The rose of Turkish cuisine | Gül
Speaking of Turkish cuisine, most people here in Switzerland think of the next takeaway around the corner. Dürüm, Lahmacun and Kebap box is popular food here, especially for a quick snack or late at night. However, these are definitely not culinary highlights of real Turkish cuisine.
In district 4 of Zurich, a new restaurant is now to provide remedy celebrating true Turkish cuisine and ambience. The restaurant with the name “Gül”, which means "rose" in Turkish, gives hope to get a taste of this multi-faceted and exciting cuisine.
Hidden in an inner courtyard near Langstrasse, the Gül already provides a magical moment with its unique location in a detached, turquoise building with large, airy windows and an open kitchen. The Gül enchants with a very clear and modern design, which is accentuated by Turkish wall tiles in the kitchen, colourful flowers and spice bushes hanging on the wall.
The heart of the restaurant, the open kitchen, includes a charcoal grill and a wood-fired oven, which are used to prepare homemade bread, pide, lahmacun and grilled meat such as lamb and chicken. It is not only an eye-catcher, but also lets you participate in the smoky smells of Turkish cuisine.
The Gül interprets traditional Turkish cuisine in its own modern style. The dishes are prepared in a lighter and finer way than usual in Turkey - yet the authenticity is maintained. For example, the dish "Iskender Chicken", which is prepared with chicken and crispy bread crumbs instead of lamb and pieces of bread soaked in butter.
When serving, however, it goes the traditional oriental manner by sharing different dishes. It is recommended to order about 3 dishes per person to get full.
So we tried the GÜL STYLE PIDE with cream cheese, red spring onions and Belper tuber, LOSUK, also called KÜRT YUVARLAMA, which are hand-rolled bulgur dumplings in buffalo milk yoghurt, mint and nut butter...
...then TAVUK KANADI, marinated chicken wings in tomato and pepper salsa with yoghurt and honey, ÇIĞ KÖFTE, vegetarian köfte served in salad leafs, GAVURDAGI SALATASI, tomato salad with walnuts, onions and cold-pressed pomegranate juice.
In addition, there is a daily GRILL-SPECIAL GÜL-STYLE with changing grill dishes. We had grilled asparagus with yoghurt sauce and grilled octopus topped with a suçuk mayo.
Moreover, fancy homemade drinks are on offer, so we tried 2 drinks called GÜLPEMBE AND FAIK PASHA. They also serve water à discretion for CHF 5.00 per person, which is quite nice for Zurich.
The dishes came simply prepared on colourful plates, which led to a very nice dining experience. None of it tasted the same - each dish had a different intensity of taste. This is typical of the Anatolian cuisine, which is characterised by variety and richness by using different spices and herbs in countless combinations. The preparation of some dishes on the charcoal grill gives them a smoky touch. The homemade bread could not fully convince us, it was not warm enough and did not taste like fresh from the oven. Nevertheless, the rest was a delicious excursion into authentic Turkish cuisine. Since quality and uniqueness costs money, the prices are rather set at the upper end.
The Gül devotes itself exclusively to the authentic colourful Anatolian cuisine and relies on modern creations without neglecting tradition. It gives you a true taste of Turkey's vibrant cuisine, which has been shaped by a variety of influences over the centuries.
Prices:
Starters: from CHF 5.00 to CHF 14.00
Main dishes: from CHF 14.00 to CHF 34.00
Desserts: from CHF 6.50 to CHF 14.50
Address:
Gül Restoran
Phone +41 44 431 90 90
E-Mail: yemek@guel.ch
Website: www.guel.ch
