Grillades à la turque

The Pitch

Among the handful of international cuisines having a moment in Montreal is Turkish food.  The last few years saw a slew of new eateries dishing out Ottoman specialties such as manti, kebab and doner.

One case of this is Alaturca, situated along Rue Jarry Est in Saint-Léonard.  In business for a year or two, it recently changed ownership and now belongs to the family behind Avesta, the longstanding Turkish eatery downtown in the Concordia University area.

Tonight, I was invited to sample the newcomer's offering on this post-flood Sunday.  While not easily accessible by public transit, automobile commuters will appreciate the strip mall's easy parking situation.

tagged:  SUNDAY NIGHT TAKE THE CAR

The Mood

I rarely venture to the east end since it's not known as a restaurant haven.  Alaturca lies near the only other spot I've ever been to in the area: the Thai/sushi operation known as Phuket.  The deep rectangular space was about half full during our stay, the crowd leaning Levantene but also Maghrebi.

The decor features attractive arabesque patterns but also a questionable Christmas light cable.  Throughout the evening, a baby did not stop crying, making it hard to converse with my friend (obviously not the restaurant's fault).

tagged:  TANTRUM CENTRUM

The Food

A two-page laminated menu with photos comprises two main sections for sandwiches and platters, all featuring Turkish-style grilled meats such as doner shavings and skewered kebab, as well as lamb chops and chicken wings – all halal.

Rounding up the menu are a couple of soups, a handful of meze and two home-style plates such as the famous manti.  Finally, a small selection of pide – boat-shaped leavened dough topped with cheese, meat or spinach – complete the offering.

We opted for two plates, both very generous in portion and balanced in diversity. Chicken and adana (minced meat) skewers were tasty but a tad dry inside.  You can't go wrong serving those next to a colorful medley of green salad, onion salad, bulgur, fries and – most importantly – a whole charred green chili for extra kick.

Thinking that would not be sufficient, we were dumb enough to also order one of those pide flatbreads topped with feta and spinach, which was also accompanied by salads.  This one tasted great, but did not hold up; the dough lacked firmness.

Between all the mounds of food we ordered plus the basket of Turkish bread on the side, we sure learned our lesson: one plate per person is more than enough here.  Finally, we sipped on some black tea to help with digestion…

tagged:  HALAL

The Verdict

The term alaturca has an interesting etymology.  Deriving from Italian for "alla turca" (à la turque), it expresses anything cultural – music, food, etc. – of Turkish/oriental origin, in contrast to alafranga ("alla franca") for its western/occidental counterpart.

Linguistics lesson aside, the name here clearly hits the mark.  While the meat we sampled could benefit from more tenderness, everything else was on point.  The all-in-one plates and copious portions provide good bang for the buck.

While this may be a boon for Saint-Léonard as a neighborhood standby, I would not consider Alaturca a destination restaurant.  I would reserve that title for Avesta, being one of the city's premiere addresses for Turkish fare.