General Features

Just four years ago the Tasci family farmed in rural Turkey - now they are the owners of a cafe serving their native dishes in the heart of Norwich after being inspired by a self-help group.

At Ismail Cafe, in Magdalen Street, Turkish food features alongside western-style salads and burgers, but it is the authentic cuisine with its middle eastern flavours that's appealing customers.

The menu ranges from lamb in aromatic sauces served with delicately flavoured rice and Turkish salad to Turkish soups, roasted aubergines, spinach, feta and parsley pastries.

Pides and Turkish salad are on the menu

Every dish has a Turkish name and English translation, with Lahmacun or Turkish pizza made from a very thin dough is one of the most popular choices.

Pide is a traditional lunch time snack made from a thick flatbread base, topped with ingredients such as diced lamb, mozzeralla, tomatoes and green peppers.

Turkish dishes

The cafe, with its plain tables and simple decoration, at first glance seems like a typical British cafe, but with its authentic Turkish dishes and home-cooked breads, the cafe's atmosphere is like a slice of Turkey transported to Norwich.

Melek Tasci is up early each morning making the dough for the breads, while pizzas and pastries are rolled out in full view of customers.

Rolling out dough for Turkish pizza

The cafe is open from breakfast every day and traditional fry-ups are on offer alongside Turkish breakfasts of salamis, feta cheese, olives and fruit, rounded off with Turkish bread and honey.

A new beginning

The idea for the restaurant started at New Routes, a project to help refugees and asylum seekers gain practical skills.

Many of the families have fled from war-torn countries - and finding their feet in a new environment can be an isolating experience. 

One of the activities at New Routes is based around sharing cooking where women and children meet up weekly with other newcomers and cook a meal based on recipes from their country or village.

Seda helps her mother at the cafe

The friendships made and confidence gained can help in facing the challenges of building a new life in England.

Many of the women contributed their recipes to an interfaith cookbook published with help from New Routes and the Norwich Jewish Peace Group.

Melek's cooking for New Routes' meetings was so popular that she was encouraged to go into business and set up the cafe.

Adapting to a new life

Now the whole family help out with the new venture, with their two daughters and son working at the restaurant most days. 

Their younger daughter, Seda, is studying at college for a business diploma and has ambitions to be an accountant.

In Turkey, Seda had been close to finishing her school education but her qualifications were not recognised in the UK. She had to start again in England taking GCSEs and improving her English.

Now her fluent English is proving useful when it comes to helping out in the cafe every day after college. 

When the family first opened their cafe they just had Turkish customers, "but now English people are trying it," said Seda.

Religion and culture

In Kurdish Turkey, Seda's father was a farmer, while her mother looked after the house and children.

Seda says she values the British way of life and its acceptance of many cultures which allows her to have friends from a wide range of countries.

Her family are Alevi Muslims - a religion practised by millions of people in Turkey.

"Women don't wear the headscarf and [people] don't attend mosques but worship at Cem houses (assembly houses) and men and women pray together," said Seda.

"First, we are all human and we must live together," said Seda, "and we have respect for working people. 

"When I came here I feel free to say what I am and what my language is. In England I have many friends and I feel free to talk and explain who I am and they accept me," she added.