Brighton Marina. Lovely views of the sea and the boats, but we’ll be honest, it’s not usually top of our destination list when we’re after a great meal. We’re put off by the more-than-liberal helping of identikit chains so it’s been a while since we ventured that way to eat. But we were invited to try a new Turkish restaurant over that way, so like the intrepid explorer-eaters we are, off we duly went. And guess what, we’re really glad we did.
Owned by Aydin Unat, Aydo Lounge and Grill opened in July, taking over the prime Boardwalk spot previously occupied by American grill Coast to Coast. Unat’s been running restaurants in Turkey for over 30 years, but this is his first venture in Brighton.
First of all, the staff are delightful: warm, friendly and, thank goodness, infinitely patient. They needed to be. We started off outside so we could look out over the sexy Marina – they’ve got a large terrace overlooking those sexy yachts – but in true Brit fashion, quickly realised it was too hot for us (it was around 25C that day). So up we got, moving inside to the light-filled conservatory with its floor-to-ceiling windows – even hotter – before finally ending up at the back where it was much cooler. Phew.
Wherever you end up sitting, you’ve got a fabulous view: either of the theatrics taking place at the swanky bar and open kitchen, with its huge charcoal grill, that line the back of the restaurant, or the water and boats on the quayside if you’re sat on the (dog-friendly) terrace or in the conservatory.
It’s an absolutely enormous space, but despite the fact we were eating early at 5.30pm, it was pretty busy inside and out, so there was still a good atmosphere.
Style-wise, it’s a world away from its bland American predecessor and it’s a pretty glitzy affair. A red carpet leads you inside where the restaurant name is emblazoned in lights on the walls, pink blossoms and gold pendant lights drip from the ceiling, while (actually comfortable) plush chairs and banquettes in rose pink, teal and peacock green offset the swanky black marble floors and tables, all sourced from Turkey.
As much as we love a good aesthetic, we came for the food and drink. We’d seen their cocktails on Instagram, so were keen to find out if they looked (and tasted) as good in the flesh. Reader, we were not disappointed.
The strawberry frozen daiquiri was infinitely Instagrammable with its edible metallic spheres, glitter and dried fruit garnishes placed just so, and, importantly, it was also well mixed and went down a treat.
The passionfruit martini had a decent kick of vodka and was also pretty as a picture, and the perfect refreshing antidote to the heat. Our pregnant dining companion was also impressed with the non-alcoholic versions.
We’re not terribly decisive when faced with an expansive menu – and Aydo’s is fairly sizeable – so we asked our friendly waiter, Ismail, for recommendations.
Aydo bills itself as a Turkish and Middle Eastern restaurant, so we were slightly confused about an entire page of the menu devoted to Argentine asado, but were told that this was due to the owner’s love and connection with Argentina.
On Ismail’s recommendation, we kicked off with the cold platter to share, a vibrant selection of six different dishes, impressively presented with Turkish balloon bread on a long board.
The hummous and the Turkish equivalent of tzatziki (cacik) were as good as we expected, but it was the four less-familiar dishes that kept us coming back for more.
The pink lady salad – beetroot, mayonnaise, Greek yoghurt and olive oil – was pleasingly creamy and chunky, while the saksuka – aubergine and pepper cooked in a light garlic tomato sauce – happily, didn’t skimp on the garlic.
Kisir, a bulgar wheat salad a bit like tabbouleh, was fresh and herby with some gentle chilli heat. The full chilli punch was clearly being saved for the flavour-packed ezme chilli (ezme is Turkish for ‘crushed’), a meet-cute between a spicy salsa and a salad and our favourite of the bunch.
Platters are always a good choice as they allow you to get a taster of so many different dishes, but sometimes you can feel a bit short-changed. That wasn’t the case here as the portions were very generous – we needed more bread – so we could keep going back for more. And more.
Next up, the mains. It’s Turkish-owned and first and foremost a Turkish grill restaurant, so we stayed traditional, opting for a simple mixed vegetarian shish and a traditional Turkish ottoman chicken kebab.
Both dishes were perfectly cooked with the chicken and the veg having a pleasing chargrilled flavour (that’s the charcoal grill in action), but they lacked the punch of the cold platter dishes. Maybe we were just spoilt by the ezme chilli at this point. Again, the portion sizes were huge, served with a half sphere of soft white rice and a large salad – come hungry!
Can you go to a Turkish or Middle Eastern restaurant and not have baklava for dessert? Well, maybe YOU can, but we can’t. We can never resist the deliciously flaky honey-soaked pastry and we weren’t disappointed with the multiple pistachio-studded layers here either. The camera didn’t eat first though, sorry. Like a moth to a flame, we just couldn’t resist its sticky sweetness. Served with ice-cream, we split the huge portion between the two of us and still struggled to finish it (don’t worry, we managed. Never let it be said that we left a pudding unfinished).
Noticing it was dark outside, we realised we’d been there for a whopping 3.5 hours. That’s no reflection on the service, which was swift, friendly and efficient, but more on the hospitality and comfort offered by the restaurant. Having sat on some epically uncomfortable chairs in our time, that’s no easy feat. Needless to say, we’ll be back.
This is usually the point where we make a terrible pun, something along the lines of ‘do you know a good Turkish restaurant in Brighton?’ ‘Yes, Ay-do.’ But then we realised we’re not sure whether it’s pronounced eye-do or eh-do, so we won’t.
Sundays to Thursdays, midday – 11.30pm and Fridays to Saturdays, midday to midnight
3 Boardwalk, Waterfront, Brighton Marina, BN2 5WA
aydorestaurant.co.uk
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