It was while nonchalantly staring out of the bus window that I first clocked Pera, a Turkish restaurant located on Aberdeen’s bustling Holburn Street.
After a quick search online, I soon discovered that this little eaterie is slowly making a name for itself with reviews on Facebook and Tripadvisor extolling the virtues of its delicious food, affordable pricing and wonderful service.
Intrigued to see what all the fuss is about, my partner Andy and I took ourselves – and our empty stomachs – along to try out their menu.
Pera Restaurant
Based within the original Maggie’s Grill restaurant before they moved to Marischal Square, Pera enjoys a prominent location in Holburn Street, directly across from the Holburn Bar.
With such a handy location, just minutes from Union Street and on the main bus route, we were able to ditch the car and enjoy a leisurely walk to the restaurant.
Mint green and gold, the restaurant’s Mediterranean-style exterior immediately caught my eye as we made our way inside.
Within seconds we were warmly welcomed by our server who gave us the option of sitting at the window in the busier side of the restaurant or at a table in the quieter area.
Both keen people watchers, we instantly opted for the window seat.
For a Wednesday evening, the restaurant was quite busy with couples, groups of friends and tourists laughing and chatting over their food.
Delighted with our seats overlooking the main street, we ordered a bottle of Cankaya, a crisp and refreshing white wine from Turkey before turning our attention to the food.
The food
Popular in Turkey and Greece, the restaurant offers a wide selection of hot and cold meze-style dishes which can be ordered as a starter or as a larger selection for a main course.
With no fewer than 24 meze dishes on the menu, we weren’t sure where to begin.
Noticing our confused faces, our friendly server came back over and advised us to choose between three and four meze dishes to share as starters.
As a huge aubergine fan, I couldn’t resist the saksuka (£6).
From the perfectly sautéed aubergines and peppers to the fluffy potato chunks and the slightly spicy tomato sauce balanced by the cool garlic dip, I quickly discovered why this meze dish is known as one of the most popular dishes in Turkey.
Forks clashing, the next meze we sampled was hellim (£7), a traditional Cypriot cheese chargrilled or pan-fried to your preference.
Four rectangular chunks of chargrilled halloumi cheese beautifully presented on top of a colourful salad arrived before my eyes.
For me, the texture of the cheese was a bit too rubbery for my liking as I felt it squeaking against my teeth, but it was still delicious enough for me to scoff the lot.
Far from rubbery was Pera’s Peynir Delight (£7), a goat’s cheese dish.
Mouthwateringly melt in the mouth and gooey, I could’ve eaten this dish all night.
To mix things up a bit, we also ordered Kalamar Tava (£7), deep-fried calamari served with a Mediterranean seafood sauce.
Light and crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, the calamari was cooked to perfection.
Paired with the Marie rose-style sauce, it was seafood heaven.
Together with our meze dishes, we also ordered a basket of freshly-baked bread (£3).
Thin and warm, the flatbread worked wonderfully as a vessel for all the meze dishes.
For the mains, I opted for Beyti Sarma (£20), an Adana-style kebab wrapped in fresh lavash bread and topped with tomato sauce and butter served with rice and garlic yoghurt sauce.
Appearing on the plate like mini fajitas with a bed of rice in the middle, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I took a mouthful.
Succulent and flavoursome, I was pleasantly surprised as the minced beef kebab meat had a slight spice to it that paired well with the cooling garlic sauce and the beautifully seasoned rice.
Across the table and Andy was more than satisfied with his Çökertme kebab (£20).
Consisting of thin slices of succulent beef (or chicken) served on a bed of finely fried potatoes and topped with garlic yoghurt, red pepper sauce and drizzled with hot butter, Andy instantly gave it the thumbs up.
For once in our lives, we were too stuffed for desserts so we just sat back and enjoyed some people watching.
The verdict
Let’s face it, finding a good restaurant that is reasonably priced is tough these days.
But that’s where Pera comes in.
Serving up delicious home cooked Turkish food at affordable prices is what this little gem of an eaterie does best.
Relaxed, friendly and welcoming, the service was also spot on.
It was so good in fact, that Andy are I are already planning a return visit but we’ll be sure to leave room for dessert next time.
Information
Address: 242 Holburn Street, Aberdeen AB10 6DB
T: 01224 032104
Price: £104.05 for four mezes (starters), a basket of bread, two mains and a bottle of wine.
Disabled access: Yes
Dog friendly: No
Scores:
- Food: 4/5
- Service: 5/5
- Surroundings: 4/5
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