Ok like many other places you get your usual chains such as Maccy d's, Burger King, Nando's etc and we all go there as its quick and convenient but for Bromley, its a bit embarrassing not to have a few restuarants to shout out about. We are after all meant to be the biggest borough outside of London.
However, there is one particular joint called Havet that has given Bromley something to show off and perhaps encourage the town to have more top places.
Ever since Havet has opened it has grown and grown and every time I walk past it there's always a massive crowd of people enjoying some proper authentic Turkish-Cypriot culinary treats. Its got to the point now where there's a queue of hungry diners waiting to get in on some of the action but believe me guys to avoid disappointment you're better off booking a table.
I've been there a fair few times now and honestly it gets better after every visit. Its clean, fresh, spacious and has a great uplifting party atmosphere. The staff are a brilliant bunch of polite, friendly and outgoing people, always looking out for their customers and I Particularly love it when they crank up the Stevie Wonder's Happy Birthday song for someone's special occasion. Some might consider it cheesy but hearing it definitely gets me in the party mood and puts a smile on my face.
Another example why I have a lot of time for their staff is that they're very patient and calm even at their busiest period. They don't mind the questions if you're unsure about something and they do their utmost to make sure you're relaxed and comfortable. TOP PEOPLE!! :)
Now for the food. No matter how much I rave on about it, I believe it won't do it enough justice. It is as I said earlier proper authentic Turkish-Cypriot food. Everything is hand made on site from the bread to the mezze's and the kebabs.
For me I have my regular dish that I will order every time which I'll show later.
The first time I visited I ordered a bunch of mezze items to share and now I order just a few along with my favourite kebab. Check out the menu below and believe me it will get your taste buds going. If it doesn't then quite frankly there is something wrong with you.
As you can see from the pics above I had to split the menu pictures but there's a great variety to choose from and you can see why I only had mezze on my first visit.
The food really does showcase the Turkish cuisine and culture and I think the owners have got it spot on with the menu and having the diners see their food cooked in an open kitchen with massive grills all having a load of different style kebabs being cooked to order. You can even smell the food from a mile off and believe me when you get one whiff of the food coming out of the restaurant you can't but just help go in there for a bite to eat.
Just behind the baking hot grills is a massive furnace where they slowly bake their other dishes all wrapped in foil as well as a mountain of homemade bread which is impressively made by this guy right here.
On Saturday evening I did the rookie school boy mistake of not booking at table for dinner. I thought I would chance it after going to the cinema but as I said the crowds get out of control and there was no chance of me getting a table but I salvaged the situation by booking for Sunday lunch. I had some of the best food I have ever consumed.
In typical FoodPunk style I ordered a whole bunch of vegetarian mezze items as well as a two combo choice kebab plate with two sides. You know me I will never learn but it was so worth it. Before I show you these epic food pics can I recommend for all you meat eaters out there that the lamb liver mezze dish is to die for.
However on this particular occasion I was with Sian and bless her I couldn't hog all of the orders with meat hence the veggie mezzes.
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| Halloumi and grilled peppers |
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| Potato salad |
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| Kisir (cracked wheat, onions, celery ,peppers, parsley and peppers) |
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| Baked falafels |
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| Hummus |
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| Feta cheese, spinach and red peppers in filo pastry |
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| Homemade bread |
What's fantastic about the mezze is that its not too heavy and there's plenty to go around for a large group. The choices available caters for everyone and if you're not able to eat a kebab then its the perfect alternative. It's light, refreshing and not to mention very, very ,very tasty.
After polishing up the mezze my awesome kebab came along and it was well worth the wait. Moist and flavoursome spiced chicken adana on a bed of doner meat accompanied with a fresh mixed cabbage slaw and spicy rice. I never get bored of ordering it. I feel that Havet removes that stigma surrounding doner meat. I know we all associate it with kebab houses after a Friday night out but this my fellow punkers is doner meat with out all that disgusting grease and its there's no gristle or crap when you're eating it. Moreover its proper shavings of meat. They really don't scrimp on the portion sizes here.
And there you have it people, Bromley's first proper top notch establishment. Havet has arrived giving me a reason and many others to go up to town and experience a treat. After all these years there's a restaurant that's arrived, building a solid reputation and hopefully its here to stay. Havet get the Foodpunk thumbs up for sure :)
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