The main road through Dalston and up to Stoke Newington is a haven for Turkish restaurants. Of the many places there, The Stone Cave may boast a most unusual name, not to mention some odd décor, but it is, however, very much worth a visit.

The Venue
The Stone Cave certainly lives up to its name because that is exactly what it looks like. Think of The Flintstones: the tables are roughly hewn from wood with bench type seats to match. The walls curve in and out, much as real cave walls might have done back in the Stone Age. Hanging from the ceiling are imitation stalactites and there are colourful lanterns to add a touch of class. The restaurant is divided in half with space in the middle for the bar and a stage for live music and belly dancing at weekends. Walk to the back of the room, go down a few steps, and you are into the other half of the restaurant.

The Atmosphere
The Stone Cave looks like a mini night club and weekends must be a riot with live music and belly dancing. Lunchtime is probably more subdued but retains a pleasant ambience in which to dine. Atmosphere is only relevant as long as the food is good and The Stone Cave provides a handsome menu of all things Turkish. The hosts are welcoming, the service efficient and friendly and there’s no rush because you can enjoy a meal here at your leisure. Portions are on the generous side so it is probably just as well to eat and drink here without worrying about the time.

The Food
Where do you begin? Obviously with the starters of which there are some thirty on the menu, divided into hot and cold dishes, many of which will appeal to vegetarians. The cold fare includes hummus (chickpeas and tahini), saksuka (aubergine, peppers, and tomatoes), barbunya pilaki (red beans and tomato sauce), feta cheese (with or without melon) and Russian salad. To try several of the starters (£3.50 - £6.50), choose the mixed meze (£7.50), with five different hors d’oeuvres such as the creamy hummus plus cacik, refreshing cucumber, garlic and yoghurt, kisir, the cracked wheat dish, broad beans in yoghurt sauce, and ezme, a dish of spicy chopped tomatoes with onion, peppers and parsley. All these make a fine combination of flavours and they all go well with chunks of hot bread. The Stone Cave special (£9.45) is a mixed meze plus a prawn cocktail.

The hot starters (£4.50 - £5.50) offer a similar selection and the mixed hot meze (£9.95) comprising six items: karisik dolma, juicy vine leaves stuffed with rice, tomatoes, onion, pine nuts and herbs; imam bayildi, delicious aubergine stuffed with onion, tomato, peas, chick peas and peppers, served with yoghurt; toothsome deep-fried rings of calamari; spicy falafel, a paste of chickpeas, broad beans, peppers and onion served with hummus; hellim, the yielding toasted halloumi cheese; and borek, tasty little hot pastries filled with feta cheese. This is another great combination and for some diners that might appear to be more than enough to be going on with. However, as they say, there’s more…

A dozen or so kebab dishes (£8.50 - £12.95) include chicken, quail, several ways with lamb, in ribs, chops, cubed or minced, an aubergine kebab and mixed kebabs with a sample of several of the aforementioned. All come with rice and salad. There are also seven kinds of kebab served with yoghurt sauce. Other dishes include a choice of fish dishes, salmon, sea bream, sea bass, king prawns, and vegetarian specials such as dolma, moussaka, vegetable kebabs and other aubergine dishes. One of the best of the kebab dishes is lokma kebab (£11.95) made from boneless lamb fillet which is grilled to make a marvellously tender dish packed with flavour that is just simple perfection on a plate.

A further list of traditional Turkish dishes (£7.95-£10.95) yields karni yarik, aubergine filled with minced meat and tomato; icli kofte, meat balls of minced meat with herbs and cracked wheat served with yoghurt; tavlik sote, chicken in a sauce of tomato, garlic, onion, peppers, mushrooms and white wine; and sac tava, two excellent dishes that arrive in a wide, thin metal plate resembling a wok. There’s a choice of lamb (etli sac tava) or chicken (tavuklu sac tava). The meat is cubed into tiny pieces with chopped up green peppers, onion, herbs and garlic and the result, judging by the chicken dish, which is served with rice, is totally delicious. Its flavour has an appealing sweetness that is quite tantalising to the tastebuds. This really is a piece de resistance.

Finish the meal with a choice from the selection of luscious desserts and ice creams (£2.95 and £3.45) such as banoffie pie, wild strawberry cheesecake, tiramusu and chocolate fudge cake. The last two are both good but for a real Turkish treat try the sutlac, a lovely creamy rice pudding, and the baklava, those sticky, honey and nut pastries for those with a really sweet tooth.

The Drink
To the full line-up of beers, spirits and cocktails can be added a list of reasonably priced wines (£13.95 - £19.95) including Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio, Bourgogne Aligote, Macon Villages and Sancerre in the whites, and Cabernet, Merlot, Rioja, Beaujolais and Fleurie in the reds. There is also Turkish wine, Villa Doluca in both white and red. The latter is a nicely robust wine and, at just £3 a glass or £11.95 a bottle, it’s really good value too. There are three rose wines on offer while Champagne is priced from £24.95 for the house bottles. Finish the meal with Turkish coffee, thick and a proper boost to the system.

The Last Word
For good traditional Turkish cuisine The Stone Cave is hard to beat and is certainly a place to be recommended. The warm welcome and the live music and belly dancing would enhance any festive or weekend celebratory party. It’s nothing pretentious, just good, honest food served in cheerful surroundings. A true Turkish delight.

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