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| Generous plates of perfect food |
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| Hello, you want this guy making your kabobs. |
This cooking is better than mine, but not quite as good as Grandma's. Living in Taiwan for the last 4 years I thought I would never taste most of the Armenian/Lebanese food I grew up eating again. Even when I return to America family and friends enthusiastically try to feed me sliced cabbage, canned orange and condensed milk salad instead of my childhood sarma, lamb, kabobs, pilaf, yogurt, and lahmacun. Taiwan has a few Middle Eastern restaurants (
Sabbaba, meh) that mostly seem to cut corners or compromise true taste for the local preferences. It is not a good scene.
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| Beyti Kabob wrapped in lavash with Turkish red pepper sauce, rice, and yogurt |
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| Vegetable Pida scallions and mushrooms on a flaky and crispy crust |
That has all changed. No more moping and longing from me! Safranbolu Turkish Restaurant is putting out excellent, high-quality food with authentic flavor. There is thoughtfulness and hard work in all of their food. The menu is thorough and full of options for everyone. Their pidas (flatbreads with toppings) are all hand-fired in an oven on premises. The dough is light and crispy, and can easily compete with the best pizza makers in all of East Asia. The lamb is flavorful, well seasoned and perfectly grilled. All the plates of food come with a rainbow of grilled vegetables with the satisfying smoky flavor that only comes from charcoal. There is silky yogurt, savory pilaf, Turkish-style flan, rice pudding, lemonade, thick black coffee, and piles and piles of tender kabobs.
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| Sanfranbolu confidently takes up two floors in a busy business area of Taipei |
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| Doner Action, the pida/lavash flatbread oven is just to the left |
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| Dining area upstairs |
Safranbolu has an excellent business plan. It is located in a section of Taipei know for business that sees a lot of different international faces. Convenient for locals and travelers. The restaurant is two stories, and taking up a whole corner. The bottom floor offers take out and a glimpse at the kitchen action as kabobs rotate, and breads fire. The top floor is offers beautifully designed modern seating with Turkish glass globe lamp, silver and woven wall coverings. When I visited on a Wednesday evening the restaurant was more than half full and with people from nations all across Asia, East to West, including a few monks. Service was polite and attentive, which is to say in Tawian, wonderful.
I'm repeating myself, but the food was good! So good! I can eat this food every day! I will come back again and again.
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