Nuneaton set for taste of Turkey this Friday as new restaurant opens – and its kitchen is being led by an award-winning head chef

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Mason Moore | Hinckley Reporter | 9 August 2022

NUNEATON FOODIES will be able to get a taste of Turkey as new family-run restaurant The Palace Istanbul opens its doors with a grand opening this Friday (12 August).

**Inset** (Image: Mason Moore) / **The Palace Istanbul’s three-time award-winning chef, *Faruk* Yavuzel** (Image: Mason Moore)

The Palace Istanbul, which is housed inside of the Grade II* listed former HSBC bank on Newdegate Street, is to serve up both Mesopotamian and Mediterranean dishes.

The kitchen’s head chef is Faruk Yavuzel, a three-time award-winning chef, who has won awards for Best World Cuisine and Turkish Restaurant of the Year. And, he even appeared on TV, where he featured on BBC’s One Show, showing off his cooking skills.

**Pictured: Palace Istanbul owner Mustafa Dogal (centre), with head chef Faruk Yavuzel (right), and other staff members posing with a sharing platter.** (Image: Mason Moore)

Faruk will be cooking up a wide array of his mains on a newly-installed charcoal grill in the kitchen. These include adana kebabı, lamb shish, lamb beyti, chicken kofte, chicken shish, chicken beyti, chicken wings, and a mixed kebab, to name a few.

He will be serving some appetising Turkish sweet treats – baklava and knafeh. Baklava is made with filo pastry, chopped nuts, and syrup. Knafeh is a similar dessert, made with pastry, soaked in syrup, and layered with cheese or clotted cream, or pistachios.

**A selection of mezes, desserts and mains on the menu** (Image: Mustafa Dogal/Palace Istanbul)

To celebrate the opening night, a Birmingham-based belly dancer will be there to wow the crowds and put on a show for them.

Mustafa Dogal, Owner of the Palace Bistro, told the Hinckley Free Press: “All of our staff are really excited for the opening. We’ve wanted to serve Mesopotamian and Mediterranean food for a while now.

‘We’re family-run and some of our staff have been in the catering business for over 40 years. We’re really proud to have Faruk, an award-winning chef, as our head chef – and he is also a family member of mine.

“We have an al-fresco dining area at the front, which is perfect for the warm weather, and we have fans inside, which will give diners eating a breeze of fresh air. We will be serving beer from a Turkish brewery named Efes, and wines specially from Turkey.

“Our next step is opening our rooftop terrace seating area as soon as possible, with support from our costumers, to help create a lovely new place for Nuneaton.”

Faruk Yavuzel commented on the grand opening day. He said: “It will definitely go very well. My speciality dishes are for everyone, and they’re always enjoyed by all. I don’t have one set favourite dish myself – I think that they are all my favourite.

“I specialise in both mesopotamia and Turkish pan and oven cooking. We even have a wide array of vegetarian dishes, as lots of our dishes are made with vegetables. Some of these include the vegetable guvec, falafel, and vegetarian kebab.”

**One of Faruk’s past awards** (Image: Mason Moore)

He further added: “The Palace can cater for parties and functions up to 100 people in or mobile bookings, including weddings.”

To book your table for the opening, you can message their official Facebook page, or head inside, located at The Palace Istanbul, 20 Newdegate Street, CV11 4EU.