A favourite among locals, Tabure has been recommended to us umpteen times. It is described on their website as a "modern Turkish restaurant". Upon pick up of our takeaway, a quick glimpse of the decor confirmed this is the vibe they certainly go for. The interior is slick, airy and luxurious; a million miles away from the nearest Turkish-esque restaurant which is a kebab shop down the road which has wipe-clean tiled walls, floors and menus. The menu at Tabure is worded in a much more verbose way than your usual Turkish restaurant and included some welcome elements of a more modern approach to Turkish cuisine by way of dishes like stuffed courgette flowers, Sautéed Mushrooms & Whipped Truffle Feta, and Yellowfin Tuna Tartar & Pistachio Cream. And whilst one half of me is intrigued to know where they get courgette flowers all year round, the other part of me is happy to see Turkish, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavours being played with in such innovative ways.
We decided to play it a bit safe and to review Tabure based on some of the more traditional dishes. We went for Courgette & Mint Tzatziki, Polenta Crusted Halloumi, Chargrilled Organic Chicken Wings, Organic Chargrilled Leg of Lamb Steak, and Fattoush Salad. Although this was only 5 dishes, it came to a relatively eye-watering £51; more on that later.
The difficult part of this whole encounter wasn't collecting from Berkhamsted (worth mentioning that they also have a site in St Albans too) but was driving home with deep meaty, fragrant aromas penetrating through the packaging and permeating into the car! I was very tempted to pull over the car and dive in, but then I remembered that #1 I am not a neanderthal, I do have -some- restraint, and #2 I promised to share everything with J when I married him. Stupid decision! So I held my s**t together until I got home and unpacked the food.
First thing I noticed was how insanely beautifully everything was packed (unfortunately in heavy plastic packaging * sad face *). Each dish was presented as if it was plated in the restaurant with beautiful garnishes and perfect layering so that every element of the dish was visible. The fragrance of the dishes was also so strong; those spices were working overtime (especially the -possibly overused- dried mint which seemed to be on everything); there was no risk of bland food here!
We started with incredibly fluffy and pillowy soft bread which we liberally dunked into the tzatsiki. The tzatsiki itself was quite mint dominant, but there was a light, freshness from the courgette; a welcome twist to this traditional dish. The other starter we ordered, the halloumi, was absolutely delicious and for J, the standout dish (big praise from a big meat eater!). It wasn't particularly "crusted" and I was very much looking forward to a crisp, crunch to the polenta crust, but potentially it didn't travel that well and so went a bit soggy. I'd probably try it again in the restaurant to hopefully get that texture I crave anytime I see the word "crust" anywhere! The 'black sesame seeds' described on the menu, seemed to actually be nigella seeds (why not just say that?) which was wonderful as they gave a beautiful fragrant hum to each bite, and the quince marmalade gave a mellow sweetness contrasting with the salty halloumi. Fab.
The mains were quite disappointing in portion size for the price we paid. The leg of lamb was 2 chunks of lean meat and the chicken wings was a portion of 2 wingettes and 4 drumettes. Not a huge portion when combined that came to £30. However, it was all presented beautifully. The lamb was well-cooked and flavoursome with a gorgeous smoked aubergine labneh. It came with a pita and some salad, however the salad was dressed with such a sharp dressing and overloaded with sumac (a tart ground berry) to the extent that I winced and couldn't eat another bite of it. It genuinely hurt my jaw from the sourness, like a Warhead sweet from the 1990's (before food restrictions made them safe!) The chicken wings were more mellow with a fragrant garlic, pepper, ginger and lemon marinade, finished with sesame seeds. They were easy to polish off! I just wish there was more of them. It is worth mentioning that a commendable point to the meat and the price of these dishes is the fact that this meat is all organic. That's quite a big deal, as very few takeaways -especially of this cuisine- offer organic meat. So, I'd always be happy to pay a bit more for that.
As part of my day job, I once had to try Fattoush Salad from about 5 different outlets to benchmark and judge them. I wish I had tried this one from Tabure as it was honestly perfect. The leaves, radishes, cucumbers and peppers were crunchy and fresh, the tomatoes were sweet and the crispy baharat pita croutons were still on the crunchy side of soggy. the wonderful element that they had also added to this was the fresh herbs running through it. The dill and mint made for a super fresh salad that worked on the aroma and flavour to really pack a punch. A fab salad (and thankfully not as tart as the side salad for the lamb!)
All in all, we enjoyed our first experience with Tabure. It certainly won't be the last, as I'm certain that there's a real joy to eating in the restaurant, and I definitely want to try some of the more exciting and innovative dishes on their menu. This is a great example of a business that has pivoted well to takeaway during the last year, but I do think that it is certainly a better experience to have the food fresh in the restaurant. So please do go when it's open and support this place who are doing something delicious and creative with some wonderfully traditional dishes; we certainly will be!
Service:
Ordered through their website and chose a time slot. I was then called by the restaurant to confirm the time slot. There's easy parking directly outside (after 6:30pm) and I was met with food ready and waiting! Quality: Certainly high quality with wonderful attention to detail. Some dishes were slightly over dressed or over herbed but I'll take that over bland any day. Plus extra bonus points for organic meat. the fresh, quality ingredients really do stand out and make a difference. Value & Price: This is where Tabure does have a weak point. It is expensive and the the meat portions were quite small. No doubt its good quality, but this isn't cheap.
Overall: GOOD- Tabure is highly commended by almost everyone we talk to, and rightly so! It's doing something a bit different but not too far out of people's comfort zones and it's doing it well. It is on the pricey side though so this may be somewhere to spend a special occasion. But either way, it deserves your support and custom!
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