Even after all this time, I still cannot get over how close i’ve become to Londoners that were once ‘random’ people that shared the same interest as me, blossoming into real friendships. People that I now see on a weekly basis outside of blog events and share my day to day stories with. It’s crazy, a concept i’m still trying to get used to but I love it so much. It sheds a whole new light to blogging!
I hadn’t seem Mina since she hosted the Duke of York Square event in Chelsea (which was a very long time ago) and I hadn’t seen Angie or Emma in a few weeks due to us all being insanely busy. Therefore, this had to be rectified. Mina kindly gathered us all together and suggested we go out together for a much needed catch up.
We found ourselves in Victoria at a lovely, authentic Turkish restaurant called Kazan. I know the girls had been before, but it was my first time there so I was intrigued as to what they would have to offer.
As we settled down and decided what to drink, we were brought over a selection of turkish breads served with fresh green olives with a drizzling of olive oil over the top.
It only felt right to raise a toast, so we ordered a bottle of bubbly and popped it open in celebration to our amazing blossoming internet friendship.
The owner of Kazan is actually one of Mina’s childhood friends, which I thought was amazing. They met through a mutual friend, who they both no longer are in touch with but it was lovely to see that they are still connected. Billy proposed he choose a selection of mezze for us, so we left the selection in his capable hands and expertise.
Out came this beautiful duo platter of mezze, complete with samosas, smoked salmon, deep fried prawns, baby calamari, sucuk, halloumi, falafel and meat pieces served with hummus, kisir and various dips. I think we filled ourselves up on mezze alone, but the main dishes were yet to come.
I ordered the Adana Kofte, which is made up of lamb mince with lots of red chillies before being chargrilled. Served with a serving of chips and salad. It was insanely good, full of flavour and succulent and juicy meat. I think the dish would have equally worked with just a salad instead of the chips, as the kofte is quite heavy.
Emma ordered the Hunkar Begendi which is a traditional Ottoman dish made up of stewed spiced lamb served on a bed of smoked aubergine mash. I’ve never heard of aubergine mash, but it is definitely a healthy alternative to carbohydrates. Emma had the dish when she visited Kazan previously, but it was so good she had to have it again.
Angie and I joked she should have ordered the Imam Bayildi which translated to the swooning Imam. Now, if you know Emma well enough, you’ll know she adores the word ‘swoon’ – so it was quite the treat to see a dish with swoon in its name.
Mina ordered the monkfish and prawn kebab, which was skewered and chargrilled monkish and marinated prawns which was served with bulgar and salad. Mina seemed to love it!
Angie had the Sultan’s chicken shish with a full side of salad. In hind sight, I should have done the same but sometimes you just can’t resist a chip or two!
After some great meaty dishes, we were definitely up for trying some turkish desserts.
I’m a huge lover of baklava, so I knew exactly what I wanted before I even looked at the menu. It was served with a beautiful rose flavoured ice-cream too, which was divine! It reminded me of my childhood, where I used to often drink milkshakes with rose flavoured syrup.
Where as Emma and Mina were a bit more adventurous. Emma went for apricots stuffed with clotted cream and walnuts, rolled in pistachios. It looked and sounded n-utterly delicious! Mina had the Turkish Syllabub, which was raspberries soaked in cherry brandy, served with a cointreau and orange blossom syllabub. Garnished with some pistachios and a strawberry. Such a pretty looking dessert.
We all caught up to hearts content, filled with lots of laughter and stories, leaving with the promise of doing this more often. We scattered into the night, with another date in the diary for the coming weeks.
Thank you to Billy and his team at Kazan for making us feel so welcome and letting us have a real authentic taste of Turkish food, with exceptional service. I’ll hopefully be back soon!
Star Rating For Kazan Restaurant:
Until next time…
