Skewd kitchen

Date of Visit: 18 August 2017

Most of the places I visit are located around either Central or East London, however, I jumped in my car and make a quick 30 min trip to Cockfosters which is at the end of the Piccadilly line and landed at Skewd Kitchen, a modern Turkish restaurant.

Skewd Kitchen recently appointed a new head chef who has experience working alongside top chefs in Michelin starred restaurants  – I was keen to see if Skewed Kitchen was another run of the mill Turkish, or was it offering something new and different…

I arrived at 8pm on a Friday night, parked up directly outside and got a table for 4.

The place was busier than I had expected and had a nice buzzing atmosphere.

We got a couple, I went with the virgin Mojito and it was a good drink –  they got the balance of mint and sweetness just to my liking.

After a long study of the menu we all decided on a few starters to share for the table

Pachanga £4.90

Filo pastry filled with mixed bell peppers, chestnut mushrooms, kashar cheese, cured beef and parsley.

A different take on the popular and classic vegetarian Spinach and Feta Cheese Börek. This was a really nice starter, light and crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside and the flavours of the peppers and cheese worked well with the beef.

Sujuk £4.90

Charcoal grilled spicy beef sausage.

Different to what one would usually find, I found these good, but a little too salty.

Honey-Glazed Goats’ Cheese £6.50

Honey-glazed goats’ cheese served with Bertha roasted beetroot, caramelised shallots and walnuts, drizzled with 8 years’ aged balsamic.

This dish puts a smile on my face when I think about it, my friend ordered this and I would not have ordered this if it was not for him. I absolutely loved it. The taste of the goat’s cheese worked so amazingly with the honey, it was a new flavour experience for me, I thought this dish was just brilliant. I didn’t really understand the need for the beetroot.

Pan-Seared Scallops £6.50

Served with coconut mash and Malibu butter

Perfectly cooked fresh scallops that melted in the mouth served on a delicious bed of mash and butter.  

Grilled Prawns £6.50

Garlic and ginger marinated king prawns Garlic and ginger marinated king prawns cooked in our Bertha oven served with sweet chilli sauce

Cooked well, the flavour and taste was simple, another good dish

Mini Lahmacun £3.20

Levantine round flat bread with hand-minced lamb, fresh flat parsley, tomatoes, bell peppers and hint of garlic.

A bit of a letdown, not much love and effort went into this dish., None of us liked this and it was the only thing that remained on the table.

Main Course time and this is where things got interesting. There was the main menu, and from that, we got 2 meaty options and there was also a specials menu that was a creation from Tim the new head chef, someone who is trying infuse a bit of French cooking on a Turkish menu.

So, from the regular menu

Mixed Kebab £20.90

Lamb shish, chicken shish, adana shish, lamb chop, lamb ribs

A big platter of good quality meats cooked over a charcoal grill. I had a little sample, meat was juicy and tender.  

PRIME BLACK ANGUS BEEF Fillet Steak (10oz) £29.90

35 days’ matured roasted cherry vine tomatoes, portobello mushrooms, watercress and hand-cut potato chips.

The steak is USDA Prime, from America and unlike most places it was pan seared and then cooked in the oven then pan cooked again and basted in butter and garlic. At 10oz it’s a very big portion size, so big in fact that we could not eat all of it, so I turned it into a stir fry the next day.

The steak was cooked as requested to medium rare. Because the beef is from the USA, the cow is mostly grain fed, which gives the meat a different taste compared to grass fed. I didn’t think the steak blew me away – it was good but not great.

I actually think it’s my fault. Ever since I’ve had the steak from Meat and Co, no steaks can compare to that amazing taste.   

The following are from the night’s specials.

STONE – BASS £19.90

Pan-cooked Fillet of Stone bass and Scottish scallop, on a bed of smoked beetroot puree, labneh and charred cucumber.

This was the dish I opted for. I really didn’t feel like eating meat as I knew I could sample a bit of the mix grill and steak so i got fish.

The presentation of this dish was great, plated up in a very appealing way. It was an interesting dish, but the fish I felt was not delicate enough. One of my favourite dishes is the stone bass tikka from Jamavar which is such a soft and tender bit of fish and part of me was expecting the same. Of course, this was pan cooked so the taste and texture would have been different. It was also served with a beetroot puree which I don’t think worked for me. The flavours did not work well with the fish.

CUMBRIAN LAMB, ARTICHOKE £19.90

Lamb cutlets, pistachio, bbq shallots, artichoke mousse

A dish that you would expect in a high-end French Michelin star restaurant. Great presentation, however, I think the lamb was cooked too rare. I didn’t try the dish with all its components such as the artichoke mousse. I only tried a little bit of the lamb. Lamb has a naturally strong deep flavour profile, but for a Turkish restaurant this dish was maybe a bit too removed from Turkish flavours and could have done with the use of more traditional herbs and spices. Nevertheless, I liked that this place is trying something different.

Blueberry Cheesecake £5.90

This decadent cheesecake uses organic blueberries that are packed with Antioxidant power

To finish the night a lovely light blueberry cheesecake. Really nice texture and taste.

The service was mainly consistent and solid throughout, however, there was a slightly longer wait between the starters and main course. Service struggled a little during the busy times and the waiters became less attentive.

Overall I was really pleased with my experience here – the starters were great and I really enjoyed them. It’s great to see a restaurant trying some new things but also maintaining a high standard of food in terms of quality, taste and presentation.  

I was invited to review this restaurant. The meal was complimentary and views my own