I was quite sad when I saw Urbano closed its doors. We used to take guests there for some good Italian, with a view of the fountains. After sometime, the construction boards came down and taking over was a new Turkish meatery – “Gunaydin” it was called. We had missed the media event, so requested to return on another day for lunch to review the outlet, on a more personal, quiet affair. That’s the way to go nowadays when you have a little person who can’t sit still in her high chair. Happy that we did – as lunch turned out to be fab – the food, the atmosphere and the service (though to be noted that they did know we were there for a review) – I’ll be quite keen to know how it fares on non-media nights 🙂

I’ll put my hands up and admit – I’m no expert in Turkish cuisine. So as we do when we are reviewing a new menu, I simply asked for them to give us some recommendations.

The bread. Gunaydin does amazing bread.

They bake their own, hot as it got to our table,  pull it open and it still steams from within. Have it with their hummus pastrami (40 AED), and their gavurdagi salatasi which mum and I both loved – a combination of tomatoes, onions and turkish herbs with a bit of tanginess and spiciness, reasonably priced at 35 AED. We kept saying that the next time we come back to Dubai Mall we’ll just pop back here simply to have this – bread, hummus and salad. Sadly this trip never happened (due to other reasons… i.e nursery hunting, argh!)

We were then served the main deal – kebabs for 2, a combination of urfa kebab, doner, lamb shish, lamb chops and chicken shish. Priced at 280 AED, though we both did enjoy the meaty dish, I honestly thought it was quite a bit overpriced. Is that what kebabs are priced nowadays? Have I lost touch with the turkish cuisine world? Let me know.

Highlight of my afternoon, and something you really should try is their Gunaydin specialty – Gunaydin Lokum Beef Fillet. I told them that I just wanted to try a little (mum doesn’t eat beef) – and they prepared three slices – perfectly medium ; so tender and juicy. It was possibly one of the better beef steaks I’ve had in a while. If you like your steaks, do give this a try. It is priced at 190 AED for 250 grams worth. You tell me if it was worth the money.

If you wanted to stop by for just dessert, I would recommend their kunafa (45AED). They serve it with Turkish ice cream prepped in front of you, placed in between. There’s something magical about having the both together – the ice cream takes away the over-sweetness of the kunafa itself. Share it with your dining partner though, it’s huge. Photo was half of it, ha.

What we had for lunch would probably be perfect for a dinner date by the fountains. It is a turkish meatery, and I did think the meat prices were on the pricier side. I would return for their appetisers, for the lokum beef and yes, for their kunafa. Kebabs? Sitting on the fence on that. If it were in the Entertainer, then yes. Otherwise, probably not (simply because of the pricing, I have no reservations at all with the food itself).

If you do bring your guests there, do tell me what you thought of it – perfect for fountains!

PS : The staffs were an absolutely gem with our little girl 🙂 I have so many photos of them altogether, which can’t make it on this blog, ha. Thanks for taking care of us. 

• Gunaydin Meatery
• Souk Al Bahar, first right after the bridge if you’re coming from Dubai Mall side
• Deal : None at the moment. Keep an eye on their website, or watch this space!

Disclaimer : We were guests of Gunaydin to review their menu. Thoughts are our own, though it is entirely up to you to judge.