Troia Turkish
I’d been meaning for some time to try out a Turkish restaurant I’d seen near Waterloo Station and the London Eye (Ferris wheel). Troia is in Belvedere Street, close to the South Bank theatres and concert halls. It seems quite a popular place and has had some good write-ups.
For my first course I had borek, the filo pastry with cheese and spinach. It was rather crispier than usual, but very nice. To follow I chose Iskender, named, I suppose, after Alexander the Great. It was a mixed grill of lamb, chicken and minced lamb topped by a lemony yoghurt and with a cold but spicy hot tomato dish alongside. The dish itself was excellent, though one mouthful of the spicy sauce was as much as I wanted. The delicate taste of the meat and chicken was too nice to drown in peppery fire, especially sine the lemony yoghurt was such a fine accompaniment to it.
For the wine I experimented with a Tunisian, a Selian Carignan by Caltrasi. Selian is the North African word for Sahara, said the label, though the grapes are sent to Sicily, where the wine is made and bottled. It had black berries on the nose and palate, with hints of wood spice. It was mellow, and quite a pleasing drink with the food chosen. It was an enjoyable meal in a place with good ambience and friendly, mostly Kurdish staff. The hookahs on offer have to be taken to the tables outside, but it’s too cold for that in winter.