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As everyone in N16 knows, you don’t have to travel far to sample a whole host of Turkish delights. Some of our local Eastern Med establishments offer café fare by day then are transformed into inviting and inexpensive candlelit restaurants or bistros as dusk falls. After enjoying a pleasant coffee in The Dervish one Saturday lunchtime, Mr & Mrs C decided to book for dinner that evening.

‘Discover the Taste of Authenticity’, is the rather charming exhortation on The Dervish’s fascia, and we discussed what that might mean. Sure, we’d know taramasalata lacked authenticity if it was dayglo pink, but recognising the genuineness or otherwise of more subtle dishes would surely be a challenge beyond the capabilities of most. We turned instead to admiring the distressed-effect décor, with exposed brickwork patches under rough-edged orange plaster. Bread and olives were brought to keep us going.

I couldn’t help thinking the selection of a dozen or so starters looked relatively limited, then realised that a whole page of my menu was absent. There are, in fact, 34 starters and appetizers, ranging from staple mezze, such as hummus and stuffed vine leaves, to more adventurous compositions, including Patlican Salatasi – smoked aubergine puree with tahini and garlic – and an Albanian speciality of shallow fried diced lamb’s liver. Veteran vegetarian Mr C chose Sasuka – deep-fried aubergine, carrots and potatoes finished in the oven. I decided on Midye Tava – mussels served with a garlic sauce.

The Sasuka, though very tasty and fragrantly spicy, was a touch disappointing because it was served cold and slightly al dente, so it was not what one might have expected from the description. The bread also would have benefited from a little warmth. But the mussels were utterly scrumptious: four skewers each holding three juicy, deep-fried bivalves, begging to have lemon juice squeezed on them and be devoured. Although I couldn’t taste the garlic in the sauce, which seemed to me to be plain yogurt, this was redeemed by liberal sprinklings of sumac, the delicious crushed red seeds that add a tangy lemon taste to Levantine cooking.

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Around 30 main courses are offered, including a pleasing number of vegetarian and fish dishes. The dearest item on the menu is Dover Sole at £9.65 – a notably low price for this piscatorial aristocrat. Mr C was drawn to the Ispanak Yamurta, boiled spinach with spices topped with a fried egg, which may sound slightly strange but was pronounced ‘gorgeous’. I ordered Incik: lamb knuckle on the bone baked in its own juice with potatoes and rosemary. The rosemary seemed to have been replaced by bay leaves on this occasion, but the lamb was beautifully tender and succulent. The mains were served with basmati rice and salad garnishes, and the chilli sauce on the side was not the usual orange gloop but a gloriously fiery, finely-chopped salad.

With three Efes beers, a bottle of Yakut wine, a Martell cognac and a Grand Marnier, the bill came to £38, which we thought exceptionally good value. In true Turkish tradition, we were also given delicious rose and lemon liqueurs on the house. Oh yes, and the loos are most attractive. We’ll be back.

Our boozing heads firmly in place by this point, we lurched across Church Street to the Firefly Rhumshack, which was rather like wandering into someone’s warm and welcoming sitting room. First we had a Stella Artois and a Rossini (strawberry purée topped with champagne); then we tried a couple of speciality rums from a choice of over 75. John, the shack’s affable owner, has an eclectic CV which includes serious athletics and silversmithing, as well as the ability to recommend rums to the uninitiated. And the barman is as knowledgeable as a barman should be. We had a great and very late time, and you will too: just don’t go expecting prices comparable to The Dervish.

The Dervish
15 Stoke Newington Church Street, N16
020 7923 9999
Firefly Rhumshack
18 Stoke Newington ChurchStreet, N16
020 7254 2300