Öz by Kebapçi restaurant review: A taste of Turkish essence in Bengaluru Premium

Experience Modern Turkish Cuisine at Öz by Kebapci, a 6000+ sqft fine dining space in Bangalore at UB City.

Opulence. That’s the word that springs up in your mind as you enter Öz by Kebapçi, situated on the second floor of UB City Mall. A doorman opens the door for you with a practised smile. A three-foot ornate fountain welcomes you into the reception. The metal doorway arch leading into the dining room has intricate floral patterns. Inside, you find more elements of elegant extravagance, like the kaleidoscopic Oriental rugs adorning the walls, the hanging decorative lamps emitting a pleasant golden-yellow light, the multi-coloured stained glass panel arching the counter, the chocolate-brown wooden chairs with plush cushions, the dramatic dark marble table tops – even the plate (white with blue floral patterns) looks like it should belong in a living room showcase. You don’t just eat at Öz; you fine-dine.

Öz (yes, with an umlaut atop the ‘o’), in Turkish, means essence or core. Aasim Shah, the restaurant’s founder, reckons the name resonates with the place because the food and the ambience try to capture the soul of Turkey. “Along with most ingredients and cutlery, the interior décor elements – the paintings, handwoven carpets, lamps – of the 6000 sq. ft dining space are from Turkey. Mert Duyal, an interior designer from Istanbul, set up the space,” he says.

Aasim’s family was into ship chartering. So, he has travelled a lot of the world – Turkey, in particular. As a culinary enthusiast, he grew fond of Turkish cuisine and felt he could fill the need for a place in India that served premium Turkish food. 

On a sultry afternoon (by Bengaluru weather standards), we were first served on a cocktail glass, Lime and Ginger, a pale yellow fizzy drink with a slice of lemon and three mint leaves floating on it.

With the thirst quenched, we began our lunch with Mercimek Çorbası, a lentil and chickpea soup with vegetable stock, olive oil, and a drizzle of chilli oil garnishing it. It tastes a lot like home-cooked dal. So, it is at once familiar, warm, and comforting. But the spice, though less apparent like an underpainting in an artwork, makes the Mercimek Çorbası what it is.

Next, we get the Mezze Platter with three slices of pita bread and three types – classic, avocado, and beetroot – of varicoloured hummus that are creamy, smooth, and subtly spicy. 

The Antep Chicken Kebap – served with aioli (a cold sauce consisting of an emulsion of garlic and olive oil), roasted tomatoes, and strips of capsicum, onion, and cabbage – looks and tastes different from the Indian kebabs. The pieces of meat look wavy. They also have a coarser texture (compared to their Indian counterpart) because of the addition of diced carrots, celery, and white eggs.