just a nice site to find a restaurant in Cheltenham
Whilst a food reviewer is supposed to hold some impartiality, it's just impossible not to like the owners of this charming restaurant. I was treated almost like a friend when some familiarity had set in.
Sitting down to share a selection of food with the owner Namik (on video) I was at once aware of the pride he felt about the food laid out in front of us. Nor does he neglect to credit the hard work his wife Mukhadder puts in behind the scenes.
You will see some of the tastings in the video, but I cannot over emphasise the suberb sense of balance this family shows when weaving culinary delights from simple food stuffs. People wondering what real class in cooking is, must come here to experience it.
The French are oft quoted as being masters of cookery, but in fact it's only really the sauces they excel in. With the history of the Sultan's palace in their culture, the Turks may be the real deservers of the title "master cooks". A visit to Grille will show you how taste is created from the basic ingredients without the overbearing fuss.
As soon as you walk in, you are surrounded by charming pictures with Turkish themes - all personally chosen by Mukadder, one of your hosts. The music is always authentic, evoking the eastern end of the Mediterranean.
When the weather is cold, you will find a real fire blazing away - a suitable precursor to the warmth of the greeting extended to you.
Hosts Namik and Mukadder came here from Turkey, Ankara and Istanbul respectively. They insist on cooking the food themselves. For them food has always been part of daily family life.
Namik opened the doors on his first British takeaway in Stroud in 1986, but he had already owned coffee shops, take aways and pizzerias in Turkey and Germany.
The Grille Restaurant was opened in 1986 in the former Wakefield butchers shop in Winchcombe street, Cheltenham.
Tel: (01242) 771444