Empires

This review appears in the The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 – in the shops now or buy online.

Colourful, cluttered and slightly chaotic, Empires is richly decorated with ornate wooden panelling, hand-painted ceramics and cascades of mosaic lanterns twinkling overhead. By day it is bright and cheery, offering healthy lunches and herbal teas, but by candle-light it has a romantic exoticism all of its own. Where you're seated can make a difference, with options ranging from cosy corners and low level banquettes to high tables with uncomfortable stools squeezed in front of a makeshift stage used for live music or dancing most evenings. The specialities of the house are Turkish mezzes, with a wide range of meat, fish and vegetable options. Diners can mix and match these small tapas-style dishes, or select a trio to be served as a light lunch or evening starter, accompanied by salads and hand-made flatbreads. Based on traditional Turkish home cooking, the mains, such as lamb and bean stew, are somewhat lacklustre, but things improve dramatically when it comes to dessert. Favourites such as lokum – Turkish delight – and sweet, flaky baklava are permanent fixtures on the menu, supplemented by daily specials such as lokma dumplings in delicate syrup. Finishing with a potent Turkish coffee provides the perfect antidote to any post-prandial weariness.

• High point: Full of eastern promise…
• Low point: …which the mains don't quite deliver