New Restaurant opening on Forest Hill Road

[ZEHRA]

Hello everyone

Its true, the Anatolia on forest hill road, is opening with a completly different feel. It will be better and more delicious than ever. but we need your help. We would welcome any suggestions on this forum about things you would like to see at the restaurant. we are planning to open in the next few months. Any suggestions????

Thanks

The Anatolia team

[Nero]

As well as good food, good service is a must. Don't cram too many people in, don't have waitresses or waiters that can't understand what people are saying, be clean and be efficient. I never went to Anatolia before, but I will give it a go if it looks good.

I suspect people on here will want a starter, main, couple of drinks and a coffee for about ?25 or less, including service (10% - and let us decide whether we want to pay it or not!).

Good luck and keep us posted.

[brum]

I agree with Nero. A quietly efficient service, ie, not the OTT in-your-face slow service, but the simple, friendly polite and prompt-when-needs-to-be service. If you already do this, then I apologise for stating the blinkin' obvious! A nice touch would be free sundries - you know, bread, olives or similar served as you come to sit down. Are you asking for help on decor as well? Subtle lighting but not so dark you can't see your food. Warm ambience maybe helped by candles and carefully selected background music - and make sure the place is warm enough in the winter and cool in the summer. I hate eating whilst wearing my coat to keep warm (The Sea Cow springs to mind).

[PeckhamRose]

Agreed.

And don't allow women (or men) to change the nappies of their babies on the seats.

And you are allowed to have dogs as long as they are not in the area where the food is being prepared.

;)

Oh - and dispense with the candles for me, they make me cough lots.

[Growlybear]

Anatolia was always my favourite restaurant for miles around. If you are really reopening as Anatolia with the same management, rather than opening as a different restaurant but with the same name, then please don't change a thing! Please keep the old menu, and most importantly, use the same supplier for your meat!

[James]

See my comment on the other thread - veggie options would be great

[val]

I'm with Growlybear on this one and the service has always been good and the staff friendly and efficient.

[Moos]

Can we just have one thread on this topic?

[TJ]

Have a look at your neighbours.

The herne do a good, well priced menu in a place that is family friendly.

Si Mangia do good italian well priced food and are family friendly

The cafe on peckham rye doe a good balanced array of foods and is family friendly.

Seeing a trend here??

Keep the food authentic, well priced, some good wines (which do not need to be expensive) and make sure there is room for the mums on maternity during the day and there is a changing station in BOTH toilets and you should be onto a winner.

Put me down for a table on your opening night. I'm a big fan of the food the old anatolia did.

[Nero]

Family friendly can mean many things to many people. Do a search on this site to see just how contentious and divisive a topic it is and plan accordingly, ZEHRA!

[180176]

Family friendly would be good - that means highchairs available, changing facilities, kids menu or portions and even little packets of crayons and colouring pads, or similar (both cafe rouge and carluccios always give kids some little bit of nonsense to play with and it helps keep things quiet for those who don't like to sit in restaurants where there are kids and families). On that note, possibly have a family section and a section for those who don't want to sit near kids etc. Always seems a shame to me that it upsets some people's dining experience to be near families (I think/hope the mum changing child on the table episode was fairly exceptional!!) but can also understand that everyone is entitled to enjoy a meal in their own way, so maybe separate sections would be a good idea?

[Nero]

Family friendly can mean many things to many people. Do a search on this site to see just how contentious and divisive a topic it is and plan accordingly!

[Growlybear]

If you're going to be in the same premises, it will still be quite a small restaurant, and I assume that you will still only open in the evenings. At the risk of upsetting some people, there are now a number of 'child friendly' restaurants in the area, so I would love to see the new Anatolia towards adults who would prefer NOT to have to spend their hard earned money eating in a restaurant packed full of children at night.

[Jeremy]

I've never eaten in a restaurant packed full of children at night in East Dulwich. I don't know which ones you've been going to...

[AllyCat]

Yum - any new restaurant in the area is great news.... so nice to be able to walk back home after a meal instead of having to squish onto public transport!

I don't know the old Anatolia - what food did they do there??

As for what I like a restaurant - good food, good service, a decent booking system.... warm enough for those that need it (me!) and cool enough for those that don't (him!)... maybe a special offer once in a while too? Space enough between the tables so you don't have your butt scraping the next tables dinner as you squeeze past... and tap water made readily available....

Good luck with the opening - we'll be there to support you!

[Penguin68]

Just to copy over the answer to the last question from the now closed 'other thread' - in case anyone else is till interested.

The Anatolia has had two incarnations so far - it opened again 2-3 years ago having been shut for about 5 years - when it reopened it was almost unchanged (menu/ decor even prices!). This wasn't a bad thing as the style of cooking (Turkish Cypriot) offered far lighter and more subtle dishes than the equivalent Greek Cypriot, although in the same general style. The (Turkish) red wine and Turkish beers were excellent (for the price), and the welcome was always warm. I am not sure that the style of cooking was actually Anatolian (most of the Anatolians in Northern Cyprus are late arrivals, shipped in to boost numbers by the Turkish government - so Northern Cyprus does not have a strong Anatolian tradition of cooking). The food however was always well and consistently cooked and spiced, and the menu was (relatively) short and very much to a theme, so you did not feel there were freezers full of boil-in-the-bag waiting for an order. It was never gourmet eating, but neither was it gourmet prices, and it was always, in my experience, entirely 'honest' in its cooking and presentation - it delivered what it promised. In both incarnations they never took cards (always cash or cheque). I look forward to seeing what changes are implemented - with the hope that the quality (which was good) still improves, and the prices stay competitive.

[FredCasa]

Please give us good, authentic mezze!

[Amysdad]

We loved Anatolia2 and hope it opens again. I would cut the menu whilst adding a couple of veggie options and possibly open up the garden in the summer. Otherwise leave it; the food was pretty good, service great and superb value.

[the-e-dealer]

Put a few veggie dishes on the Menu and I will be there!

[Cassius]

Turkish cuisine has some of the best vegetarian food around - apparently there are over 100 aubergine dishes - so I'd love to see more choice for those of us who don't want to eat grilled meat (however delicious it might smell!)

[Ms T]

Mehmet sends his regards and looks forward to dropping in, when you open (again).;-)

[the-e-dealer]

Well the old Anatolia was pretty limited on veggie food and they asked what we wanted

[louisiana]

Short menus are fine.

Don't be afraid to put things on the menu i.e. don't just cater for lowest common denominator. Be adventurous in *something* (just one thing) on the menu. That will ensure that people will travel a little way/go out of their way to taste your wares. There are restaurants I travel miles to, just because they do a certain rhubarb meringue or lovely fresh anchovies. Actually, when I get there, they sometimes don't have it, and I forgive them, because they have other lovely stuff.

As others have mentioned, but these are true for all restaurants really:

- service: attentive; that is not obsessive, but not ignoring. The ideal service is that given by a reasonably intelligent human being, who has not been required to observe - by their manager - some bizarre ritual. (The one that always drives me mad is whisking away the bottle of wine to another table.)

- lighting: not too bright. So, low general (room) lighting, and some lighting at table. That generally works fine.

- distance between tables: there needs to be some. If someone is pushing into me every time they go to the toilet, and if I can hear what they are whispering to their co-diner, then we are too close. As a diner, I need to have some personal space. I am okay with people charging me some money to achieve that.

I wish you all the best. We currently have Turkey on the brain (we're walking the Lycian Way this May) and we will undoubtedly pop in when you open, so keep EDF posted on developments.

[Amysdad]

& do a good fresh chilli sauce, like at Efes I; Gt Titchfield St.

[Cassius]

Sorry off topic - wow louisiana - the Lycian way. Do please report back when you have been, I stayed near part of the route outside Kalkan and thought that would make a fantasic holiday. I hope you have a marvellous time.