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WHAT’S COOKIN’ RESTAURANT REVIEW |
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By AIDAN MUHAMMAD, Contributing Writer
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Doner G- the meat man serves up Turkish cuisine
An often overlooked Mediterranean cuisine is found in Turkey, where Europe and Asia seem to collide in bursts of tastes and styles. The Ottoman’s are credited for the refinement and seamless fusion of this special Mediterranean taste, bringing together Central Asian flavors with that of the Middle East, Baltic and European sensibilities.
The underlying theme in Turkish cuisine is its simplicity in taste, focus on fresh ingredients and subtle textures. Not often found in America, Turkish eating has a new ambassador in Doner G that allows virgin palates to experience some home style Turkish food. Located in Anaheim, off of State College and Ball, Doner G is a new halal Turkish restaurant serving up doner.
A good place to start is with doner, which should be considered the world’s most popular fast food dish.
Found on every street corner in the Middle East as shawarma, doner is the Turkish version of this and what the Greeks call gyro. The Turkish variation, though, originates from the city of Iskandar and infuses spices to enhance the flavor, which is different from shawarma that relies on the natural cooking process.
Donner can be a choice between marinated beef or chicken, served on traditional Turkish or Lavash bread, as a plate with rice or French fries. The sandwiches come with your choice of hot sauce (harissa) or a yogurt sauce with garlic (tzatziki). The price ranges from six to ten dollars.
Iskender Kebab plate is named after the creator of this mouthwatering dish. This Doner G specialty is served the way doner should be eaten, in big servings. The doner is cut into thick slices, placed on Turkish bread, and then basted with tomato sauce on one side and slathered with melted butter and yogurt on the other. The trick to eating this is making sure you get a helping of both sides to balance the contrasting tastes.
Like the culinary styles of China, Turkish food is divided up by region. The Adana kebab is known as kiyma and comes from Adana, one of the largest cities in Turkey. The Adana kebab is made from meat chopped by hand, mixed with red bell pepper, slat and red pepper flakes, mixed and grilled over open fire. Once cooked, lemon juice is sprinkled over it to cut through the taste of meat. Doner G prepares this as a wrap served with tzatziki or harissa sauce, and as plates served with rice or fries.
Kofte, unlike the Middle Eastern kofta kebab, are small palm sized ground lamb meatballs with parsley, herbs, onions and tomatoes to flavor them. Moist and juicy, these kofte are bursting with simple tastes. The Kofte also comes in four variations.
A good order for two people is the Doner G Grill. This plate comes with all the kebabs one can imagine -- Adana, Shish, Chicken -- along with servings of chicken and beef doner. A good side dish to go with this would be an order of lentil soup or Turkish beans. The lentil soup is a silky mix of lentils, flavored with bok choy, garlic, onions and lemon juice. The Turkish beans are a combination of beans cooked in the oven with vegetables and tomato paste to flavor. These two side dishes compliment the kebabs well.
Doner G serves up Turkish food with quick, courteous and welcoming service. The restaurant is large and family friendly. The food is priced well and the servings are plentiful. As ambassadors of Turkish food, they introduce the fusion of Turkish cuisine with style and simplicity, serving halal food with a friendly smile. Doner G is a superb restaurant to dine in, order out, or for catering.
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