Tarshish, Wood Green

Generally speaking, I am not the biggest fan of Turkish/Mediterranean food. I tend to find it all the same, once you’ve had one shish taouk, you’ve had them all. But it is refreshing when you come across a restaurant that bypasses all your previous misconceptions and forces you to think differently.

Cue Tarshish – a Turkish and Mediterranean restaurant situated in the heart of North London’s Turnpike Lane. Hard to miss, the black stylish exterior really stands out in the old town centre of Haringey. First and foremost, we need to discuss the stylistic interiors that this restaurant brings. The dark, wood, modern interiors and wide spaces span 3 floors, with the top floor showing off one of the coolest features I have seen in a restaurant across London for a while – a convertible roof fit for any weather!

The food started coming out one dish at a time, enough to feed a few hungry foodies (or a small country!) The starters came out in all their might and glory,…

Now, I can’t talk about all of the starters as we’d be here all day, but here is a little about some of my favourites not to be missed:

Borek (£6)- a traditional Turkish pastry filled with feta. What looked like the Indian samosa (a heavy meat filled pastry) but was far from it – the pastry was light and the feta strangely refreshing.

Iskender Kebab (£19)- not your standard kebab, this is not a starter but more a sharing plate. A dish worth trying, the perfect combination of chicken and lamb.

With all this food, we needed some mocktails to wash this food down.. if you don’t like what you see on the menu, why not ask the bartender to create what you feel like and see them recreate it for you to perfection!

Mains… There were too many different meats on our table..

Some of the best of the mains on the menu were my favourite – Wagyu Rib Eye Steak and the infamous Macaroni Cheese.

The wagyu steak was a beautiful piece of meat – the meat was cooked medium-rare to perfection. The steak, priced at £35, was cheap compared to some other wagyu steaks I have had around London.

As far away from Turkish-Mediterranean cuisine as you can find, this Mac & Cheese (£4) was actually one of the best I’ve tasted. The stringy cheese, which you will have seen over and over on social media, is just one of the pros of this dish. A light condiment (not a term often used to describe this dish) to the heavy meats, the mac cheese is a must try at Tarshish.

Finally… dessert – I have a huge sweet tooth, so I was as surprised as the next person, when after an amazing meal I wasn’t blown away by the desserts. The chocolate volcano was less than mediocre, the creme brulee not the best dish and far too much of a sugary layer, the tiramisu – average, not creamy enough and too powdery. My favourite was the Warm Baklava – a beautiful baklava cake which should be more hyped on the menu and on social media in my opinion.

Overall, the experience was a great one. The interior and atmosphere of the restaurant itself gives you a sense of what you can expect of the food – a step above the rest. Any place that plays a drum and bass remix of the Game of Thrones theme song has full marks from me. More than that, Tarshish serves some food that is a class above its own at a super reasonable price. What makes it even better, it that its’ owners 3 young London-bred guys with a passion for good food and tradition is shown in every aspect of this meal – less of a meal, more of an experience. Wood Green, a place a central girl like me tries to avoid, the location of Tarshish feels a bit out of its calibre, it almost feels as though we need a piece of Tarshish in Mayfair.. Watch this space!

Food – 8 out of 10 
Service – 7 out of 10
Price – 9 out of 10
Atmosphere – 9 out of 10 
Experience – 8 out of 10

Overall, giving Tarshish a total TLH score of 8.5 out of 10.

Address: Wood Green High Road, London, N22 6BX
Website: http://tarshish.co.uk/
Halal Status: Fully halal but alcohol is served.
Closest Station: Turnpike Lane (Piccadilly Line)

PS. This meal was complimentary but all thoughts are my own.