Great food but the bill left a bit of a sour taste

Well, not much has changed.

The food, from the first mouthful to the last was a delight. And the fact that I hadn’t been there in a while - probably this time last year - made it even more pleasurable.

I love the modern and bright decor with all the glass and the stone walls, and the open kitchen adds a certain something.

The service was, as ever, polite and helpful without being fussy, and the background music, along with half a dozen other tables at 5pm on a Saturday, provided a nice enough atmosphere.

But at the end of the day, I just didn’t feel it had ticked all the boxes for a great meal out with the family, as it had done on previous occasions. My main gripe was the bill, which was correct as I checked it, just seemed a little on the steep side.

We started with a hotmeze to share (£13.95), which I am sure was a good couple of pounds more expensive than a year ago

As I have said, it was very enjoyable. The falafel - a mashed chickpeas, broad beans and fresh vegetable fritter - were both crunchy and tasty, but very small.

Two sigara borek - delightful crunchy filo pastry filled with warm feta cheese and parsley - were joined by three kalamari rings, which were nicely cooked and tasty.

The halloumi , just starting to melt, was lovely and the sucuk izgara - two slices of chargrilled spicy beef sausage - was everything I expected.

Donna followed up with chicken shish (£10.95). Other than the portion seemingly smaller than on previous visits it was a winner.

The cubes of chicken breast were as soft and succulent as you could hope for, and the rice and salad were perfectly palatable.

I always try to go with the lamb - the Adana ( chargrilled, skewered minced lamb) has served me well 
in the past, as have the cutlets.

On this occasion it was the lamb ribs (£10.95) which won me over. Half a dozen ribs, nicely seasoned and with charring from being cooked over the coals adding to the flavour.

There was plenty of soft, succulent meat to gnaw on - although it did prove messy.

The rice proved decent enough and the rocket-loaded salad was perfectly fine with me.

The girls had meat balls and chicken nuggets with chips (£5.95), which included a fruit drink ( topped up free of charge).

Both meals were a good size, not at all greasy, with a refreshing salad portion.

The food, absolutely no complaints, but add on just over £10 for a beer and glass of wine then a £7 service charge and the bill came to £65, which just left a bit of a sour taste.

VENUE: The Turkish Kitchen, New Road, Peterborough. Tel 01733 555167 www.myturkishkitchen.co.uk