Cappadocia which in Persian means the land of beautiful horses, is a region in inland Turkey , better known for its underground cities which were used by the Christian population to hide from the Roman persecutors. Cappadocia Café Restaurant has made its name serving authentic Turkish-Mediterranean food at Robertson Walk. Having established itself at Robertson Walk, the restaurant's Chef Ismet is demystifying the charms of Turkish cuisine by bringing them right to the heart of town at Hotel Rendezvous.

• The Vibe
  This second outlet is named Cappadocia Café Quick Bites, offering a modern no frills café setting. The interior is furnished simply and the tables are spaciously arranged. Turkish artifacts are placed at strategic spots around the café. You can also find brochures of tourist destinations in Turkey which give curious customers an insight of what the Turkish tourism industry has to offer. Rosemee, the business manager, adds that they often find themselves as ambassadors of Turkish culture. Therefore, with the opening of Cappadocia Quick Bites, she has slipped into the role as Cappadocia introduces Turkish food to the busy working class and the trendsetting shopping crowd of City Hall and Orchard Road .

• The Food
  Turkish cuisine is characterized by the use of robust flavours and summer vegetables. It has a strong tradition of meze: salads, dips, stuffed grape leaves and such, making up an ensemble of appetizers which can double up as a light meal. Therefore, a good prelude will be their Meze Sampler ($13.90), a combination of a range of traditional Turkish appetizers. Suffice to say this is order is to give you an inductive sampling experience of Turkish appetizers, and some may take a less adventurous palate some getting used to.

  Do try the Hummus ($6.90), a creamy blend of mashed chick peas and tahini (sesame seed paste), with olive oil and spices added and served with sliced pide bread. With tinge of lemon juice, the flavour of hummus is slightly salty, tangy and goes perfectly well with the accompanying pide bread. The Sigara Boregi ($6.90), a rolled savoury pastry with feta cheese stuffed with healthy spinach stuffing is ideal as finger food. You may dip them in Cacik ($6.90, “C” is pronounced as “J”), a mixture of freshly grated cucumbers in yoghurt with fresh dill, mint and garlic. It is refreshing with a tinge of sweetness, likely to be a children's favourite.

  The smaller kitchen at this outlet offers a smaller selection of mains. However, they do have several fine selections. The Pastirma Kasarli ($12.90), a Turkish pizza with sliced roasted lamb, with mozzarella and egg is highly recommended. However, the Doner Kebab Delight ($12.90) which are slices of richly marinated boneless chicken leg served with pilaf rice and side salad was slightly disappointing. A bigger portion of rice might have been better, and the chicken pieces were a tad too dry.

  For desserts, you may try Chef Ismet's Tiramisu ($4.90). It is flavoured with almond essence as rum is a no-no for this halal eatery. An innovative stroke of mastery indeed, as it is no piece of cake to prepare this desert with a twist. For those with a sweet tooth, the Baklava ($3.00) is highly recommended. A crispy filo pastry stuffed with crushed walnuts drizzled with saccharine sweet honey syrup and crushed pistachio nuts, it is heaven for dessert-lovers. The Sutlac ($4.50), which is a baked rice pudding tastes great, but as a dessert, it may be a wee bit too starchy.

  It may be of interest to know that they serve nice warm apple tea ($2.00), which greatly soothes your throat. The Turkish Coffee ($4.50) comes in a cutesy cup, but there's a story behind it. Firstly, you have to let the coffee powder settle before taking small sips of it. When only the powder is left in the cup, overturn the cup on the saucer and your future can be read from the residue.

• The Service
  The service staff is friendly, earnest and helpful. Do not hesitate to ask for their recommendations especially Turkish cuisine is still rather foreign to most people.

SD Food Advisor's take on Cappadocia Café Quick Bites
Cappadocia 's foray into the bustling City Hall and Orchard district will be fraught with difficulties. Turkish cuisine is still much of an alternative cuisine but Cappadocia 's efforts must be applauded as it does serve food of pretty decent quality. In fact, the Chicken Kebab sandwich ($5.00) is an ideal office takeaway as it makes for a light and healthy meal. In this sense, there is great potential for it to evolve into a Turkish fast food outlet.