Saturday, 8 February 2014

Come to Fora for excellent Mediterranean & Turkish food in London

When I visited Turkey a few years ago, I remember the food being enjoyable and the people being hospitable. So when I found a toptable deal for highly-rated Fora - a Turkish and Mediterranean restaurant near Liverpool Street and Aldgate in the City of London - I booked a table.

As part of the deal, you get all the cold and hot mezes on the set menu, plus a choice of one main course. A free glass of sparkling wine is thrown in, too - all for £17.50.


The feta borek was new to me; basically it's a bit like a samosa but with cheese in the middle - very tasty. My friend said, "this is the best samosa I've ever had" - even though it's not a samosa. The falafel was crispy on the outside, yet moist in the middle.

Hot mezes: spinach & feta borek and falafel.

Cold mezes: tabbouleh, kisir, hummus and manca.

The girlfriend and I had the centik special (grilled cubes of lamb, chicken and kofte on top of thinly sliced potato fries, and topped with yoghurt). Ignoring the fact that the yoghurt looks a bit like a poached egg, this was a delicious dish. The sauce was wonderfully seasoned and all the meats were wonderfully cooked. Despite the small dish size, there was plenty of meat here and I definitely felt full after.

Centik special.
The mixed grill looked awesome and, judging by how quickly my friend ate it, it clearly tasted good too!

Mixed grill.

The restaurant also had a nice atmosphere. This was helped by the live guitarist, Faruk Ceviz, who plays evenings Tuesday-Saturday. He played a mixture of new and old songs throughout the evening, including Justin Timberlake and Michael Jackson, which I did not expect! It sounded very good and made the evening more enjoyable as a result.

In fact, our table got chatting to Faruk - a friendly chap - and it turns out he is also a composer (some of his work can be found on his YouTube channel).

Faruk Ceviz.
Efes definitely reminds me of my holiday in Istanbul and Antalya, Turkey! I think I had this every day with most meals.


Overall, I have to say that Fora is an excellent restaurant with good food, atmosphere and music - all backed up by friendly service staff. Would definitely come again.



Closest Tube: Liverpool Street and Aldgate
Address: 34-36 Houndsditch, London, EC3A 7DB

Square Meal Fora Restaurant on Urbanspoon

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