Merhaba Turkish Restaurant

After spending an inordinate sum of money for my multi-entry China visa and express shipping a work contract back to the states, I decided I might as well splurge for a nice dinner. Thus, I invited Memsahib to accompany me to our favourite eating spot; Knutsford Terrace in TST. For anyone in HK who hasn't discovered this place, it's great for dining. There are dozens of trendy restaurants with a nice variety of cuisines available. To get there, simply take MTR to TST and use exit B2. Follow Carnaravon Rd. to the end and you're there.

I was in the mood for something different, so I chose Merhaba, a Turkish restaurant. The decoration was very nice, and Memsahib especially enjoyed the seating, complete with throw pillows. Her favourite part however, was the seductive belly dancer who moved around the restaurant performing a three minute dance about every thirty minutes.

As to the food, we ordered an appetizer of asparagus, eggplant, lemon juice, and olive oil. This dish was simple and tasty but a small portion. For drinks, her apricot and pineapple smoothie was lacking in flavour. My "Mediterranean Iced-Tea", a long-island iced tea made with melon liqueur in place of the splash of coke, was refreshing but also a bit weak.

After about twenty minutes, the main course arrived. Interestingly, the head waiter made a big deal of having his trainee serve "the lady" first. It was nice to see such a rare display of chivalry here in HK, awkward as it was. My roasted lamb with mint yogurt sauce was very tasty, and a good portion. The mint sauce was excellent, although one dish of sauce was not nearly enough for the amount of lamb given. Memsahib's roasted eggplant stuffed with mushroom, lamb, cheese, and tomato was equally tasty. The mushrooms were especially nice, but the meat was very sparse.

Because I was enjoying the atmosphere and also felt like splurging, we ordered a dessert of Turkish crepes with cream, nuts, and chocolate sauce. This dish had a generous amount of walnuts, stuffed inside two good sized crepes. The only complaint is that the cream would have been much better if cold. Overall, this was a great experience and I would recommend it to anyone looking for something different. Also, on the way out I noticed a lot of tables had elaborate hookahs, with many local guys seeming to enjoy this method of smoking. Fortunately, the devices do not create a smoky atmosphere in the restaurant but you'll want to be sure to get a non-smoking section to be safe.