Review of Hasturk kebab near Braintree Shopping Village

The popular restaurant, which is a meze bar and grill, located in Braintree Village, took home the award last month, beating many other competitors across the UK.

I was curious to see whether the restaurant is truly worthy of the award or not, so on a sunny Thursday at around 3pm, I walked into the stylishly decked out restaurant for a meal.

After making my way in and being greeted by a friendly member of staff, I was taken to a table soft traditional Turkish music played in the background.

Proud - The restaurant's award on the bar's counter (Image: Newsquest)

Décor - an image of the restaurant which looks onto the kitchen area (Image: Newsquest)

There was surprisingly a fair few customers dining during what would normally be a quiet time of the day for any business in the restaurant industry.

From my hour-long experience, it soon came abundantly clear, Hasturk holds its own against the international chains it sits alongside such as Nandos, TGI Fridays, and Five Guys.

A couple adjacent to me asked Adam Haas the general manager how it feels to be famous, however he was quick to note he's not and it's a team effort at Hasturk, and that’s how I would describe it.

The staff are attentive and the food is freshly prepared.

My meal started with the traditional complimentary soft bread which everyone is served whilst they wait for their meal, every bite was delicious.

Tasty - The complimentary bread next to two sauces (Image: Newsquest)

Starter - the falafel and hummus (Image: Newsquest)

From there, I had a starter of falafel and hummus, which is mashed chickpeas, broad beans, herbs and hummus and it went down a treat.

The main event was a popular dish from Hasturk’s grill, the lamb chops (pirzola) which was served with an option between rice, chips, and finished off by a portion of salad.

The lamb was tender and well-seasoned, it was easy to understand why it is such a popular meal at the restaurant.

Finally, my meal ended with a honeycomb cheesecake accompanied by a scoop of ice cream, it was excellent.

Tasty - the main course (Image: Newsquest)

Sweet treat - the cheesecake (Image: Newsquest)

For £43 in total including a drink, the high-quality food and service are well worth it.

Overall, Hasturk shines as a smaller independent stand-alone restaurant compared to the titans of industry is located next to it because of its fantastic food, courteous staff, and very good value for money experience.