We had a really great meal at Namli in New Brunswick. The name says Mediterranean and Turkish but it seemed very Turkish to me. This was our first time but I think it’s the best Turkish I’ve found in NJ. They even have a parking lot which is a big deal in New Brunswick. The service was very good including a pitcher of water being brought out immediately and left without being requested. The server asked if he should start the entree or wait a few minutes after delivering the appetizers. (we had him wait) I hate when the entrees arrive before we’ve finished with apps. The chef even came out to check how we liked everything.
We were given a very generous basket of pita’s with a nice dipping sauce of finely chopped sun dried tomatoes and spices in oil. For apps we had a small Namli salad (which can serve 4 in my opinion) of finely chopped tomatoes, onions, pomegranate juice, parsley, walnuts and spices. It was really great but needed a little bit of salt. We also had Ezme (spicy chopped tomatoes, green and red peppers, walnuts, garlic and extra virgin olive oil), Casik (Yogurt mixed with chopped cucumber, garlic, fresh mint and fresh dill) and Icli Kofte (Ground meat in a bulgar shell). All were the real thing although the Icli Kofte were good they were not as not as good in Turkey, the rest were just as good.
With so many apps we split one entree combo of lamb chops and Doner with bulgar and vegetables. The Doner is the genuine article, lamb and beef sliced off a vertical spit. Not the cones of processed meat most places have but real meat stacked, seasoned, roasted and sliced off. The lamb chops were cooked perfectly. Both the lamb chops and the Doner were the best I’ve had in NJ.
Dessert was Kunefe and Baklava. The Baklava was good, but the Kunefe was great.
We’ll need to return to try more things and make sure today wasn’t a fluke but we couldn’t stop talking about what a great find this place is.