Seafood Mezze Platter for two: Smoked Salmon, Crispy Baby Calamari, Fish Kofte,
Deep Fried Prawn, Baba Ganoush, Tabbouleh and Tarama

Although I’m a big fan of Turkish food, I don’t eat it as often as I would like. Despite passing through Victoria station daily on my commute, I must confess I haven’t really explored many eating establishments in the area. However, with Victoria station getting redeveloped at the moment and hot new venues such Kouzu opening, Belgravia and Pimlico are rising spots to watch on London’s culinary scene.

Nice touch: Our napkins were wrapped in ribbon in our cosy and luxurious dining booth

Located on Wilton Road, Kazan is a large double-fronted restaurant offering Ottoman cuisine. We were a table of seven ladies celebrating a friend’s birthday and were fortunate enough to be given a plush booth with silk cushions – a very enticing prospect which would be hard to leave. The interiors featured a mix of Turkish-influence and contemporary, leaving a modern and romantic atmosphere. One of our party was quite late and fortunately the staff were patient and obliging as we delayed ordering and occupied ourselves with the cocktail list. Usually I don’t associate Turkish restaurants with cocktails, however, Kazan has an extensive list of concoctions (including virgin cocktails) at reasonable prices. I ordered a Dusty Emerald (Belvedere vodka, apple juice, brown sugar and fresh lime, served with a light cinnamon dusting), which was refreshing and fruity and at £6.50 a good price.

A frequent problem I have when eating out is ordering too big starters, which often leave me too stuffed for dessert (a damn shame, as I love desserts!) so I was pleased to see Kazan offered various sharing platters. My friend was of similar mind so we split a Seafood Mezze Platter (£18.95), which included Smoked Salmon, Crispy Baby Calamari, Fish Kofte, Deep Fried Prawn, Baba Ganoush, Tabbouleh and Tarama. The ganoush, tabbouleh and tarama balanced out the dish so it wasn’t too fishy, with the cold salmon a nice contrast to the hot calamari and prawn.

Cooked to perfection: The Hellimi Kebab wasn’t too chewy or salty

The mains menu offered an appetising choice of grilled meats and fish dishes, but I was drawn to the vegetarian menu due to the Hellimi kebab – a Hellimi and mixed vegetable skewer, chargrilled served with bulgar (£12.95). The chefs had cooked the Halloumi cheese just right – not too chewy or salty and the chargrill really brought our the flavour. It was a perfect sized portion for me and I really enjoyed the whole dish. Despite having room, I opted for a Turkish apple tea to finish as I was continuing the evening in a bar and didn’t want to feel stuffed.

Overall, our party really enjoyed the evening. Our booth was incredibly comfortable and gave us a good view of the restaurant. I really liked the mix of modern and Turkish influence to the interiors. The food was delicious, the drinks were lovely and the bill came to a reasonable price. I’ll definitely be back again.

• Kazan, 93-94 Wilton Road, Victoria, SW1V 1DW. Nearest station: Victoria. For more information and booking, visit the Kazan website.

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