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he Iskender Kebap kebab is one of Turkeys most famous dishes and originates from Bursa in the northwestern Marmara region just 50 miles south of Istanbul and close to the Sea of Marmara. According to culinary folklore Chef Alexander Mehmetoglu Iskender Efendi created the first Iskender Kebap in 1867. Selecting lamb raised on the thyme-covered slopes of Mount Uludag he roasted the meat as a self-basting doner kebab on a vertical grill and cut off thin slices as it cooked spreading the meat on top of a bed of diced bread. The dish was then topped with savory tomato sauce and browned butter and completed with a generous serving of yogurt on the side and a sprinkling of parsley. This delicate combination became a national treasure and an enormously popular export all over the world with each new generation of chefs in each new place creating their own special version. Kilikyas situated at the impressive waterside of St Katharine Docks in EC1 have three versions on their menu the classic lamb a chicken and a mixed version. The mixed kebap sampled for the purpose of this article was a show-stopping blend of floral chicken deeply flavoured lamb and rich tomato and herb sauce presented in a grand authentic Turkish steel bowl. It is little wonder that Turkish people in London flock there to while away the hours chatting eating and drinking tea or traditional Kahvesi coffee looking out over the yachts moored in this exclusive east of the city hideaway. Just for a moment between mouthfuls of kebab I was transported to a faraway exotic place and time lulled by the easy relaxed atmosphere of Kilikyas. The Iskender Kebap is certainly big enough to share but I suggest that just this once you make sure you have one entirely to yourself KILIKYAS RESTAURANT St Katharine Docks London EC1 t 020 7488 0813 w www.kilikyas.com while away the hours chatting eating and drinking tea or traditional Kahvesi coffee TURKISH delights 1 Iskender Kebap Getting to know Turkey through its food drink and hospitality at Kilikyas in St Katharine Docks by Owen Rice Bursa IstanbulSea of Marmar THE RIVER AUTUMN 2015 FOOD DRINK 13