Last night my partner and I went to Okabasi, the new Turkish restaurant on Stockport rd in Levenshulme.
It’s just opened, so we were a little unsure what to expect. We were also the only people in there to begin with, and we almost didn’t make it through the door (surely an empty restaurant can only mean one thing?!), but we persevered, feeling like intrepid explorers breaching the known limits of the fontier (or at least I did. I think he was just hungry).
And the frontier proved good.
The staff were friendly in that ‘we’re-a-family-so-we-kind-of-have-to-get-on-with -each-other’ kind of way; the waiter was genuinely Turkish, and looked like he spent a good deal of time cooking in the kitchen as well as serving the food, which meant that although his garbs were somewhat greasy, he knew the menu inside out. We also had Turkish beer, so we felt truly continental and cultured.
I had moussaka, and he had a lamb kebab (done ‘properly,’ apparently, with rice). The salad was fresh and pert, the food was really tasty, and the financial damage was limited (and well worth it.). What’s more, more brave travellers ventured in while we were eating (although not as brave as us. We were the first, and therefore the bravest), so we didn’t feel so lonely.
Although they’ve chosen an odd time to open a new restaurant, I feel that they’re worth supporting, so this is a call to action:
ALL INTREPID FOOD ADVENTURERS! YOUR LOCAL TURKISH RESTAURANT NEEDS YOU! GO EAT, DRINK AND BE MERRY WHILE NOT SPENDING TOO MUCH!
TO OKABASI! HOORAY!
by Amanda B
