Review on Gem Restaurant
Decked out like a Turkish village museum, complete with pictures of tractors, peasant farming implements on terracotta walls, chunky wooden tables and a lady making 'qatme' breads in the window of the restaurant, Gem is a likeable Islington rendezvous devoted to native Kurdish cuisine.
Lots of regional influences colour the food, with those famous flatbreads (often stuffed with cheese or spinach) as one of the cornerstones of the menu. Starters include a big choice of cold and hot 'mezeler' ranging from tabbouleh, tarator and palates salata (potato salad with pickled cucumber) to deep-fried mucver fritters (courgettes), falafel and kofte. Main courses are split between char-grills (everything from lamb cutlets and chicken wings to whole quail) and slow-cooked 'oven specialities' such as gem iskender (minced lamb on pitta bread and yoghurt with melted butter and tomato sauce). Finish with sticky baklava and drink something Turkish from the wine list.
A sister restaurant called Gem & I is now open at 22 North Street, Clapham Common, SW4.
Gem Restaurant is also featured in: Hardens
Rate this RestaurantCuisine
Turkish
Chef
Ali Kurt
Restaurant Opening Times
Lunch: 12.00 until
Dinner: 11.00pm (12.00am Fri-Sat) (10.30pm Sun)
Accepted credit cards
Visa, Master Card