Ottoman Café - would you like some lamb with that?

Not much activity yet on this blog... this is some info on a place I visited last November

I don't usually order lamb when I eat out, partly because I don't eat that much lamb to begin with (it just wasn't a big part of my diet), and because I'm not confident that my taste buds will be happy after the money is spent. This being a Turkish restaurant, it's a bit hard to order anything but lamb... the results, I'm happy to say, were pleasing to my taste buds!

Address: 37 Mollison Street South Brisbane
Phone: 3846 3555
Hours: Tue-Sun 1200-1500, 1730-2200
Web: http://www.ottomancafe.com.au
Email: enquiries@ottomancafe@bigpond.com
Parking: on street

The decision to try this restaurant came about from browsing through the Entertainment book looking for something a bit out of the ordinary/mainstream. It was a good choice - taking us on a lamb fest of never before experienced proportions.

Interior view. There were 2-3 other groups the night of our visit.


Mixed platter entrée

A bit of all the dips, of which I can't recall the names of any! The red thing in the upper right is beetroot, and there's a few bean-based ones... the leaf-wrapped thing in the middle reminds me (inlooks, not taste) of the "lor mai fan" you get at yum cha.

Vezir Kavurma - "Seasoned lamb cooked with herbs and spices until it is verytender."$20.50

Pretty nice dish, definitely tender.

Navruz Shish - "Marinated and seasoned lamb, char grilled with herbs." $21.50


Lamb Shanks - "Lamb shanks baked in tomato sauce with herbs and spices until it is very tender."$19.50

This was so tender I could hardly believe. It would have to rate among the best lamb dishes I ever recall having. A must try.

Baklava for dessert.

This turned out to be significantly smaller than all of us imagined from the description given by the waitress. And these aresupposedly the larger servings...

We also tried a drink called "salep", a sweetish milk based drink containing a powder made from orchid tubers(?!). All the food went down well. A definite winner for good lamb dishes, though you could have too much of a good thing!

Time of visit: Thursday dinner
With: renai, essay