Stoke Newington is very popular place for Turkish restaurants and recently I asked the question to my instagram family of where their favourite turkish restaurant and the answer of Devran came back as a popular place so I decided to not go to my regular Gokyuzu and tryDevran.
I visited on a Sunday evening and the place was not very busy. Not messing about, I went straight ahead and ordered the Devran special costing £34.90 consisting of Lamb Shish, Chicken Shish, Adana Kofte, Lamb Ribs 4pcs, Lamb Chops 2pcs, Chicken Wings 8pcs, Chicken Doner and Lamb Doner served with rice and couscous.
The mix grill came with very impressive spread of Salad, bread, cacik and Patlican soslu which i tried not to full up on.
The main course followed soon after and placed on the table was an epic platter of meats. I started off with the chicken shish and the first piece I went for was undercooked and raw in the middle so I called over the manager and he apologised and said that he would bring over another fresh skewer.
Not the best start, so next I went for the lamb and I found it again slightly undercooked and too chewy and not a pleasure to eat. In general i found ALL the meat rather bland and underwhelming, the food lacked any real taste and flavour, of course its turkish food and by by standard definition it’s not meant to light the culinary senses on fire but I didn’t really taste much from the natural flavours of the meat and chicken.
In terms of price I think £35 for a mix grill designed for 3 people is on the expensive side. The service was positive, attentive and overall friendly. Plates where changed between starters and main course which is something small but a nice touch in service.
The whole experience was a shame as i was looking forward to it and I found the food a bit of a let down. The quality of the food was not of the standard to my benchmark of my favourite turkish place.
just to let you guys know Devran is not a halal restaurant I used to go there years ago till a conversation I had with the owner whom after I was informed by staff that their meat is not halal. Then a month later they started serving alcohol aswell. I am an Turk and have known them for years they are alawi Kurtis and halal/haram is of no concern to them. I advise you all to investigate any premises that sell alcohol if they say they are halal because the fact that they sell alcohol in the first place is sufficient for them not to be trusted. If your not so bothered on the other hand and your lust and desires are a driving motion in your religiousness than feel free to enjoy their food.