I had never been to a proper Turkish restaurant before. Quite naively, I assumed it was pretty much kebabs but when I was invited to sample the food at Istanbul Finchley, I realised how wrong I was.

I always go to restaurants with an open mind so I was drawn by the turnip juice (£1.95) option on the menu. It was a deep red and could have easily passed as Ribena, were it not for the bitter, tangy taste that actually grows on you after each sip.

We wanted to convey the breadth of what was on offer so my two guests and I made sure we chose a range of dishes. We had deep fried brie with a berry compote (£4.45) grilled halloumi cheese (£5.45) and pastry filled with cheese and various spices (£4.95). The brie was cooked to perfection, the halloumi was not too salty and the cheese pastries were divine.

The starters came with a side of couscous, hummus and tzatziki and all the pitta bread we could eat – but by the time we finished, our mouths were still watering for the main course.

My guest ordered Kleftiko (£10.95), a huge lamb shank topped with mixed vegetables and rice – a hearty, tender dish. The generous portion meant there was plenty to go around and it was reasonably priced too.

We also ordered chicken stuffed aubergine (£8.45) which came with a range of delectable spices. The lamb kebab (£9.95) was cut up into tiny wraps and presented around the plate on a circle and almost looked too good to eat.

Popular dishes at the restaurant are the baked sea bass (£12.95) and the Greek salad (£4.45).

But the chicken Al’a Turka (£11.95) one of the most unusual dishes on the menu as it is made with mustard, cream and mushrooms, is owner Jen Tekin’s favourite dish.

The 38-year-old trained as a lawyer in Istanbul but has been in England for 12 years and opened the restaurant with business partner, Savash Hurman, ten months ago.

Since then, it has gone from strength to strength – it recently won first place in the British Kebab Awards out of 600 other restaurants.

Recently married Mr Tekin said: “We have the best customers – it’s a small neighbourhood and a good community here. They’ve supported us and that’s why we won – we are really happy.”

For more information visit http://www.istanbulfinchley.co.uk/