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| - Located at an Etobicoke stripmall just east of the Kipling to Bloor/Dundas fork, Anatolia was easy to find. Approach slowly, however, as you may miss the entrance to the lot! The parking is limited up front, and many of the vacant spots have signs reserving the parking for only customers of specific stores at the plaza. Coincidentally, we were able to find an unrestricted parking spot in front of another Turkish establishment in the plaza, specializing in coffee and dessert.
Anatolia is quaintly decorated, and we were lucky to be seated at the street-facing table for two by the front window, which was lit plentifully with natural light. Having not had much exposure to Turkish cuisine before, our server graciously provided us with recommendations on what she felt her restaurant did best.
Of her recommendations, we ended up ordering the manti (mini dumplings filled with seasoned ground beef and topped with garlicky yogurt, mint, hot, golden butter and paprika - $18) and the mixed plate (grilled chicken shish kebab, flame broiled Izkara kofte, lahmacun - $23). We also added an order of patlican kizartmasi (fried eggplant served with garlicky yogurt and a light tomato sauce - $12) to start.
My best description for the eggplant dish would be that it was similar to an eggplant parmesan but using much thicker cuts of eggplant and omitting the breading. The garlicky yogurt taste was what gave it distinction. I enjoyed this dish but think its more suited for sharing between 3-5 people.
The mixed plate contained flavours I was more accustomed to from other Mediterranean cuisines. Of this plate, the chicken was the real standout. It was perfectly prepared, and I can't think of a word superlative enough to describe its tenderness. The kofte and lahmacun were also very good, but the chicken is an item that would get me to make a repeat visit.
Our Manti dumplings came last, and we were both taken aback by how beautifully plated of a dish it was with its vibrant greens, reds, and yellows. After snapping a couple pictures we mixed everything up and tried the dumplings for the first time. Compared to its relatives from other cuisines (ex. perogies, Chinese dumplings), I think these definitely had much more complex flavours. The dumplings were densely packed and had almost a gnocchi-like consistency. Very addicting, but another dish that I thought would be better for sharing between a larger number of people.
Prior to dinner, we had decided that depending on how we felt about the restaurant, we would get baklava from Anatolia or the other Turkish establishment we parked in front of. However, upon viewing the dessert menu we quickly changed course and ended up getting two black Turkish coffees and keskul (light creamy milk pudding, infused with crushed almonds, shredded coconuts, vanilla and lemon zest - $7) to share.
The keskul was reminiscent of almond rice milk puddings I had in my childhood, and thus I really enjoyed it. As described, it was very light and wasn't too sweet. It paired perfectly with our Turkish coffee, which was very dark.
Overall, I have absolutely no complaints about Anatolia, and will definitely be making a return visit, hopefully in the near future. There are so many dishes that I want to try. If you're into doing family-style meals with a larger group, I'd highly recommend this place as the servings seemed to be perfect for groups of 3-5, and potentially even larger! As of this writing, this place is my recommendation for a taste of Turkey in the GTA. Keep it up!
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