Lahmacun from Turkoman restaurant in Newmarket, England, is served with an assortment of dips, May 9, 2023. Lahmacun is Turkish flatbread seasoned with lamb, onions, red peppers and parsley. (Kyle Alvarez/Stars and Stripes)
Sometimes I’ll hear friends rave about a restaurant that mildly interests me enough to end up in the “I’ll get there someday” column.
I finally made it to one of them, the Turkoman Bar and Grill in Newmarket, which is 20 to 30 minutes away from the RAF Lakenheath tri-base area.
By the end of the meal, I had only one question in mind: “Why has it taken me so long to come here?”
The restaurant opened in June 2021 and has found success with Turkish cuisine, which shares some similarities with food in the adjacent Middle East but departs in other ways, particularly with preparations and seasonings that reflect Turkey’s position as a global crossroads.
The uninitiated who are used to thinking of Turkish food in terms of the many doner kebab shops around Europe are in for a pleasant surprise here. I went during lunch on a sunny Tuesday afternoon, right when the place opened.
Turkoman Bar and Grill allows patrons to dine in or sit and drink at the bar, which has more than 70 beer, liquor and wine options. (Kyle Alvarez/Stars and Stripes)
Turkoman Bar and Grill in Newmarket, England, celebrates its two-year anniversary in June 2023. The restaurant features a wide array of Turkish foods. (Kyle Alvarez/Stars and Stripes)
The aesthetic of the restaurant contrasts with the traditional English architecture found in much of the countryside. A white marble facade gives way to an interior with a large wall of flowers adorning it.
As I walked in further, I took in the modern, lavishly decorated dining area. I was handed the menu and began looking for the lamb, which for me is what Turkish cuisine does best.
Thanks to an open kitchen, I could see everything prepared from my seat. I could even smell my food being cooked, which heightened my anticipation.
Turkoman Bar and Grill’s chef prepares meals May 9, 2023. The restaurant in Newmarket, England, has an open kitchen layout. (Kyle Alvarez/Stars and Stripes)
I started with the lahmacun, which is a Turkish flatbread seasoned with minced lamb, onions, tomatoes, red peppers and parsley. It was OK, but what elevated it were the sauces the server brought out.
There was a lime-enhanced red sauce that tasted similar to a salsa, as well as a small plate of olives and tzatziki sauce. I mixed the red sauce with the tzatziki and it made for a delicious combination, using the lahmacun as a platform.
Turkoman Bar and Grill's Adana kofte as served May 9, 2023. The dish features grilled minced lamb seasoned with parsley and red pepper flakes, served with rice. (Kyle Alvarez/Stars and Stripes)
Next came the Adana kofte, which is minced lamb, parsley and chili pepper flakes cooked on a charcoal grill. It came with a side salad, rice and bulgur wheat.
The meal looked exactly like the better ones I had when I was deployed to Syria, but even tastier.
Every bite of the lamb was juicy and flavorful, and well-complemented by the salad and rice. I cleaned my plate.
Turkoman Bar and Grill's nine desserts include baklava with a side of ice cream, paired here with a Turkish coffee on May 9, 2023. (Kyle Alvarez/Stars and Stripes)
For dessert, I had a Turkish coffee with some baklava. I haven’t been able to get Turkish coffee since I left the Middle East, and it was a wonderful blast from the past.
It is stronger and sometimes more bitter than your standard American coffee, but full of flavor. The sweet baklava with a side of ice cream was a great way to end the meal.
Turkoman Bar and Grill
Address: 146 High Street, Newmarket, Suffolk, England
Prices: Starters, soups and sides range between 4 pounds and 8 pounds; main dishes and specialty group meals range from 17 pounds to 90 pounds; Desserts range from 2.40 pounds to 7 pounds. The lunch menu is less expensive than dinner.
Hours: Seven days a week from noon to 11 p.m.
Information: 01638-666-868; Online: turkoman-bargrill.co.uk
