Izgara

Came across the new Izgara whilst scrolling through social media the other day; the establishment, which is one that emphasises of Mediterranean and Turkish cuisine, is a rather recent addition to the Tanjong Pagar/Shenton Way neighbourhood — located at Lumiere along Mistri Road that is a short walk away from Tanjong Pagar MRT Station and Shenton Way Bus Terminal, it is also located fairly close by to cafes such as abseil. and Double Shot Coffee as well. Being rather simply decked out, the furnishing and fittings here are more on the functional side of things, though still rather cosy overall apart from the air-conditioning issue which they were sorting out during our visit. The menu comprises of a pretty decent variety of items, featuring appetisers, sides, kebaps, Turkish pides and other mains, as well as desserts and a decent selection of non-alcoholic beverages (think Turkish Tea/Coffee, Fresh Ayran — a Turkish Yogurt Drink, and Apple Tea, just to name a few).

Ain’t one who would go all the way out for Turkish cuisine usually, so found myself ordering a rather safe item that didn’t seem like it would go wrong. The Musakka is essentially baked minced lamb, eggplant and mozzarella that is served with Turkish Butter Rice. Think of it as a baked rice dish, though with the rice being served on the side rather than within the casserole — there is pretty much nothing that would go wrong with all the stringy, stretchy cheese blanketing all the stuff beneath; while some may find the minced lamb gamey, I found it pretty fitting to match up against the savoury notes of the cheese — the minced lamb also being sufficiently moist and making the entire deal pretty much comforting and easy to eat. The Turkish Butter Rice was also beautifully done; the grains being distinguishable from one another, but what won me over is how immensely flavourful it was without being jelak — pretty addictive on its own and I found myself polishing up all of the grains despite not being one who would finish all my rice in recent years (yes, because they are carbs). The Musakka is best paired with some hot Turkish Tea by the side; the strong punch of the black tea is sufficient to cut through all the heavier notes to cleanse the palate to keep one going here.

Whilst I am not in the position to comment on how authentic the Mediterranean/Turkish cuisine here is, I must say that I am glad to have given Izgara a go; a somewhat adventurous decision on my end given how such cuisine is not something which I would usually go for. Nonetheless, I must say I am satisfied with at least the Musakka and Sutlac (Rice Pudding) that I had ordered — these are without a doubt something which I would order again at any Mediterranean/Turkish cuisine establishment that I may visit in the future!