and garnished with a slice of strawberry floating in the coupe on an ice cube. He loved it, though it was a bit on the sweet side for me, while I chose a Bloom and Blush: Tanqueray gin infused with berries, bergamot liqueur and homemade rose lemonade with a soupcon of Campari to give it a bitters kick.
The clean tastes of the first course were echoed in the mains, delivered with sharing in mind. There was a delicate grilled seabass served on seaweed and lentils and the tender chargrilled lamb came with a deliciously smoky aubergine purée. The sides were a shepherd’s salad of tomato, onions, cucumber, sumac and pomegranate with cauliflower tahini “couscous”. This is Turkish cooking with style.
Chargal, 11 Berkeley St, Greater, London W1J 8DS. For more information, and for bookings, please visit www.chargal.com.
