Australia’s first ocakbasi restaurant opens in Moonee Ponds putting a new twist on Turkish
AUSTRALIA’S first ocakbasi restaurant lands in Moonee Ponds and adds a terrifically tasty twist on Turkish to this thriving international eat street, writes Dan Stock.
Eating Out
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SURE, it’s been bandied about with abandon by those in the business of selling slogans to the world, but if there was ever any doubt to Melbourne’s claim to the title of Australia’s culinary capital, a quick stroll down Mt Alexander Rd puts paid to any such thoughts.
For within one Moonee Ponds block you get a snapshot of why eating out in Melbourne is so good.
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Looking for pad thai and pandan or skewers and saganaki? Fancy teppanyaki or taverna? Satay or steak or specialty cold drip and a parma at the pub? It’s all here, cheek by jowl, diverse, often understated homespun charms and dishes passed down through generations from lands far flung by those who now call this city home.
And to this United Nations of a strip comes Taksim Square, billed as Australia’s first “ocakbasi” restaurant.
Ocakbasi, which loosely translates as “stand by the grill”, is a style of Turkish barbecue where the food is cooked to order over an open charcoal grill in the restaurant, with seats surrounding the action much like Japanese teppanyaki.
Opened in August, Taksim Square is named after Istanbul’s hub of restaurants, hotels and shops where street vendors selling doner kebabs and islak — the wet, tomato sauce-drenched hamburgers famous to the square — join ocakbasi restaurants to which locals and tourists alike throng.
And on that grill here, chef/owner David Evren is cooking the signature adana, a version of kebab that takes minced lamb meat seasoned with salt and paprika moulded over a long, flat swordlike skewer called a zirh that’s then cooked over coals.
It’s a plate I could happily eat again and again, deliciously seasoned lamb with its fatty juice sopped up by sumac sozzled red onions, the flatbread it’s served with placed on the meat while on the grill to first capture all that smoky meatiness while warming.
Served by the 20cm portion ($24) up to a metre long — a big-table showstopper ($100) — it’s the type of wrap-and-roll good time eating that calls for cold Efes beers, shots of raki and dancing to the Turkish pop hits that are played by a band on weekends.
Having grown up in one of Melbourne’s first Turkish restaurants in early ‘80s Richmond, David is now turning four decades of experience into a polished offering of the big, bold, enjoyably hearty banquet-style feasting that defines the cuisine.
Before the meat cooked over coals there’s a heap of great cold and hot mezze to get things started.
Dips, of course, will be quick to hit the table. The fabulous chunky, homely Turkish version of baba ganuosh — where eggplant is mixed capsicum, tomato and onions ($10) — is the pick over the slightly grainy hummus ($8), though both don’t last long on our table scooped up with triangles of warmed pita.
A half dozen “sigara” — filo cigars filled with feta — are the perfect blend of salty, creamy crunch ($8), while lamb liver cubed, crumbed, fried and served with lemon and parsley counters with sharp metallic bite ($8).
Beautifully cooked octopus, tender, textural tentacles sliced into 5c rounds and drizzled with olive oil, is another win ($12), but so, too, is the icli kofte.
Known as kibbeh elsewhere in the Middle East, here they’re like two fat mini footballs, their cracked wheat crust holding a spice minced filled with sweet cinnamon heat ($14).
It’s all approachable, more-ish stuff, helped in no small way by a team of young staff on the floor quick to point out their favourite dishes on the menu and help those of us not fluent in Turkish (we’re in the minority, judging by the full house of big tabled families this public holiday eve) with our busted pronunciations.
A couple of Turkish wines are offered on the short list, though unfortunately they’re not offered by the glass.
It’s a shame, as those that are poured are a box-ticking exercise — a Marlborough sav blanc; an Eden Valley riesling; a Barossa shiraz and a Yarra chardonnay — seemingly chosen for price point ($9 a glass; $40-odd a bottle) more than anything else. BYO (at $7 a pop) could be the better option.
For mains, a range of fish and meat is on show in a glass cabinet festooned with lights before being cooked on the grill and includes a plate of fat, juicy kofta that come with a good caramelised crust ($24), and king george whiting, grill branded and served whole though ours unfortunately a touch overcooked ($35).
Both plates come with a few pieces of forgettable chargrilled veg — zucchini, mushroom, capsicum — and a mound of utterly memorable kisir, a mix of bulgur, parsley, onion, garlic and tomato paste that’s nutty and sweet and completely delicious.
Desserts on show in the cabinet by the coffee machine means they arrive quick sticks to the table and the sutlac — Turkish rice pudding — is a creamy soft vanilla cuddle that’s perfect to end on ($12).
While there’s a love of daggy drizzles over plates and a touch of the function centre about the large space, there’s no doubting the terrific value, especially when no one’s leaving hungry.
Taksim Square is yet another suburban star cementing our culinary capital cred.
Taksim Square
561 Mt Alexander Rd, Moonee Ponds
Ph: 9372 9045
Open: Tues-Sun from 5.30pm; Sat-Sun lunch from 11.30am
Go-to dish: Adana
Score:14/20
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