The Saturday night Rees family outing was to Antep BBQ, a Turkish restaurant in Hoylake. This is a restaurant that Stephie and Shereef have been to countless times and have always been very complimentary, so we thought we should give it a try.
I will preface this post by warning you that, as Antep BBQ does not currently have a website, I cannot guarantee the names of the dishes we had! This is going to be more description than anything else so apologies!
This is a cute little family-run outfit, unassuming but very friendly and convivial. While we were there on Saturday most of the tables were full, with new people arriving all evening. They have a relaxed approach to dining, chatting with the customers and making everyone feel very welcome.
 |
| Mum Rees and Brother Dave |
 |
| Me and Stephie (looking surprisingly chipper for our night out on the Friday!) |
 |
| Joe (less chipper!) |
For starters we decided to try a range. My favourite thing about restaurants like this is that the starters are particularly disposed to sharing, with little dips and hands-on tasters to get your taste buds going. I am more than happy to admit that I have never been to Turkey, so I cannot comment on the authenticity of any of the food, but suffice to say it was all rather good. We opted for the humous (more! It's a good thing I like chickpeas), the roasted aubergine dip, a gorgeous blended tomato and chilli salad, pan fried liver, chicken wings and feta parcels. The bread was something more akin to a foccacia than a flat bread, but was really tasty and topped with herbs. My particular favourite was the tomato and chilli salad which was rich and spicy, but the roasted aubergine also deserves a recommendation. I didn't get to the chicken wings, but the feta in filo was very good, and the liver an interesting option.
 |
| Antep BBQ - contact info |
 |
| Bread and olives |
 |
| Pan fried liver |
 |
| Feta parcels |
 |
| Chicken wings |
 |
| The tomato and chilli salad |
 |
| Humous |
 |
| Roasted aubergine |
The mains are divided into stews and grilled meats. Although we were recommended the lamb chops, these will have to wait until next time. Joe plumped for grilled spicy chilli chicken thighs with rice and salad, which were tender and juicy with a lovely rub. Stephie, Sue and I all had a variation on the stew theme - Stephie had the vegetarian while I went for chicken and Sue had lamb. Out of the lamb and chicken I think the chicken won out - lots of meat, roasted Mediterranean vegetables and a beautifully spiced sauce. Stephie's veggie option subbed the chicken for feta and okra and also looked great. The lamb just could have benefited from a touch more lamb (!).
They all came with a beautiful salad, a mixture of raw and lightly pickled treats in a delicious dressing, which was a great balance to the rich stew.
 |
| The grill, which looks out onto the restaurant and gives some great theatre. |
 |
| Joe's Turkish lager, Efes |
 |
| The salad |
 |
| The lamb stew |
 |
| The veggie |
 |
| Joe's chicken thighs |
I'll be honest, after such a glutinous day I was absolutely stuffed. Most of the chicken stew came home with us, along with the lamb and vegetables stew (only to be scoffed by Dave after he came in from the pub!). We couldn't face desserts, but did enjoy the marshmallow treats we were given.
All in, it was a lovely meal at a delightful restaurant. Next time I wouldn't choose so many starters, or I'd just go for the starters and skip the mains. Either way, I had a great time and will be going back.
 |
| marshmallow treats |
 |
| Me and the owner. Aww |
