Gallipoli – A trio of Turkish Delights

I think quite soon we may die form an overdose of Turkish food, but that is the future and we are enjoying it whilst we can.

There are many Turkish restaurants on Upper Street, which are proper restaurants, as we know them rather than the traditional Ocakbasi you may be familiar with in Dalston.

Gallipoli is the first in a trio of restaurants that occupies a small part of Upper Street close to St Mary’s Church. I’ve walked past this trio so many times, with it in my mind to sample what they had to offer inside.

To say Gallipoli is eclectic inside is an understatement. Lamps, car number plates, bowls all hang from the ceiling. The walls are covered with old and new photos from Turkey. Yes it is a tad tacky, but somehow it does work very well. I felt very comfortable here.

At lunchtimes they have a two course menu for £7.50p. A bargain, as a lot of the mains are a tad more than that. So we delved in with some starters and mains.

My starter was a simple bean salad, which would have been a lot better if it wasn’t fridge cold. But it has given me a million ideas for meals this summer I can do for work. Lina’s, what seemed like a spin on a Imam Biyaldi with a yoghurt sauce drizzled over was delish. Really nice. More ideas.

My main of stuffed aubergine with minced lamb and rice was really good. The rice needed a tad more seasoning but that was all. I did see some people have this dish off the mains menu, which was priced at more than our 2 course meal. The portion size was the same but on a much larger plate. Made me feel happier.

Lina’s pan fried sea bream was nice and juicy. The skin was crisp, nice salad as well.

This was a really nice simple light lunch and at less than £8 each was a real bargain. I think we shall have to return to Gallipoli more often, as it is a big change from the Ocakbasi’s we have been frequenting a lot recently in Dalston.