DINING OUT: Istabul BBQ Restaurant, Formby

Formby's Istanbul BBQ Restaurant has a growing reputation in the village.

I decided to take my parents there on a Sunday afternoon last month, after I heard yet another rave review about the Church Road restaurant.

We sat at the back of the main dining room, near the kitchens, and we could see the famed bbq grill in action.

We ordered a couple of Efes beers and a glass of house wine, while we had a good look at the menu.

To begin, we ordered two portions of chargrilled prawns, an aubergine calamari, and some Turkish puffa bread.

Sadly we were told they could only serve one portion of the prawns, which we shared.

It was a shame because the flame-licked prawns were very, very good. The restaurant’s puffa bread, which everyone in Formby seems to be talking about, justified its reputation.

I was hungry, and ordered the T-bone steak off the main menu. My dad ordered lamb kebab and my mum opted for chicken kebab.

There was a bit of a wait prior the mains, which I always find reassuring.

It also gave us a window of time to chat, and soak up the restaurant’s authentic atmosphere.

My parents have both been to Turkey a couple of times, and they told it was just like a kebab restaurant in downtown Istanbul.

A large Turkish family were dining at the front of the restaurant in the window, and the staff were all from the country.

My steak was a whopper, served with rice and a delicious salad. I asked for my steak medium rare and was a little under-whelmed to find it medium. And I also found the steak’s quality a little mediocre.

It was just a little greyish and lacked the texture of a good butcher bought steak.

My dad was disappointed too. He complained to the waiter that his lamb kebab was actually pieces of mince lamb, rather than lamb fillet. We checked the menu which stated that dish was made with renowned lamb not minced.

I tried some and it was delicious, and my mum was more than happy with her chicken kebab.

We finished off with some Turkish coffee, which pepped me up for the drive home.

I think it is fair to point out that some of the prices on the menu were at a city centre level.

The kebabs were £14.99 each, and my steak £18.99.

Istanbul BBQ is a good, authentic Turkish restaurant, but needs a little more attention to detail to justify some of their higher prices. Having said that, I would eat there again.

Story and Photo Source: Southport Visiter

Review from Tom Duffy of Liverpool Echo