Bodrum Cafe, Newmarket

The adana kebab at Bodrum Cafe. Picture / Babiche Martens

Herald rating: * * *

The man who answered the phone at Bodrum did a very strange thing. He tried to put me off coming to his restaurant. "I'd like a table at 7," I said. "No," he replied. He explained that 50 people were turning up for a function at 5, which would last till 7, and would be very loud. We should come at 7.30 when the place - and the kitchen staff - would be calmer.

Which tells a couple of things about Bodrum. One, they seem to care what sort of experience their customers have, and two, it's popular. Under different managements it's occupied this Newmarket backstreet for 16 years.

Those earlier guests had left when the Valley Girl, her mum and I entered the concrete cavern. Dark, secretive alleys snake from the open kitchen, giving out to a suitably evocative courtyard that's shared with several restaurants.

In one corner there's a raised platform that can become a tent. In two others, fireplaces. Everywhere, candlelight, copper, antique pots and utensils. On Fridays and Saturdays, belly-dancers. We went on Wednesday.

Turkish may be the original fusion cuisine. The Ottoman Empire stretched from the Middle East into Asia and some experts rate its offspring as one of the world's great food styles, alongside the French. Arabic, Persian and Greek elements are twinned with Asian influences.

Kiwis know hummus, the chickpea paste, and tabouleh. Bodrum doesn't stray into esoteric delicacies like kokorec (roasted sheep intestines) but unfamiliar names conceal familiar fare. The cooling dip of cucumber, yoghurt, mint and garlic is "cacik"; marinated, grated beetroot with tahini and yoghurt is "pancar".

Best to start with mezze platters, though the waitress raised an eyebrow when we ordered seven of the 10 choices. Two of us divvied up dolma, a luscious offering of vine leaves stuffed with rice, nuts, currants and spices, in a bold orange sauce. The Valley Girl favoured calamari, panfried with olives and a cream salsa. Those dips were spooned on to pita with gusto.

"It tastes," said the Valley Girl, licking the last drops of something from her plate, "so fresh, so clean, so light. Great feta and those olives ... mmm ... " Agreed.

To the mains, where we strayed from tradition, for Turkish meals are heavily vegetarian and we are not. Continuing my cultural expansion, I chose sara paltican. Lamb is marinated then sauteed in zaytinya (okay, olive oil) with jalapenos, capsicum, onion, eggplant, carrots and tomato. Just about every ingredient in the Turkish cookbook apart from pomegranate.

The Valley Girl tried adana kebab, where ground lamb is rolled in spices and chargrilled, while her mother wanted to compare Bodrum's version of chicken moussaka with her own.

Straight up? I was less impressed than with the first round. While the meat was interesting, the common theme of tomato sauce was palling by now, the steamed rice soggy. A few leaves looked embarrassed to be there.

Perhaps I chose poorly. My companions were well pleased with their meals, mum's moussaka compared favourably with the (highly rated) version she makes at home.

To finish we could have had baklava, the Middle Eastern treat of filo layers filled with pistachio and walnuts, doused in honey. Or lokum, aka Turkish delight. We looked at one another. No, we couldn't.

There is a winelist, more of a shortlist. Unless you have a burning desire to savour the hitherto unexplored delights of a Turkish chardonnay or a Waikato cab-merlot, I'd recommend BYO. Kick back at a table and watch people make a beeline for the place each time the credits roll at the movies over the street.

Bodrum Cafe

Address: 2 Osborne St, Newmarket
Phone: (09) 529 1931
Web: www.bodrum.co.nz
Open: Tues-Sun 6pm-late
Cuisine: Turkish
From the menu:
Mussels steamed in white wine, chilli, coriander, garlic, coconut cream $13.50
Chicken panfried with hazelnuts, garlic, herbs, Frangelico sauce $20.50
Vegetarian: Definitely
Wine: Short list, plus BYO