Eat My Words review: We try the new Cinar Kitchen Meze Bar in Sittingbourne
Published: 05:00, 19 January 2023
Updated: 14:04, 19 January 2023
The kebab, a Saturday night classic many of us enjoy after a night out – but what if our favourite skewered meat dish was gourmet?
This week I headed to Sittingbourne High Street to try the newly opened Cinar Kitchen.
In my eyes you can never go wrong with a chicken shish or a lamb doner, that being said I've only had one at a sit-down restaurant once or twice.
So, accompanied by my Mediterranean cuisine-loving family, I decided to see if the newly opened meze eatery in Sittingbourne really was the "secret of the best taste" in the town.
The Cinar Kitchen is in the former Italian Amalfi restaurant and the outside, just as the inside, has been decorated with a lovely modern vibe.
Upon entry, we were greeted by a very friendly female member of staff who seated us at our table.
The inside was furnished very stylishly with gorgeous sparkling lighting fixtures.
Due to our family's dry January goal, we ordered three diet Cokes and a Sprite, each costing £2.50.
Wanting to try to experience as much of the menu as possible we decided to order the mixed hot meze to start.
Costing £19.50 for hellim (halloumi cheese), sucuk (a spicy sausage), calamari, falafel (a deep-fried fritter) and sigara boregi (a phyllo dough with a herby cheese filling) it came to just under £5 a head.
The wait staff were wonderful and soon a selection of traditional Turkish dips were brought to our table with lovely warm bread.
We hadn't ordered this and were unaware that it would be brought to us so it was a nice tasty surprise while we waited for our first course.
After finishing our bread, the table was swiftly cleared and our starter platter was brought out.
It looked delicious and smelt absolutely incredible. The four of us quickly divided the dishes and tucked in.
The ingredients were clearly all fresh and cooked with love.
I didn't know where to start. The calamari rings came with a dip, while the falafel was presented on a bed of hummus.
There wasn't a huge amount of food so as soon as the tasty appetisers had been eaten, it left me wanting more.
But now knowing the size of the main meal which was about to be brought out, I'm glad I started light.
My family and I were torn with what to choose for the main, there were just so many options to choose from.
So when we spotted the Cinar's special sharing platter we knew we'd be able to get the best of both worlds!
For £79 (which I know seems steep but bear with me) we could dine on lamb shish, chicken shish, Adana kebab, eight lamb ribs, eight chicken wings and four lamb chops.
It worked out at £19.75 each and it also came with roasted vegetables and rice so it was no different to us each ordering a single kebab option for the same price.
The restaurant was very busy and I would definitely recommend booking.
While waiting for our main meal, I had a little look around.
On the first floor is the bar and open kitchen along with a fair few tables.
On the second floor is more seating, which wasn't in use during my visit, a cute selfie wall and the (very clean) toilets.
The décor included faux greenery and neon signs.
When I returned to the table the food was just being brought out, it only took about 10 minutes to arrive.
It was enormous and smelt absolutely divine.
I have never seen such an amazing quality and selection of meat.
Topped with perfectly charred veggies we all dug in and shared the lamb chops and ribs between us.
The table went quiet as we all took our first bite.
It was my mum who broke the silence when she said: "That is the best lamb chop I have ever eaten in my life!"
I wholeheartedly agree with her. I can't stress enough how good this meal was, the Cinar Kitchen has rapidly become my new favourite place.
The lamb shish was so tender, it just disintegrated in my mouth and the chicken was wonderfully flavoured.
My family and I ate as much as we possibly could but in the end, we were defeated by the mountain of meat.
The serving staff straight away offered to pack our remaining food up to take away.
They cleaned our table and made sure everything was to our liking.
There wasn't a moment when the staff didn't have a smile on their face.
I was so blown away by the Cinar Kitchen, I have never quite had a dining experience like it.
I cannot recommend this place enough!
SCORES
Food: The cuts of chicken and lamb were some of the highest quality cuts I've ever tasted in a restaurant. *****
Drink: Sadly I can't really comment on the bar side of this experience as I was going with non-alcoholic beverages for the night. Mind you there were many people ordering fancy cocktails. N/A
Decor: The cool neon signs, modern flare and shiny lampshades really added to the sleek environment. *****
Staff: All of the staff who welcomed us, cleared our table and served our meals were so polite and proud of their work. *****
Price: Main meals are about £20 a head, it isn't the cheapest of places but for the size of the portions and the quality of food it is a price I am more than happy to pay. *****
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Megan Carr