Saray

Such a freezing cold Saturday night, but choosing this restaurant was the best decision. Lovely and cosy inside if the door is shut properly after people entering! It is relatively small, so it was a great idea that the 5 of us had booked a table.
Choosing wine was very simple, then came the selection of starters. We all enjoyed our starters that got our taste buds ticking for the mains. Most of us had some type of lamb dish and couldn’t stop commenting how lovely it was. Such a lot of meat on the lamb shank and lovely sauces with all the dishes we had. Safe to say it was fully enjoyed by all and absolutely stuffed! We requested a pudding to take out which was no problem at all. The place was full at 9pm when we left. Lovely staff, will definitely be returning.

If you fancy some delicious and authentic Turkish food than you should look no further than Saray in Chorlton. I went there last night with a group of friends and was really impressed by what was on offer. The restaurant is small and fills up quickly so I would definitely recommend booking in advance. The place is nice inside and has been done out to make you feel like you are in a Turkish taverna. I ordered the houmous to start which was very tasty and fresh. It was also accompanied by loads of pita bread. For main I went for the Saray veggie delight which turned out to be a good choice as I was able to try a few things in the form of a mini meze. I really enjoyed the fried halloumi, feta cheese triangles, falafel and stuffed vine leaves which were accompanied by a salad and the nicest rice ever. The only reason I haven’t given this place 5 stars is because of the service which was very slow and a bit surly at times but maybe it would be better if you are in a smaller group.

Good food, slow service.
I got a moussaka with rice and salad. I enjoyed this although it could have had more meat. The flavours were very good though.
Everyone seemed to enjoy what they’d ordered. I definitely had starter envy as I waited for my main course. I was sat next to houmous with pitta and cheese in filo parcels and I almost had to sit on my hands to stop myself ‘borrowing’ some.
The not so good things — somebody’s main course was forgotten about and they had to quickly start cooking it (there wasn’t a massive delay though). Also everyone agreed the the rice portion could be more generous. Also the service really was slow, as Gayle has mentioned in her review. We had to ask to order 3 times and the same again for the bill. The restaurant was full though.
I also liked the décor and felt like I could have been away on holiday.
I would return though and probably get my neighbour’s meal, a very generous mixed platter, see photos.

Everything happens for good reason, or at least it did when I missed a Unilocal din-​din-​dinner at Wasabi recently. Why? Well, all that happened was; After I done what I needed to do (you know the reason I missed Wasabi) I was well hungry innit? And driving through Chorlton, I spotted Saray. I went in because I never been before. I ate there, and it was sensational.
The funny thing is I was actually on my way to try Istanbul Grill in Urmston, but it wasn’t meant to be was it? Turns out, my mate who I was with knows someone who works at Saray and suggested it, and so off we went.
As soon as you step through the doors of the Turkish restaurant, you feel what you’re supposed to feel in a Turkish restaurant. A feeling you’re in Turkey! Needless to say it was bloody freezing outside but a warmth greeted us when we walked in. The décor was magnificent (I could well have walked into a restaurant in Maramaris for all I knew) as was the beautiful music, softly complementing the colourful interior. The delicious aromas were flowing too. I was in a good place before ordering. Win!
The food then proceeded to comprehensively uproot my middle stump sending me back to the pavilion, tail between legs. (Cricket reference, meaning it was aces)
The Aubergine salad and hummous kavurma (lamb fillet) complemented each other perfectly and aroused my taste buds to levels rarely experienced in recent memory. The mixed grill which followed was also nothing short of exquisite. If ever I’m looking to impress someone who is both hungry and a carnivorous foodie, I’ve bookmarked this place. You should too.

We had friends visiting us from Lincoln and wanted to take them here as we had heard a lot about this place.
We made reservations in advance, which was a good thing, in retrospection, cos the place filled up pretty quickly.
We had a selection of mixed veggie and meat starters all of which were very good looking and tasted good too.
For the mains, we got an iskander, mixed grill for two and a vegetarian moussaka. The iskander and mixed grill were OK. However I would have preferred my pitta bread to have been left alone and not cut up like my meat was.
The moussaka was a massive let down! It had very little vegetables and way too much cheese, so my wife ended up having very little of it and not being able to eat the rest of it.
Overall we’re still undecided whether we want to go back but I don’t mind giving them another chance to impress.
Based on this experience I would say, tread with caution.

Having just moved to Manchester from North London (where there are a lot of authentic Turkish restaurants), we were very happy to find Saray nearby and even more happy with the great food. Recommended.

First to the important facts:
I ate on a Sunday evening
I ate from the 2 courses for £9.95? Menu.
I had Garlic Prawns to start and Salmon with mushroom sauce (it was a very thick burre Blanc with peppers in fact)
The décor in this place is lovely, furniture immaculate, service attentive and atmosphere is extremely pleasant. I really can’t commend the place enough on this sort of stuff, sadly though I feel like the food lets it down.
Based in Chorlton now, after some good success in Marple, Saray has come to a place where great food and great produce is impossibly easy to come by. That’s why it’s disappointing to get pre cooked, flavourless prawns to start when one of the best fishmongers in Manchester is across the road?
The starter was fairly well presented, clean plates and a nice side salad are standard fare in eastern establishments like Aryan and Nectar, here is no exception. But as I stated, the prawns were definitely cheap, pre cooked and just not good enough to serve in a restaurant this nice! 3 fat tasty freshly cooked prawns (starts to drool remembering El Rincon’s prawns) would be a tenfold improvement.
The main was alright too, salmon well, if not slightly over cooked, however the wine and butter sauce was an overly thick (think jar of mayonnaise) burre blanc with some out of place, and slightly irritating bits of diced red pepper. Again, chargrill the pepper, put it in the salad with a bit of watercress, but not raw and in my sauce!
This place is a potential food gem in Chorlton, but an at times poorly conceived menu, and below par ingredients let it down. Top marks for décor, service and atmosphere, but only 3 stars today, as the food let it down.

This review is for the two courses for £9.95 deal available at Saray from 11.30am-6.30pm*.
I went for the mini meze platter, followed by moussaka. Whilst I’m super-​keen to experience alternative Turkish hot mains, I’m fascinated by the variations in the ‘moussaka’ served by different eateries. Saray’s version came with a varied salad incorporating rocket, radicchio, a single spear of chive and a balsamic dressing as well as the usual salad suspects. The rice portion was well-​cooked and just the right amount. The moussaka was wholesome and tasty enough, although I prefer veg cut a bit chunkier and not cooked quite so much as was the case here. (I think part of the issue was that, following on from a starter of a fairly ‘mushy’ set of meze, my palate was crying out for a bit more texture.) As to the meze platter, this was a good example and an elegant presentation on a wide-​rimmed white plate. Of nine meze items, spinach with yoghurt, roast aubergine & red pepper salad and a chili-​walnut salad deserve special mention. The tabbouleh was lacking the generous use of flat parsley, which is a meze highlight for me in Rusholme’s Arab cafés such as Falafel, Marmara, Jaffa.
Saray has been open just one month in Chorlton, having previously done good business in Marple. So this new venture in a prime neighbourhood restaurant location represents a step up for the Saray team. The décor is elegant — with the purple colour and mirrors remaining in my memory — and again proves that a nation which has belly dancing rather than Morris dancing as its national dance can get away with just a bit more ‘bling’ whilst still being tasteful! Seriously, for a special occasion, Saray is easily up to standard with the leather seating worth special mention. At a quiet lunchtime, it was the manager who was serving me, and he really could not have been more accommodating, friendly and courteous. If you are the sort of Chorltonite who eats out regularly, Duran (the manager) is there as your friend, I feel.
Still on the Special Offer menu, vegetarians do well here. Alternative vegetarian starters could potentially include the soup of the day (leek & potato on my visit) a full starter portion of several of the meze items already mentioned or *roll of the drums* Muska Borek, which are deep-​fried filo pastries filled with feta and parsley. Turlu (vegetable casserole) is the alternative vegetarian main on the offer menu and other vegetarian options available on the main menu. For non-​vegetarians, all the usual Middle Eastern options are there on the menu, plus some ‘Saray specials’.
Lastly, but by no means least, live belly dancing. Reading the reviews of Efes Taverna in town, this would seem to be a reliable formula for a lively night out, if that is what the doctor has ordered!
Although there are a lot of restaurants in Chorlton, including quite a few new Middle Eastern options, I feel Saray is in with a good chance of succeeding and I wish them well.
*Opening hours are listed as from 5pm seven days a week, but the timing of this lunch/​early bird deal (and the fact that I ate there at 1pm!) would seem to contradict this.