Calis Beach and Fethiye Turkey Discussion Forum
Turkey Related Subjects => Turkish Restaurants in the UK => Topic started by: Tonya on January 06, 2004, 11:50:32 AM
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Does anyone know of any good Turkish restaurants in the UK, preferably in the South West?
edit for typo
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We have one, it`s called : wait for it
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,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Marmaris
Dave
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at least its not the I word lol
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Greta one in York called:
Kapadokiya.
Stoop
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Do you know? .........all the Turkish restaurants I have been to in the UK have all been just barbecued food. I got taken on a very special occasion to what is advertised as the most exclusive Turkish restaurant in the UK. It was in the West End of London , had bouncers on the door, Rolls Royces outside.......and all there was to eat was bloody barbecued food and expensive wine.........and it made a large dent on my partners gold card..........come home to Calis ....the best food is here....
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Tonya
I notice you say good Turkish restaurants. Two restaurants are listed in Yellow Pages for Bristol; but I haven't tried either. One is Sazz Mezebar on Christmas Steps and t'other is Turkish Delights (name worries me - rather obvious/tacky) in Kingswood. Have you tried either of them? Hilary and I might have a night at the Steps one if you don't put us off it. If you've not tried it I'll let you know what I think when we have.
Cheers, Colwyn
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Colwyn, I have seen the Turkish Delight one from the outside and yes it looks tacky and no I wouldnt want to try it! I've not heard of the Sazz Mezebar, so would be very interested to know what it's like.
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me and laura went to one where we live in wallasey for 'turkish night', we had so much fun dancing with the belly dancer and listening to tarkan and other turkish music. the food was ok, starters were those cheese pastry things, spicy sausage and other bits like that. then the belly dancer came out. we then had chicken wings, then the belly dancer came out for a bit more. we had our main course of barbecued meats, chips and salad which was really nice. the belly dancer came down again and made everyone dance and taught us some 'moves'. we spent the rest of the night dancing in the middle of the restaurant. it was £16 each for the whole night and it was really enjoyable. the restaurants called mezze and is owned by a turkish man and his scotish wife
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Hi Stu
We drove past the one in York Last Friday have you tried it and if so is it worth a visit.
Hazel
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Hey Tonya
Run, don't walk, to the Sazz Meze Bar on Christmas Steps. We went last night and it was excellent. First you get a complimentary dish of olives and chillies with good bread. Then you can have a plate of meze shared between two (watch out for the Ezme it bites!). The choice of main course is not large - various forms of shish and kofte and a guvec - but it is very well cooked. For two people the cost will be around £25 (without dessert) plus all the Efes you drink - which is unfortunately £2.5 not 2.5mTL.
Cheers, Colwyn
PS. It is also handy for a pint or two at the Brewery Tap which had the best beer in Bristol - if you care for that.
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Thats good news Colwyn, was it busy and did you have to book a table?
I will definitely give it a try now I have a recommendation :)
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Hi Stoop, where is the one in York, wouldn't mind giving it a try
CMC
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Tonya
We didn't book. The restaurant is quite small with about five tables downstairs and the same upstairs. This time of year is of course very quiet after the Xmas & New Year jollities. We were the only ones there at 8.30 - but it is a small friendly place and we didn't feel uncomfortable. Then another three people arrived and got stuck into a vast tableful of meze.
The place has been open for 8 months it seems but the Bristol-Turkish waitress had only started last night so couldn't tell us much about it.
Colwyn
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Christine Turkish restaurant in York is on Rougier Street, coming out of town cross Lendal Bridge turn left and restaurant is on the left up by the traffic lights, let me know if it is okay.
Hazel
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Colwyn, hopefully this place will stick around, too many on Christmas Steps disappear because no-one knows they are there. Apparently on Friday nights they have belly dancing :)
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Thanks Hazel, I happened to drive past it this afternoon, hope to give it a try soon.
CMC
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Here are some Turkish restaurants in UK
19 Numara Bos Cirrik Kebab
79 Stoke Newington Road
London
N16
(020) 7923 1961
Agora Restaurant
169 Clarence Road
London
E5
(020) 8985 1913
Ahir Restaurant
298 Nether Street, Finchley Central
London
N3 1RJ
(020) 8371 0531
Aladdin
50 Canon Hill, Sauthgate
London
N14 6LH
(020) 8886 7373
Alanya Restaurant
164 New Cross Road
London
SE14
(020) 7639 5731
Alaturka Bar
92 Stoke Newington High Street
London
N16
(020) 7249 3332
Alaturka Cuisine
20 Leytonstone Road, Stratford
London
E15
(020) 8519 1103
Alem Restaurant
75 West Green Road
London
N15
(020) 8802 7360
Ali Baba Lahmacun Salonu
144 Kingsland High Street
London
E8
(020) 7249 3034
Anadolu Lokdntasi
117 Kingsland High Street
London
E8
(020) 7275 0403
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I forgot to add
take a look at this link
http://ingiltereturk.co.uk/Pages/Business/Turkisyerleri/TurkIsyerleri.asp?isimler=45&Submit=Listele
The web is Turkish but you may find the list of Turkish restuarants in UK
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I was looking for Turkish food shops in the UK and came upon this article written for Waitrose. If you want to experience Turkish food in the UK it seems the best place to go is Stoke Newington Road, Hackney!
Home Thoughts
In Hackney cafés, the Turkish and Kurdish communities of London share a passion for the food of their homeland, writes Sarah Woodward.
Close your eyes. Walk down Stoke Newington Road in the London borough of Hackney and indulge your senses. From this side street comes a waft of lamb dripping its fat over glowing charcoal; from that doorway the yeasty fragrance of baking bread. You'd swear you were in Turkey, especially when you see the greengrocer's sign is in Turkish, with Kurdish underneath.
This corner of Hackney houses the largest concentration of Turkish immigrants in Britain - numbering some 15,000 at the last count. Most come from the wild, mountainous east of the country, which borders on Iran and Iraq. Many of them are refugees who have been driven out by conflict between the Turkish government and the Kurdish population.
The Kurdish origin of most of the immigrants is obvious from the number of lahmacun shops, which sell the traditional Kurdish snack of flat bread topped with spiced minced lamb. But their greatest gift was to bring the first true ocakbasi restaurants to London, where the meat is cooked over charcoal.
In this area at least, the majority of immigrants from both the east and west of Turkey live happily side by side. One thing that unites them is their passion for food. "Food is such an important part of community," says Veysi Aydin, the chairman of the Kurdish and Turkish Community Centre's management committee. "When the centre was originally set up in 1984, one person from the committee was responsible for providing the food each day. From there it was a logical step to set up a canteen, and last year we opened a restaurant, the Halkevi. Now we get lots of non-Turkish customers."
Which is not so surprising, because there are few places in London where you can eat better food at such ridiculously low prices than the Halkevi. But while the restaurant represents a bargain for any visitor, it is much more than that for its Kurdish clientele. This is a place where they can still feel connected to a homeland few of them can return to, for political reasons. As Veysi, who has been in London for four years, says: "I would go back to my home town of Batman tomorrow if I could - but I simply don't know what's left there."
Tucking into a bowl of spicy chicken soup, thickened with cracked wheat and flavoured with dried mint and a squeeze of lemon, he is at least eating the familiar. "And that is so important, especially for the older people, who feel particularly displaced," he says. Customers can choose from the three or four different stews and baked dishes offered each day. There's always white beans cooked in tomato sauce with meat and peppers, plenty of rice and flat bread, and pastries or sutlac (rice pudding) to accompany a cup of thick Turkish coffee. The restaurant opens at six every morning, so that early risers can enjoy a Kurdish breakfast of lentil soup and a glass of ayran, diluted yoghurt served icy cold. The yoghurt, like almost everything else, is made on the premises.
Huseyin Akcadag and Ali Dirik run the Mangal Ocakbasi Restaurant. They first met shortly after they arrived in London from eastern Turkey, when they were both chefs at a restaurant in Newington Green. Their dream of opening a restaurant of their own became a reality in 1990, when the tiny Mangal opened in a side street off Stoke Newington Road.
Today, there's a second Mangal restaurant on the main road and recently the partners opened another restaurant virtually opposite, selling lahmacun and pide, which, apart from being the name for flat Turkish bread, also refers to Turkish 'pizzas', made of thin dough topped with lamb, tomatoes and green peppers. But those in the know are prepared to queue outside the original Mangal, where Huseyin is still "in front of the grill" - the literal meaning of ocakbasi.
Huseyin speaks little English, but then there is little need here. There is no menu. If his customers don't speak Turkish or Kurdish (although most of them do), then they simply point at the kebabs they want and he grills them expertly over the glowing charcoal. It is this use of charcoal that distinguishes Mangal from many of the so-called kebab shops with which London abounds - that, and the quality of the meat, which he says is far better than would be found in Turkey. The same goes for the doner kebab, which is made with slices of lamb rather than minced meat. A new doner (which means to turn) is cooked every day and is usually finished by mid-afternoon.
Huseyin's personal favourite is the classic sis kebab, chunks of tender lamb marinated in yoghurt, oil and ground red Turkish pepper, but the selection also includes whole quail, slices of aubergine interspersed with spiced minced lamb, pieces of liver or chicken, kofte, minced lamb spread on flat blades, and, on Wednesdays, fish. Huseyin has been in London 10 years now, arriving from Maras when he was about 27. "I have only been back to Maras once - there is nothing there for me now," he says. "London can be depressing. I don't speak the language, it can be lonely. But then I don't get lonely in the restaurant."
Those searching for ingredients to cook their own Turkish feasts need look no further than the Turkish Food Centre. Huseyin Ukar opened his first shop in 1981, and there are now five outlets. These days he is more involved in the wholesale side and the shop is run by his son Ercan. "It is difficult importing to London from Turkey, because it is outside the EU and there are customs problems," says Ercan. He refuses to compromise, though, saying: "Some things simply taste different if they are grown outside Turkey." So, depending on the season, such essentials to Turkish cooking as long green peppers, white marrows, cherries, pumpkin, figs and quinces are all flown in.
At least the bread can be made in London - 15 batches a day of the flat pide are baked in the shop. Customers who are in the know wait around the bakery door until a fresh batch is wheeled out, grasping the almost too hot to handle bread with a sheet of paper and rushing to the till. Ercan estimates that 65 per cent of his customers are Turkish, but when I ask whether the majority of the Turkish customers are from the east or the west he asks me: "What's the difference? They're all customers."
classic turkish and kurdish dishes
Meze Favourites include imam bayildi, meaning 'the Imam fainted' - this is baked aubergine stuffed with onions in tomato sauce, topped with Turkish green pepper; yogurtlu patlican - fried aubergines with yoghurt, sprinkled with dried mint; cacik - cucumber with garlic, salt and dried mint in thick sheep's milk yoghurt; pilaki - white haricot beans cooked in olive oil, served cold with flat-leaf parsley; boregi - parcels of crisp pastry, filled with minced lamb or feta cheese and spinach; arnavut cigeri - small pieces of spiced lamb's liver fried in olive oil.
Breads and snacks Lahmacun - thin, flat bread topped with spicy minced meat;
pide - the name for traditional Turkish bread, but also served like pizzas topped with lamb, tomatoes and green peppers.
Main dishes Alongside grilled meat and fish, there are many stewed and baked dishes, often accompanied by pilaf, which is usually made with rice in the west of Turkey and cracked wheat in the east. Dishes to look out for include sis kebab - cubes of marinated lamb cooked on skewers over charcoal; Adana kofte - named after the town of Adana, this is a kebab of heavily spiced minced lamb; patlican kebabi - a kebab made of slices of aubergine interspersed with minced lamb (often called Urfa kebabi after the town of Urfa in Southern Turkey); ic pilavi - a rich rice pilaf made with chicken livers, nuts and dried fruit; barbunya pilaksi - red mullet baked with vegetables in a tomato sauce rich with olive oil (it is also often made with the larger and cheaper grey mullet); uskumru dolmasi - mackerel is the favourite Turkish fish for the grill, but it is also often stuffed with a nut and fruit mixture and then fried as in this dish; hunkar begendi - a dish of spiced lamb served on top of creamed aubergine; comlek kebabi - a meat and vegetable casserole.
Sweets and pastries Meals usually end with fresh fruit or a milk pudding; pastries are typically enjoyed at other times of the day with coffee. Look out for sutlac - Turkish rice pudding; keskul - milk pudding with ground almonds, slivers of pistachio nut and cinnamon; baklava - eaten with coffee, this was originally an Easter dish introduced by the Armenian Christians, the 40 sheets of pastry symbolising the 40 days of Lent; kadayif - another favourite pastry; rahat lokum - literally 'a morsel of rest', this is Turkish delight, flavoured with rose water and often studded with pistachio nuts.
This article was first published on Waitrose.com in February 1999
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Good Turkish restaurants in the South West? I can highly reccomend Ottomans in Blandford,Dorset.
Tinks
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Tonya,
I hope you don't type with one finger!!!
Thanks for the info.
Stoop
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hi all
I have been to the one in york and the food was good the atmostphere was as if you were in turkey it was the march weather out of the window that told us different.
we was in there over 2 hours it was not cheap but well worth the escapism .
Sue x
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Thanks for the info on the York restaurant, I'm hoping to go in the near future.
PS Is it already March in York:D
Christine
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we took cemal to turkish restaurant in london he asked the turkish owner if he could see the layout of the kitchen and he refused so we all got up and walked out after just one drink i didnt even ask cemal what he said to him i could imagine good job you dont find people rude like that in turkey {i think they have been here to long } pearl
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I can recommend the Ottoman restaurant in Blandford Dorset too.
The turkish owner also has property in Calis - and I am sure he would give a discount to fello neighbours ;-) !!!!
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This has been a very interesting thread. Marc is missing some traditional turkish food, so I think I will take him to one of these restaurants for his birthday! Thanks guys :-)
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CMC,
I can recommend Kapadokyia in York. I've been a couple of times and will go again. The food is spot on!
Stoop
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but its not in the south west!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
tinks
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In this month's Good Food mag. Rick Stein recommends a good Turkish restaurant in Stoke Newington called Magna.
Sorry Tinks - that's not the south west either.....
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Tinks,
Who goes to the south west anyway??
Stoop the Yorkshireman
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the question was "does anyone know any good turkish restaraunts in the south west"[?]
so if you want to extol the eateries of york and stoke newington (where's that?)you need to create another question,
or is it just me being a padantic southerner:D
Tinx
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If you want pedantic....
the subject is 'Turkish restaurants in the UK'......'preferably the South West'.....
Stoke Newington? I live in Norfolk, how should I know?! Thought it must be near someone on the forum!
...Just looked it up in the road atlas - it's in London, so it's South West of me!
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Ooooh!! the question comes from Bristol, courtesy of Erin,
but your right it does start "in the UK"
Stoke Newington is in London - east of Bristol
I'd love to have a ber with you Senga, will you be in Calis in April?
Tinx
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Sadly, Tinks, I won't be in Calis in April. Maybe another time.
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When I say ber, I mean beer,looking forward to Effing [^]the nights away in April and probably do it again in mid-july:D,
We are still trying to organise a night at Ottomans, for anybody that is interested but my social diary is pretty taken up at the moment,going up to Chelsea, and we're trying to find a date that suits,
watch this space:P
Tinx
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Does that count for having a social diary then...Chelsea!!
We have decided for you ;) and it looks like your coming to Ottomans/Blandford on the 4th April...there, that wasn't too difficult for you Tinks :P:D 8)
Leave it to the women, guarantee to sort it, as usual.....
Scarey
PS. The restaraunt owner(and also Calis property owner), is going to give us a good deal on a three course meal..I will work my charm and get him to throw in a bottle of wine or two as well ;)
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Colwyn, we have booked a table at the Sazz Meze Bar for tomorrow night, based on your recommendation. Never been to a Turkish restaurant in the UK so thought we'd give it a try :)
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Hi Troods,sounds good to me, but Ticker can't make it coz he's going to watch Burnley at coventry for some reason, but his lovely wife (the one I warned you about!!!) says she will accompany me and Pauline.
looking forward to it
Tinx
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Does anyone know of any Turkish restaurants on this side of the pennines (the RIGHT side!) - only joking all you Yorkshire folk! The only one I know of is the Istanbul Cafe in the centre of Manchester. We used to have quite a good one in Accrington but they saw the light and moved back to Turkey and I don't know of any more in the East Lancs area - Val
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Val,
Lancs is only on the "right side" when you view the map of the UK upside down!!!
You might have to ride over to God's Own County to sample some Turkish nosh --lol.
Stoop
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Sorry tinks
but i can now make it on the 4th we play Norwich on the 3rd so i look forward to seeing you all in Blandford
ticker
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Hi Tonya
I have been abroad for a week - I mean outside the UK, not just putting myself about a bit. Hope you enjoyed your meal at the Sazz and are still up for going there next Monday for homework following our first lesson in Turkish.
I see that since you asked the original question starting this thread there have been variously geographically-challenged folk who seem confused about UP and DOWN, and LEFT and RIGHT, and so on. I suppose I may confuse them further by pointing out that Bristol is in the West Country and not - DEFINITELY NOT - the South. But Northerners, what can we expect them to know?
Colwyn
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Bloody hell (sorry Dave lol), I hope the conversation gets past Chelsea, Norwich and Burnley (Tinks and Ticker on the 4th april)....I just cant see what all the fuss is about,
ITS ONLY FOOTBALL...a few boys kicking a ball from side to side, and if there lucky, they hit it in the back of one of those big net things....whats it called...oh yes...a GOAL
;-)
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Hi Stu
Well by gum you might be right about having to venture to the dark side :D:DWe have actually been known to drive through West Craven and onto Skipton - or even as far as Ilkley!!lol. Still haven't found any Turkish restaurants though:(
Val
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Val,
Never mind. We have a lovely one here in York. But that's just a bit too far east for a lancashire lass I think!! LOL
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Stu,
Whats it called and where is it? Then if we ever go so far east we'll know where to go, hate to admit it but York's a lovely place 8)
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Val,
Kapadokyia. It's in Rougier Street, which is where the busses stop. Nice place ans the food is brill!!!
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Thanks Stu,
One to remember when we next cross the great divide! Just like to say we'll be eating the real thing in just over two weeks though!!! 8)
Val
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Just to remind of the 4th April !!!
Meeting for dinner at Ottomans turkish restraunt, Blandford...so far;
Tinkerman and better half
Tickerman and better half
ERinGLH and hubby :-)
Scarey and better half lol
Roy and Dolly bird ;-)
Anyone else welcome
:D:D:D
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Trudie
Where have you been?
Thought you had moved to Calis permanently.
Good to have you back if you know what I mean.
Gordon
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Gordon, funny that you should say that, I emailed Trudes at roughly the same time asking the same questions--very busy with work etc, Ken.
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Just thought I would offer a review of Tas Restaurant in The Cut, Southwark in London where we went on Saturday evening. Abso-bloody-lutely recommended lol. I had Zeytin Yagli Patlican (something to do with aubergines in olive oil I think lol) to start and then the Tas Special casserole, which involved lamb and new potatoes. Complimentary olives and puffy bread also. Prices very reasonable for London, take a look at the set menu for £7.95 per person! They have a website http://www.tasrestaurant.com
I read somewhere that the guy who owns the place wanted to bring real Turkish food to London, ie the food that Turks eat in their homes.I'm not sure how authentic it is but it did the trick for me lol.
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If anyone lives near Gravesend, my friends Adem (Turkish) and Janice run a cafe during the day called "Food for Thought". On a Thursday/Friday/Saturday evening they turn it into a turkish restaurant. Adem whos turkish cooks and the food is excellent. Take your own booze as they dont have an alcohol licence. Once the meals are finished Adem gets up and does a belly dance!! Well worth the visit just for that! I don't know the name of the road it's on but if you email me via my profile I will give you their phone number.
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We have made friends with the guys that run Divan Restaurant in Finchley Central, North London and although we live in Watford they will still come and pick us up and drive us home. Food is tops and the Efes is cold. Just come in from work with 24 bottles of Efes (33cl) for £14.88 from local store. Lovely jubbly!!!
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This topic is 3 years old and needs to be locked.
It is important that all new info is started as a new topic, so members can see locations 'at a glance'.
Scunner