Don't get fooled by the exteriors, the interiors are rich and decorated in a Sultan-ish style. Upon entering the doorway, I was pleasantly surprised at how warm and inviting it was. We were greet by two or three staffs, asking us where we would like to sit. We slid into a booth and sat on huge comfy chairs.
They are only open for dinner. They have a big parking lot, so parking was not a hassle. They also have a huge out door seating, that's open in summer. There were only two vegetarian entrees and quite a few appetizers to pick from.
We ordered Ezme to start with. It is served cold with warm pita. Crushed tomatoes tossed in olive oil with Pomegranate sauce and walnuts. A marvel of mediterranean food is that even when it is bad, it is still good. May be I was really hungry or the dip was ultra delicious (the latter, am sure), I sopped the leftover Ezme with a hunk of pita and licked my fingers clean. Eating with your fingers makes it tastier. (I guess like in India, the middle easterners consider eating as a sensual activity. According to them, one should enjoy eating with as many senses as possible - taste, smell, sight and touch.) I wished they would refill the bowl, like the chips and salsa at Mexican restaurants. I could have some more. Can someone please explain how such simple a dish, that doesn't need any cooking, taste so good?
For the main course, we ordered Toprak Garvue - A buttery stew of vegetables cooked with an amazing blend of spices, served with rice. It was nice of them to accommodate our request for a vegetarian version, that's not listed on their menu. It came with Fatoush, a salad.
How healthy! When the waiter first brought it out, we had doubts about the quantity being sufficient for the two of us. But as we started guttling, the buttery richness of the stew, rushed in and quickly filled up every corner of our stomachs.When the last morsel was polished off, i found myself saying, "Oh, this was more than enough!". And it is a little on the expensive side.
It will be nice if they can introduce more vegetarian options. We'd be privileged to try a lot more of the yummy food. Food, service and ambiance were fantastic. Our pursuit for a casual dinner after a long walk along Alki Beach, turned out to be an extraordinary dinner!
If you want to celebrate a special evening with your special someone, in a quiet place, where food and conversation are the highlight of the night, Ephesus is the place to go!
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