Nargile
- Food served: Mon 5–10pm, Tue–Sat 11am–2pm, 5–10pm
- Children welcome: after 8pm
- Number of wines sold by the glass: 10
- Also offers: Gluten-free options
- Capacity: 60
- Largest group: 45
- Open since: 2000
- Average price 2 courses:
£7.50 (set lunch)
£21 (evening meal) - House wine: £11.95 per bottle
This review appears in the The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 – in the shops now or buy online.
Of the many busy restaurants located right in the heart of Edinburgh's city centre, Nargile is one of the few that manages to balance quality, uniqueness and a certain personal touch. Owned by husband and wife team Seyhan and Anne Azak (the former also directs the menu), Nargile is a bright, homely establishment whose menu offers a far more upmarket version of Turkish food than many regulars around the style bars and chain restaurants of George Street will be used to. Of course, kebabs feature prominently, but the shish kofte is readily identifiable as minced lamb, while the lamb shish, the pilic izgara (marinated and skewered chicken) and dana izgara (the same, but steak) all use high-quality meat. There are many more inventive dishes too, with tender, lemony swordfish skewers, the tavuk dolmasi – chicken fillets stuffed with crab in a lemon and caper sauce – and a distinctly British-sounding supreme of chicken stuffed with mushroom and cheese adding welcome variety. Couscous and particularly aubergines figure highly in many dishes, while the borekler starters of feta in filo are another stand-out indulgence.
- High point: A combination of efficiency, regional authenticity and high quality
- Low point: The prices are authentic Edinburgh city centre
Comments
- 1. Ellis Bell, Edinburgh – 11 June 2008, 12:15pmReport
-
I have been to Nargile several times over the years. The food is always delicious if a bit heavy, but that's Middle Eastern cuisine for you.
But I'm always disappointed by their wine list. They usually stock no Turkish wines at all, and when they do, the selection is very limited. I happen to know that there are some excellent Turkish wines and I don't understand why this restaurant directs its customers towards the usual wines that one can find in any other place in Britain, including supermarkets.
To post a comment you'll first need to log in - not registered? - forgotten password?
RSS feed of these comments
