“We use about 85% of freshly imported ingredients from Turkey,” Sezai said, “absolute freshness is crucial in my cooking because that is what my mother taught me. I have never forgotten that lesson and that is also what I try to convey in all of my dishes at Turkuaz.” To add authenticity, the proprietors built a custom wood charcoal pit that uses real wood and charcoal to slow-grill meat dishes, particularly Turkuaz’s famous Lamb Shank plates, and to enhance sumptuousness, Sezai chooses only the hind, or back part of the lamb shank, to retain maximum fat and flavor.

Entering its ninth year of operation, Turkuaz has once again refreshed its looks and upgraded its menu to keep things spicy and unexpected. New for this year are a host of opulent delicacies including Wagyu Biftek, an intensely-marbled grade 5 wagyu tenderloin garnished with real 24k gold paper leaves; Istakoz, a beautiful pan-grilled Lombok pearl lobster plate served with cherry tomatoes, green lentils, and lemon; and an exhilarating Wood Charcoal-Grilled Octopus Salad Garnished with Aubergine over Trio Bell Peppers. Set menus, which feature a smorgasbord of delightful and signature Turkish fares such as Tahini Balik, fish in tahini sesame paste; Hatay Incigi, a Hatay-province lamb shank specialty; and Mushroom Manti and Guvec Kizartma – the latter two are vegetarian options and part of Turkuaz’s revolving special vegetarian set menu.

“We’ve just completed a major makeover last month. We hope to bring about a renewed interest in fine Turkish dining at Turkuaz – Authentic Turkish and Ottoman Cuisine and we invite everyone to come and experience our elevated offerings,” Sezai concluded.

In addition to Jakarta’s best Nargile (Sheesha), Turkuaz is also home to some of the city’s finest wine collection (85+ Wine Spectator score) and Single Malt Whiskies – two brand-new additions for this year.

Complimenting the restaurant’s 120 people capacity are the lounge area, which sits 18 people, and Turkuaz’s very own Lighting House & Gallery, a museum-like store gallery that focuses on educating visitors towards the ancient art of carpets from all over the world and handmade mosaic lamps, made from shards of hand-blown glass, not unlike the iconic chandelier hanging on the lobby.

Turkuaz – Authentic Turkish and Ottoman Cuisine is open seven days a week from 11:30 am onwards.

Reservations are a must and can be completed through Chope or Chope app or via www.turkuazjakarta.com, or call +62 21 7279 5846, +62 21 7279 5853 or +62 859 2105 9068.