The Midpoint Restaurant on the Greenwich Peninsula is a stand out spot for a delicious and authentic Turkish brunch experience. Located right on the Thames riverbank, a short walk from the Greenwich Pier, it is well worth incorporating into a relaxing weekend outing to the nearby Greenwich park.
It was not very busy when we visited around noon on a Saturday. Inside, the large bar gives the impression that the place is rather more popular with the evening visitors. However, the restaurant’s barroom interior mustn’t fool you into overlooking its excellent brunch offer.
We ordered Serpme, a mixed Turkish breakfast spread for two, served with a pot of Turkish tea.
Drinking the aromatic and strong black tea from traditional Turkish tea glasses, we forget we are on the Greenwich Peninsula and, for a short moment, are taken to the busy street cafes of Istanbul.
The service was great, and the impressive spread was served quickly by subtle yet attentive staff. We took a moment to appreciate all its elements, deciding where to dig in first.
We start with the eggs. The only hot item on our menu. The freshly baked Turkish bread dipped splendidly in the soft yellows, which came slightly overcooked, though not so much so to spoil the meal.
Next, onto the meats. The freshly barbecued, crispy edged and spicy-sour sucuk sausage was truly to die for. The lingering memories of its excellent flavour will certainly make me dine there again. The paper-thin pastrami with paprika-coated edges was also great, with a delicate yet deep and smoky flavor. The light ham didn’t add much and was mostly left untouched.
The indisputable stars of the cheese platter, and perhaps the entire meal, were the sigara boregis. The crispy and flaky pastry cigars, stuffed with soft and salty feta cheese were wonderfully spiced with parsley, chilli, and lemon. I will be returning to Midpoint Restaurant, if only just to eat more sucuk and sigara boregi!
The cheese selection also included a delicious, mild grilled halloumi, two types of feta, one soft, salty and creamy, and the other firm and pungent. The delicate cheeses complemented excellently with the spicy sucuk and a side of Turkish bread. The cheddar cheese layered with slices of flavourless tomato, was the least exciting of the selection and could have easily be omitted. It only distracted from the the otherwise authentically Turkish selection.
The herby olives with pickled garlic and the simple salad, generously drizzled in olive oil, added a welcome note of freshness. However, the tomatoes in the salad, also soft and flavorless, were disappointing.
I have always been a fan of deconstructed meals that allow you to mindfully build every forkful to your particular liking. In this regard, Midpoint’s serpme spread certainlly delivered. Each bite, of various combinations of the cheese, meat, bread, olives and salad, was a unique culinary experience. And each was wonderful.
The light and creamy kymak cheese with gently sweet raspberry compote spread on the freshly baked Turkish bread, was a perfect dessert sign off to this fantastic meal.
Overall, it is hardly surprising that the most traditionally Turkish elements of the spread made the biggest impression. I got the feeling that, at times, the chef was needlessly catering to the British pallet. Midpoint’s authentic Turkish kitchen does not need to compromise to impress. I will no doubt be brunching there again.
Address: Midpoint Restaurant, 3, Anchor Iron Wharf, Ballast Quay, London SE10 9GL