Turkish food at the Olive Tree in Milton Keynes
By Sabuhi Usmani
HALAL STATUS Fully Halal food menu • Alcohol served
When there is a shortage of Halal restaurants near you, then any news of a new one opening is always welcome.
We were well excited to hear about the opening of the new Turkish restaurant Olive Tree in central Milton Keynes.
So we booked a table on a Sunday afternoon for lunch. And it has to be said that out first impressions were good. It had a nicely decorated interior, relaxed atmosphere, and friendly staff.
There is seating outside too for anyone wanting to enjoy the long summer days.
We received freshly made bread with a choice of dips, on the house.
Fresh bread is always hard to resist. Ours had a selection of mixed olives, a chilli dip, and mint yogurt to go with the bread.
HOT MEZZES
White Bait – crispy breaded white bait served with delicate salad leaves and a home made tartare sauce, £6.95
The menu is simple, with a decent amount of choices. For starters we had fried bait and garlic prawns.
The crispy fried bait went well with the tartar sauce.
Garlic Prawns – shells on king prawns cooked with garlic, butterand a kick of Turkish spices, £7.50
As for the big juicy prawns, then they were beautifully grilled and served with garlic butter.
For mains, we ordered a mixed grill, yogurt lamb, and chicken sarma.
CHARCOAL GRILL
Mixed Grill – charcoal grilled tender chicken and lamb shish with Adana, £16.95
The mixed grill comprised of grilled lamb pieces, boneless chicken shish, adana kebabs, and came with plain rice and salad.
Everything was cooked spot on. The adana kebabs were a bit spicier than what we usually have; but we could still taste the meat, which was delicious.
Yogurt Kebab – marinated spicy minced lamb or minced chicken on skewers and croutons topped with yogurt, chef’s special tomato sauce & butter sauce, £13.50/12.95
The yogurt lamb came with deliciously cooked lamb-on-skewers, was served with croutons, topped with mint yogurt, and served with a tomato sauce.
While this is the first time we have tried such a dish, it definitely won’t be last!
Chicken Sarma – minced Chicken with garlic and parsley rolled up in flatbred, sliced into pinwheels on a bed of yogurt, topped with Halep sauce and butter, £13.95
Chicken sarma is a Turkish speciality. It’s minced chicken cooked with spices, and rolled up in flat breads. Served on a bed of yoghurt, it was full of flavour.
A must try if you haven’t tried it before, as it’s something different to the usual grilled Turkish dishes out there.
DESSERTS
Sticky Toffee Pudding – finely chopped dates in a warm moist toffee sponge served with vanilla ice cream, £5.75
We were so full by the end of the meal that there was hardly any room for desserts. But, despite there being options for more traditional Turkish desserts like bakalava and kunefe, we ordered a sticky toffee pudding to satisfy our sweet tooth craving.
Olive Tree is a great place to celebrate those special moments. We were so glad to have tried it.
Although it is a bit pricy than your average Turkish restaurant, it’s well worth a visit. But, be sure to always book ahead as the restaurant does get really busy.
Olive Tree
199 Midsummer Blvd, Milton Keynes MK9 1EA.
T: +44 (0)1908 691 414 | W: www.olivetreerestaurants.co.uk | E: [email protected]
Opening Hours:Â Sun-Thur 12:00-22:00 | Fri-Sat 12:00-22:30
