I’m not sure what I love more about Edmonton’s Turkish community: the people or the food. What I do know is that it’s a country I definitely want to explore.

I miss Anatolia, the west end Turkish food market with the little restaurant inside. They had only been open in their new location for a couple of months when a fire broke out in the restaurant next door and took Anatolia with it. This is the place that made kelle paça, the sheep’s head soup that I’ve talked about on CBC radio.

About a month ago, I struck up a conversation with an Uber driver and when I found out he was from Turkey, I asked him about Turkish food in Edmonton. He told me to try  Turquaz Alaturka at 14016 – 127 Street. So, I did. I also ate at its sister restaurant, Turkish Kebab House on 137 Avenue a couple of times, too. Although they have their differences, one feature remained the same: the level of hospitality was off the charts.

I reviewed Turquaz (Alaturka) on Friday. To find out what I thought about the food at this northside restaurant, click this link to get to the CBC web article.

Here are some pics:

Salad and pita bread come with all mains.

Braised lamb shanks and saj kavurma (minced beef with rice pilaf)

Ezogelin is a red lentil and bulgur soup that is finished with brown butter.

Turkish tea to finish the meal.