Bosporus | Fine Turkish fare in Jumeirah

Quite a renowned spot for Turkish cuisine since years, Bosporus captures the essence of everything Turkish in one place with an extensive menu featuring the best of grills, a choice of outdoor seating with a selection of sheesha and the perfect variety of trims and sides to support your meal. Aptly tagged “a bridge to Turkey”, the restaurant is named after the famous Bosporus river that connects the Asian part of Turkey to the European part.

The Part Deux of my back-to-back Turkish tastings was at Bosporus, and well, was I impressed or what? I am glad I chose to visit their Umm Suqueim branch, for as soon as I parked my car, I was greeted by a family of cats and kittens – all looking at me with the hopes of feasting on some Turkish leftovers after I was done. So true to it’s Turkey roots, the restaurant attracted a lot of cats and kept them well fed. But yes, I did pack a few kebabs for the kitties!

Starters

The manager at Bosporus offered to get us the best of their menu, but we chose to make a couple of changes here and there. We started with a selection of cold mezze that included a walnutty Gavurdagi Salad and a fresh pomegranate and pistachio studded Zahter Antep Fistikli Salad. These were followed by the classic Plain Humus with chickpeas, the spicy walnut based Muhammara, and a very creamy yogurt, tahini and pistachio mix called Teretur. This last one was something I had never tried before, which made it particularly interesting. The last one on the list was from their hot mezze section – Ali Nazik. I have tried this dish before at different Turkish restaurant, but the one at Bosporus especially impressed me with the really tender cooked lamb cubes.

Drinks

Making the most of the summer outdoors, we chose to sip on some refreshing coolers from Bosporus. I chose the classic Virgin Mojito, while my guests opted for Avocado Milkshake and Fruit Cocktail.

Mains

The next part of our Turkish journey brought us the classic Mixed Grills and a bestseller from the Bosporus menu – Kuzu Pirzola Sote. The former was customized to our request with a mixed portion. This included Chicken Tavuk, Lamb Adana Kebab, Lamb Fistikli Kebab, Lamb Cubes and Lamb Chops. The latter was an example of true culinary brilliance. Cooked in an earthen pot covered with dough, the lamb chops in this stew came smothered a rich tomato and onion gravy. These were dotted with tender potato cubes. The gravy is quite a hit among vegetarians as well, and very often the staff at the restaurant are requested if this dish can be prepared without any meat. In my opinion, eat the lamb chops as is, and soak up the gravy in the bread.

Desserts

Finally, we landed on the most awaited part of our dinner – the desserts. I have always loved Turkish ice cream, so as soon as I spotted it on the menu, I knew I wanted their Baklava with ice cream. More than anything else, I love the way that stretchy ice cream is sandwiched between the baklava pieces. Such a refreshing choice! When the first one is Baklava, the only other sensible option for a second dessert would be Kunefe. While I am not a big fan, the Kunefe with Chocolate on their menu especially caught my attention. Loaded with Nutella, I loved this one very bit. Both these desserts matched right with Turkish mint tea and Ginger tea on the side.

Bosporus

Location: Jumeirah Road, Opposite Mashreq Bank, Umm Suqeim, Dubai
Contact: 04 3808090

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