Neil Littman continues his tour of Enfield’s best restaurants with a visit to Kervan in Edmonton Green

I was partly inspired to write this review after overhearing a conversation at my local pub. A group on the table behind me were discussing the merits and history of Turkish restaurants in London. Venues that were long gone were mentioned, as well as others that still exist.

They also spoke about the loss of Aksula in Palmers Green, caused by a fire on the hottest day on record in July, and what such a long-standing and popular meeting place had meant to their friends and family.

A brief word about food we describe as Turkish. Many of the chefs, particularly in London, are from the Kurdish regions which encompass Armenia, Iraq and Iran and, like many other food concepts, the dishes are also the result of multicultural influences. These include places such as Greece (fish dishes); Anatolia and the Levant (aubergine, olive oil and several vegetable dishes); Italian and Roman (flat breads and slow-cooked recipes); and food from the Balkans where the Turkic tribes once travelled (moussaka and börek, which is filo pastry filled with spinach and cheese).

The menu at Kervan even features a lamb tagine dish which originates from North Africa. There are many other kinds of Turkish restaurants along what I would describe as the Green Lanes corridor all the way to Stoke Newington, serving a hybrid of Turkish and modern European dishes. The fusion continues to this day.

Some of my previous reviews have involved solo dining, but this is less fun with Turkish food, which is all about sharing. Added to that is the hospitality shown at Kervan, just as at other Turkish restaurants, where the main meal is preceded by dips and salads normally enough for two.

With that in mind, I invited a local expert to give me an opinion of the quality and authenticity of our meal. Kervan has four local branches – in Southgate, Wood Green and two in Edmonton. We visited their Church Street venue on a warm evening. It is a welcoming and spacious restaurant decorated in a contemporary style and much larger inside then it appears from outside.

We ordered several dishes. I decided a meze of three items would give me a good choice, while my dining companion ordered a mixed kebab so that I could try the chicken. I asked for cacik, a yoghurt dip, but the waiter said that was included in the complimentary dishes, so I requested saksuka, an aubergine salad, which he said was again included! My other three choices (fried calamari, börek and kozde patlican, a dish of charcoal roasted aubergine with peppers, tomatoes and spices) were not part of the dips so we ended up with five starters and a salad plus bread and his main course.

The service and food were both extremely good and, although all the dishes were served at the same time, because it was a mix of hot and cold dishes this didn’t make any difference and we ate nearly everything. We also received free glasses of Turkish tea!

Including a beer, soft drinks and service, the cost for two people came to £61.

Kervan is at 80 Church Street in Edmonton, and also at 171 Hertford Road in Edmonton, and 107 Chase Side in Southgate. They are open seven days a week, from 8am-midnight, Monday–Saturday, and 8am–11.30pm on Sundays. To book a table:
Call 0208 884 4441
Visit kervan-sofrasi.co.uk

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