Now, I've been on enough last-minute, 'bargain' package holidays to know that the traditional dish of just about anywhere is grilled meat with chips, rice or, if you're somewhere particularly exotic, cous cous. If you get the odd olive or onion in there, you know you're on a fancy one.
Antepliler, named for Antep, the the town it takes its inspiration from, seems to follow the same theory. The List was pretty general in its recommendation of kebabs and we all know what happens when left to choose for myself.. (brains, brains is what happens - see Medlar).
I went for the Lamb Shish; diced lamb in tomato sauce (with rice). The meat, for lack of a better word, was generically meaty. It was tender and well cooked but it was chore to get through, especially when accompanied with the eye-wateringly salty, tomato sauce.
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| Sheesh! |
Across the table, my friend had the Sogan Kebab; lamb with shallots in a pomegranate sauce (with rice). They weren't lying about the shallots which were numerous. Not so much with the pomegranate, which was lacking. At one point I watched on as it became a silent battle: girl versus mouthful after mouthful of unadulterated shallot.
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| Sogan |
According to the list, Antepliler does justice to the Antep cuisine which is famed throughout Turkey. However, by this logic (and I've never been there so I can't confirm), I'm assuming that the entire population of Antep is made up of middle-aged British tourists that enjoy reasonably priced sunshine, local culture at a safe distance and food that gently nudges the boundaries ("Look, it comes on a stick!), without busting through.
In summary, it felt like that tourist experience, only without that token traditional dance showcase. That's shallot (had to be done).
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