You'll just love talking Turkey with Bahar

A WEEK'S family holiday spent in Turkey recently offered up the delights of brilliant sunshine, boat trips down the stunning river Dalyan to swim in a warm Mediterranean sea, similarly refreshing ice-cold Efes Pilsen - and lots of delicious food.

Forget any lazy reference to greasy kebabs, Turkish cuisine has been influenced by one of the most powerful and diverse kingdoms the world has ever seen, being at heart of the Ottoman Empire. East meets west in Turkey and the cuisine, at its best, reflects such a rich melting pot.

We thrived on wholesome breakfasts with plenty of sun-ripened fruit, bread and olives; pancakes for lunch, with honey or lemon and sugar, and a wide choice of freshly prepared local dishes for dinner.

Figs, walnuts, pistachios, grapes and apricots, tasty meats, herbs and spices, you name it and Turkey has it.

And the pizza may well have been invented in Turkey too, called pide and consisting of a flat bread made from wheat and filled with mincemeat or cheese and vegetables.

Since returning to a Scotland in the throes of autumn, a hankering to sample more fare from that fascinating country's larder has been nagging at me like a shrew. So, having heard good things about Hanedan, a relative newcomer on West Preston Street, a trip to the southside was in order.

Hanedan is run by the genial Gursel Bahar, a man who obviously enjoys his work and takes pride in the fruits of his labour.

Bahar hails from Bodrum, where he worked as a waiter before moving to London and earning his crust as a chef, including a nine-year stint with Sir Terence Conran at his Quaglino's Restaurant in St James.

He also honed the cooking skills of his homeland alongside Haci Akdoganat, head chef of the Sofra Restaurants, and the cuisine at Hanedan thankfully is straight out of Turkey.

With a refreshing openness Bahar reveals that a couple of the dishes are brought in from outside, like the stuffed vine leaves, and olive-oil braised red kidney beans from the cold meze.

But by far the majority of dishes are prepared to order on the premises, fresh as a Turkish lemon tree grove.

For starters there is a choice from hot and cold meze and we chose two from each. The humus was perfect, with enough sesame oil, lemon juice and garlic to give it both kick and a palate-invigorating zing.

The herkes bayildi (roast aubergine, onion, tomato sauce and herbs) wasn't the finest aubergine dish I've ever tasted but was perfectly good and sat well with the helim izgara (grilled haloumi cheese).

However, the oven-baked minced lamb meatballs (firin kofte) were on a par with the humus and simply oozing with flavour.

Served with fresh pitta bread and succulent olives, this tasty array could be taken as a modest lunch for two. Certainly the lazelar mixed meze starter for a minimum of two people offers six dishes for £6.75 and would easily constitute a meal in itself.

However, we had also ordered a main of marinated grilled lamb on a skewer to share, accompanied by perfectly cooked and very tasty rice.

The lamb was garnished with dried thyme rather than fresh, but having seen dizzying arrays of vibrant looking dried herbs at a Turkish market recently, this may be viewed in a more authentic light - and in any case the meat was tender, succulent and grilled to perfection.

We also found room for a feta salad, adding to the fresh, healthy kick to be enjoyed when such cuisine is given justice.

No pancakes here, but the baklava for dessert was just right, the filo pastry flaky and light, the nuts gooey but still crunchy and the whole honey-syrup extravagance providing a wickedly sweet finale along with a Turkish coffee.

By this stage I was struggling to finish even one of the three pieces offered but a carton was supplied without fuss, to be taken home so two young girls could also recapture a taste of their holiday.

The interior of Hanedan is as light and refreshing as the food, with the generally plain decor brought to life by tasteful and subtle touches, lending a warm and intimate feel to the small space.

We sat in a cosy little alcove through the back and viewed fellow diners and the blustery street outside through a paneless window in an interior wall; the desired return to Turkey, albeit fleetingly, had been realised.

Bahar also has a sense of humour, with a small section on the menu devoted to helping diners improve their Turkish. Included are such useful phrases as 'Not tonight', 'I smoke a packet a day', and the intriguing 'Bisiklet pompani alabilir-miyim?' (May I borrow your bicycle pump?).

If you are yet to be seduced by Turkish cuisine, this is the place to be converted. For those already hooked or for lovers of the nutritious and delicious, Hanedan can provide the perfect fix.

• Hanedan, 41-42 West Preston Street, 0131-667 4242

The bill

Humus £2.70
Herkes bayildi £3.20
Helim izgara £3.60
Firin kofte £3.60
Feta salad £1.90
Kuzu shish £7.90
Baklava £3.20
Large bottle of mineral water £1.90
Efes Pilsner £2.50
Turkish coffee £1.90
Glass of wine £2.65
House bottle £11
Total £46.05

Quality of food ****
Menu choice ****
Surroundings ****
Service ****
Value ****