Pamukkale Turkish Restaurant

Mietta's Eating & Drinking in Melbourne 2000

Contributors' Choice
Page 117

This restaurant is a real find. Big, airy, well-spaced tables, comfortable black lacquered chairs with padded seats, it is always spotless, and diners can view both cooking areas.

The clientele is mixed - locals and regulars from the Toorak, Malvern, Hawthorn, Kew and Armadale areas who have discovered the Pamukkale, people who have been to Turkey and know just how enjoyable the food there can be, and even a coterie of food critics who enjoy the fresh, simple and tasty fare offered here.

The produce in the refrigerated case is not titivated up for display, there are no tablecloths, the menu is authentic but offers no fish or seafood and the restaurant is distinctly "no frills". But that unpretentiousness is immaterial. For here you get the freshest tastiest and most authentic Turkish cuisine imaginable. The pide (an unfailing taste test for a good Turkish restaurant) with spinach, cheese and egg is better than any we've eaten on many trips to Turkey, also the kofte, the spiced meat patties one finds in every little roadside restaurant throughout Turkey. Chef Kamal Demirel who comes from the town after which the restaurant is named, excels in both.

Dips are daily-fresh and served with oven-fresh Turkish break. The sizzling competition of the Bridge Road cafes and restaurants keep prices amazingly reasonable. On Saturday nights a popular belly dancer creates additional interest. Parking can be difficult but ask Kamal about the almost-secret parking areas around the back of the restaurant.

306 bridge Road
Richmond
Turkish Cuisine
Melways reference 2H:B6
Phone: 9429 8929
Opening hours: 7 days 12noon-11pm
BYO
Accepts credit cards
Seats Inside: 100
Features: Kids encouraged
Favourites: Mixed dips (small) $9, Hellim cheese pide with egg and spinach $8, Pamukkale kofte kebab, shish kebab, kofte, lambe cutlets and chicken/rice salad $12