Nemrut, Southsea
Published on Portsmouth News - External Link
By Dish detective
On 29th Apr 2023, 06:00 BST- 3 min read
Updated 2nd May 2023, 13:14 BST
Food Review: I ate at Nemrut in Southsea and got a taste for delightful Turkish hospitality
Like many English people, I considered myself a bit of a kebab connoisseur – before I ate at Nemrut.
They’ve been with me for good times and more downbeat moments, but the kind I know and love are usually served in a polystyrene box, marinated in grease and garnished with greenery that looks about as fresh as I feel when ordering.
At Nemrut, a small Turkish restaurant on Albert Road in Southsea, I learned that a true kebab can be so much more.
Dining alone, I was immediately put at ease by a warm welcome from the waiting staff, who seated me in a prime viewing spot to watch the chef at work. I quickly took my jumper off as I took in the heat – no doubt emanating from the charcoal grill – and began to salivate at the smell of searing meat.
At the counter next to the restaurant entrance, I had seen various skewered offerings and thought I knew what I was in for. It came as a mild disappointment – albeit the only one of the evening – that when my main course arrived the meat had already been removed from the spike. This minor, childish grumble asside, I was very impressed with my meal.
Every bite of the juicy lamb chunks was enriched with the smoky flavours only charcoal can provide. These were served with a mound of rice and shredded cabbage that came in green and purple, alongside similarly prepared carrot.
I’m always won over by a freebie, so my already contented mood was lifted further by the next on-the-house treat – Turkish delights. And to top it all off, my wish was fulfilled - they were skewered (with cocktail sticks, but it scratched the itch.) The above-and-beyond hospitality culminated in (I have since learned) traditional Turkish style when I was given a splash of sweet-smelling citrusy Kolonya to wash my hands. I admit that I had become so used to the complimentary delicacies that I initially thought I was being served a glass of some clear spirit, but I clocked on when it was served directly into my outstretched palms.
Turkish music combined with a large, newly installed picture of the eponymous Mount Nemrut monuments created a delightful ambience. Nemrut has been open since 2004 and seemingly weathered the challenges thrown at any small eatery well, based on the general bustle of the place.
I wasn’t very adventurous with my order, but had one dish on the brain since I stepped in. I went for the Shish Kebab (£14.50) and an Efes beer (£4.80), both of which filled me up too much to think about dessert.
My rumbling stomach was first sated by a complimentary starter of bread – fresh and soft – with olives and a chilli sauce.
Overall, I would thoroughly recommend a trip to Nemrut. The prices were very reasonable for the portions given, and I will certainly be returning to try the extensive wine collection – and saving room for dessert.
Food 5
Value 4
Ambience 5
Kid friendly 4
Published on Friday 12 August 2005 18:06 (From the Portsmouth News)
YOU CAN'T miss Nemrut, a newish Kurdish-Turkish restaurant on Albert Road in Southsea, thanks to its distinctive large lettering above the small 30-seater eaterie.
And, if passing on a wet and windy night, you won't be able to resist the long waist-high grill's glowing charcoal embers and the sparklingly spruce, welcoming ocak basi (seating around the grill) visible through the plate glass.
Quiet swooning, swooping violin music of the country greets you on entering the small but perfectly-formed restaurant, with its pale grey walls, plants and prints of vases, figs and grapes on a background of cypresses.
Purely by chance, I discovered Nemrut offers lunch for a fiver which includes a plate of pickles, olives, bread, main course, coffee or tea. Others who clearly know a thing or two about the happenings on Albert Road were enjoying a high old time.
Aubergine and lamb dishes, moussaka and a mushroom dish with tomato and cheese sauce are among the excellent choices. If you come for supper, that grill, the Mangal, will be full-on for the likes of tavuk Kanadi (spicy chicken wings), sebze kebab (marinated Mediterranean vegetables), tavuk shish (skewered chicken), uykuluk (skewered sweetbreads) and lots of lamb in many Kurdish-Turkish guises.
Prices are uber-low with meze at 2.25 and mains at around the 6-8 mark. In this day and age this is a steal.
Warm, moreish pide bread and those olives plus pickled carrots, chillies and cucumber were my first glimpse of what Nemrut offers, not only in well-sourced ingredients but in first class hospitality. Service by the owner's uncle is charmingly delightful.
My aubergine, lamb mince and subtly-spiced main course couldn't have been bettered, the perfectly-presented stuffed aubergine with strips of red and green pepper and roasted tomato served with rice and plain yoghurt.
If you are keen to test the kitchen's prowess with desserts at lunchtimes, you may be out of luck as they only officially appear in the evening. But I persuaded the ever-hospitable uncle to let me try Incir Tatlisi, figs cooked in syrup with a small hat of cream and a dash of pistachios and walnuts.
What a fitting end to a Mediterranean meal it was. The cream was more like whipped egg white, but this suited me fine as it cut the richness of the syrupy figs.
Turkish coffee, one of the best in the area, came with the essential glass of water and the non-essential Turkish delight and, in true Kurdish-Turkish style, an on-the-house glass of rose-perfumed, high-octane liqueur.
Be prepared too for a cleansing sprinkling of cologne (from a cut glass bottle) on the hands after your meal, administered by said uncle. How delightful is that? Simple, old world courtesies of chaleur, that untranslatable French word meaning a more generous warmth, just kept on coming.
Nemrut is an oasis of calm in a frenetic world and you will be all the better after a visit to this charming, graceful, excellent-value restaurant. And, if you're lucky, as I was, the owner will give you a fascinating insight into Kurdish politics. History on a plate.
My bill came to 10.25, including a good glass of Turkish wine. Tip extra.
Nemrut, 94a Albert Road, Southsea. (023) 9275 6777.
Open midday to midnight every day. (Now, open between 16.00 to midnight during weekdays )
Food: ****
Service: *****
Atmosphere: ****
Smoking: No.
Disabled access: Yes.
