Elma, Leamington - 02/07/15

I love new restaurants, this time a Turkish restaurant in Leamington, Elma - I had seen it on Trip Advisor and it had amazing reviews and has now been voted number 7! I love Turkish food but very rarely see any restaurants in the West Midlands, but after reading the reviews I knew I had to go. I text my friend Jayne, who works in Leamington and we set a date …

It is a very cosy, back street restaurant, just situated of the main high street. It looked very traditional inside, lovely decor and comfortable. We were shown to our table by a very friendly waiter, who was attentive and welcoming.

We viewed the menu whilst sipping our drinks and we it was hard to decide what to order, it all sounded so delicious! 

They offer a wide variety of starters including sharing platters, which vary in price depending what you have.

Vegetarian Meze Platter - Tabbouleh, Hummus, Stuffed Wine Leaves, Falafel, Tzatziki, Borek, Patlican Sote, Beetroot Dip
£12.00

This is the cheapest out of the three platters, we always go for meat or seafood and thats why we decided to try something different and go all vegetarian and I'm glad we did. It was amazing!

It looked good on the plate, all the bright colours, it was like a work of art! It came with some pitta too. The Tabbouleh was delicious, very fresh tasting with the tomatoes, parsley, mint and onion chopped very finely all blended with olive oil and lemon juice - it was full of flavour and went perfectly with the cous cous. The stuffed vine leaves were very good, similar to aubergine and covered in balsamic oil. The Falafel was cooked perfectly and I could really taste the chickpeas, the Tazatiki was fresh tasting and garlicky. I don't usually like Beetroot but this was dip was actually very tasty and not too overpowering. I feel for the price, it was fantastic value and there was more than enough of the plate, we couldn't even finish it all!

Chicken Sis Tavuk  - Grilled Saffron and Lemon Marinated Chicken Breast
£12.50

They have many different main courses from lamb shanks, stews to charcoal grills which are served with salad and a choice of rice or chunky fries.

I went for the Chicken with Rice & Salad - I couldn't believe how big the portion was for the price, amazing value! It tasted even better than it looked, it came with a flatbread too which a lovely added touch. The chicken was cooked perfectly, not dry at all and even though it didn't come with a sauce, it was full of flavour and the saffron and lemon really came through. The rice was delicious and the whole dish just worked perfectly - a yummy meal and I would recommend it to anyone. I couldn't finish it all and therefore I got a doggy bag and had it for my lunch the next day at work, and it tasted just as good!

We were SO full but the waiter gave us two free Turkish coffees, which was lovely of him and we really appreciated it.

I loved the cup and saucer! It was a very unusual taste, it was thick and very strong - it would definitely keep you awake all night!

Overall, a fantastic evening, the service was brilliant, the food was beautiful, it is very good value for money and I WILL be returning. My new favourite Turkish restaurant and it is so local, what more could a girl want?!