Kazan serves ‘dishes perfected in the Sultan’s kitchen in the Topkapi Palace’ from the ‘Ottoman Era’, which is a new twist, for me at least, on Turkish and Middle Eastern Cuisine. I’ve often wondered (maybe fantasized is a more appropriate word) what it would be like to be a part of some of the huge feasts that occurred in times past and for a change, the marketing blurb actually worked; rekindling this desire and whetting my appetite in anticipation of these Royal recipes.  

Apart from the odd pieces of Arabic accoutrements, the décor is fairly simple. Plain walls in earthy colours and low lighting present an apt environment, without needing to resort to pools filled with rose petals and the like.

The menu did indeed include a number of dishes I’d not seen before, but also included many classics such as kofte, borek and falafel. The options are to order several of the mezze dishes and graze on these or to take one of the mezze dishes as a starter and choose a main to go with it. My dining partner and I went for the latter option and whilst our waitress successfully persuaded him to upgrade his plain Humus to the Humus Kavurma (with chunks of lamb & pine nuts), I was seduced by the Kadinbudu Kofte (Ladies’ thighs), although was sorely tempted by the stuffed sardines. I enjoyed the Humus and whilst the lamb didn’t necessarily enhance the flavour, I thought the toasted pine nuts did go rather well. I’m not sure what kind of ladies the cook has been looking at, but the koftes certainly didn’t resemble any Ladies’ thighs I’ve ever seen. The koftes did have a good taste and an appropriately light texture for a starter dish.

Mains came in the form of the mixed grill (lamb & chicken chish and lamb & chicken kofte) and I couldn’t resist the Hunkar Begendi (AKA ‘Sultans Delight’) which was a casserole of gently stewed lamb on a bed of smoked, pureed aubergines. Mixed grills often come in rather over-sized portions, but Kazan’s offering was, I thought, perfectly sized; 6 pieces of either shish or kofte, the pieces not being much more than a mouthful each. I had a taste of the chicken shish and liked it, although wasn’t blown away. My Hunkar Begendi was a different matter, though, and I have not tasted such tender lamb in a long time. The smoked, pureed aubergine was lovely, too, which made the dish a delight for both me and the Sultan.

Despite teetering on the edge of fullness, I was still trying to persuade my more disciplined partner to share a dessert with me when I spotted that the dessert wine was only ₤1.50 a glass when ordered with one of the desserts. That sealed the deal for me and I plumped for the Honeyed Pumpkin with Lime sorbet. I’m not really a fan of vegetables in dessert, although this is more based on intellectual prejudice rather than on previous experience. In fact, I was very pleasantly surprised as the pumpkin and was a joy for the senses, having a firm bite, smooth texture and a sweetness that was by no means overpowering, even with the honey. The lime sorbet offset the sweetness of the pumpkin well and I was left having no regrets in choosing dessert, although my waistline may have begged to differ.

Kazan is one of those places that tends to carry on quietly in the background, doing a very good job but perhaps not being given the recognition it deserves. It’s not in a trendy part of town and doesn’t go to great lengths to impress (despite it’s regal inclinations), but is an excellent restaurant which is worth a visit. Starters (or mezze dishes) are priced from ₤4.75 to ₤6.25 and the mains between ₤11.95 to ₤15.95, all of which I think are quite reasonable prices. The wine list is even more reasonable, with the house wine starting from ₤14.50 a bottle, although they have several offerings above the ₤50 mark, if you are that way inclined. With a ₤25 bottle of Turkish Sarafin Cabernet Sauvignon, the bill came to ₤77 without service and, rather unusually, didn’t add service to the bill nor allowed an opportunity to add service when paying by card. The service was efficient without being claustrophobic and all in all, couldn’t be faulted, the waitress even dealing with my dining partner’s lame attempts to add her to his harem in an affable manner. Kazan is by no means a place of gastronomic innovation and whilst it is more dignified than majestic, I still wouldn’t hesitate in going back.