Kamiil's Kebabs - Kelvin Grove

Service: Dine in Meal type: Lunch Price per person: A$20–40 Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 4 Recommended dishes: Kebabs, Mixed Grill

I can still taste the big food when I lived in brisbane 4 years ago...xxx

TL;DR: This place will do, this place will do. Smack bang in the middle of the Urban Village, and acting a bit like the little hidey hole to the extent it can, is the Turkish Cozy Restaurant in Kelvin Grove. Formerly known and Kabil's Kebabs, it has taken the aspects of your usual kebab place in the middle of the city and expanded itself a little bit to include other aspects of Turkish cuisine. While it won't be fine like a lot of the favourites from around town, it does an alright enough job being able to give something a little more substantial to the denizens of the local, walkable area. Additionally, it suits itself well to the student life. It has been a couple of times that I have been here, which was separated by quite a period of time, but regardless here it is again with getting a decent review. Both times it included a classic staple of theirs the HSP, which is where they get either rice, fries, gems or bread, topped with a choice of kebab meat (or falafel), then a selection of sauces, followed up by a range of extras. We will get to reviewing that later, but first the ambiance and whatnot of the place. A little like the awkward period between takeaway and fine restaurant, that is sort of how it looks with the decor and everything. It has the aesthetic of the familiar kebab takeaway albeit slightly cleaner with quite a bit of space inside that is mostly for the massive kitchen that they have. The whole place is packed to the rafters with decorations and such on the counter, and small decorations on the tables (i.e. tablecloths) do their best to give it that extra Turkish touch. There is a bit of seating, with a couple inside plus plenty out on the pavement and courtyard where plenty more can be fit in. What makes it that much better is the tables and chairs are wood. Service is actually pretty good here, and it is within a couple of touches that that becomes apparent. The rate and speed is both quite good, acceptable and quite fast, and it is pretty amiable with the placing constantly in a buzz. Whether it is seating in, or having it to go, the orders begin cooking once you place the order. The waitstaff are diligent in delivery, know the little touches and aspects to ensure a welcoming atmosphere, and the out pour stream of orders is in constant motion. An aspect that stood out from the second one involved attention to detail from the boss' part; somewhat interested, I had collected a takeaway menu from the counter which he caught out of the corner of his eye and noted that it was outdated partially in hence of the mention with the previous carnation in name and got a copy of the updated place to put in instead. All the usual suspects of a Middle Eastern/Turkish style are available to order, in which it makes sense to start with the famous kebabs. There are several kinds of kebab meats to have, and numerous styles with include wraps, plus a whole lot of big char grill meals. As well as that, you have all sorts of bits and pieces to snack on various pastries, numerous sweets and desserts, halal snack packs (a.k.a. HSPs), and freshly made dips are some of the choices on display. Going on from there, adding a bigger attraction to the mix and the advertising out the front makes this apparent are pides. Rounding it all up are a bunch of value meals for various numbers of people, and it is a place that serves quite a bit in the way of variety, and that makes it perfect to share the menu. So as it was said, both time it involved getting the classic HSP, and both of those times the body of choice was fries. Also both times, the choice of meat was getting the mix which is a combination of lamb and beef, followed by garlic and chilli (in both from memory), and an extra of jalapenos. Whether or not this is taken as a good thing, the layer of meat on top was possibly thicker than the bed of fries, or at least the fries were covered up with so much sliced kebab meat. The meat was tender, it was juicy, it had a lot of flavour with the occasional bit of crackling in there. With it being mixed, the slight differences regarding flavour and texture between beef and lamb contrasted well, and this is not to mention the heat from the hot chilli which was not too spicy considering and the smooth creaminess of the yoghurt contrasted to that, plus the flavour of garlic added more to it. For a little more heat, that is where the jalapenos came in and it rounded off the snack to something that is equally umami and spicy. On the bottom of it, the fries were pretty good overall nothing too outstanding, but a decent enough snack. For the amount of stuff they had on top of them, they kept a good level of crispiness and were well seasoned. Coming here for the second time around, in addition to the HSP, I added into the order a beef and cheese pastry, plus a package of about half a dozen baklava that latter one was saved up to send home. The pastry was a nice and quick snack, with buttery pastry on the outside, and a whole lot of tender beef crammed in the middle, along with melty cheese, with hints of chilli and plenty of sweetened onion put into the mix. It was pretty decent, slightly filling, and good as a snack for between times. The baklava was also pretty fine, with the honey not being caked on as thickly as it normally is. There were about half a dozen in there, each of them was solid alongside a cup of coffee. And with that, that rounds up a trilogy of decent items for a decent place. Overall, this is a pretty decent place and does manage to be a tiny cut above most of what is around the Urban Village, if mostly for having something distinct, different, and really flavoursome as well as one that suits a social outing just that bit more. All in all, it is fine and does each of the aspects of a solid place to a good enough level that I really don't have too much in the ways of a complaint about it. For that very reason, the 4.0 rating that has been given still stands. It is pretty good for what it was, and is definitely worthy of being given a chance at some time; just expect it to be as it is, and all shall be good.

Paid $18 for a one size hsp. While the size is decent, the fries were tasteless and soggy. The meat was fatty and flavourless. I requested bbq sauce, yogurt sauce and sweet chilli and there was a very meager amount of sauce drizzled on top. I could not see or taste any of the sweet chilli at all. So poor on every level- fries, meat and sauce. The service was poor as well. No smile or any friendly welcome. A shame really because I live close by and really wanted to like this place. Will not be coming back. Service: Take out Food: 2 Service: 2 Atmosphere: 2

Amazing place and amazing food lahmacun and grill the best one from here Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 5