Food For Thought: Fish & Grill

By Donna Ward

This Turkish restaurant is located on 9825 Bustleton Ave. and specializes in bringing Mediterranean tastes to the NEast. Fish & Grill first opened its doors to the public in 1991, and is owned and operated by Gul and Riza Canca. This family-run eatery focuses on healthily preparation and food recipes. For example, olive oil is used for cooking rather than butter or margin.

Being located in a small strip mall makes parking difficult and sparse. Fish & Grill is very small and has a modest amount of décor ornamenting the walls. The menu consists of a minute but diverse amount of Mediterranean foods, and while the menu is geared more toward seafood lovers than meat eaters, Fish & Grill offers a few traditional-style meat specials. Shish kabobs and lamb chops are just two of the specialties available to satisfy your palate with flavorful meat cravings.

The red lentil soup is flavored nicely and served in a decent size portion. The Mediterranean Salad Akdenil Salatasi consists of tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, mint and corn in lemon juice and olive oil. The salad was very tasty, but it would have been better served with pita bread. For an entrée, I sampled St. Peter’s Fish, which was done to perfection. This delightful dish consisted of pan-fried fish over lettuce and shredded carrots.

The baklava for dessert, which has a blend of crushed nuts and honey between flaky, crunchy phyllo dough, was satisfactory. The Turkish coffee that followed dessert was very delightful and strong. Not advised for those who cannot tolerate caffeine, seeing as how Turkish coffee is traditional stronger than espresso.

The restaurant appeared clean and in good standing.  The service was prompt, attentive and friendly throughout the entire meal. The prices were a little expensive given the casual atmosphere, but were not outlandish.

For a change of pace, and for seafood enthusiasts, Fish & Grill is a nice neighborhood, family-run restaurant that is very quite and quaint. Fish & Grill also offers a take-out menu for both lunch and dinner during regular business hours. For hours and reservations, call 215.677.2224 or visit the Web site.

Food For Thought is a NEast restaurant review column written by Donna Ward that runs every other Thursday.