Agacan Restaurant
Food in Scotland
Agacan
113 Perth Road
Dundee
Tel: 01382 644227
The rotating kebab meat in the window does not bode well for veggies, and therefore for me.
But it's during a drink in the Tay Bridge Bar - a short walk up Dundee's busy Perth Road from where we're heading for a late-night dinner - that I really get worried. When someone at our table says "WHAT? You're veggie and you're going to the AGACAN?!" as if I might be a non-swimmer about to attempt the Channel, my stomach suddenly stops rumbling.
Add to that the reason we're having pre-meal tipples - our table, booked for 9.45pm, is still not free - and grabbing the nearest meat-free takeaway seems like a good plan. Still, pessimism often produces pleasant results and hunger, when cooking smells are in the air, can easily be revived.
So, for the second time this evening, we make our way to "Zeki's" as the Agacan is more commonly known to locals, Zeki being the owner of the popular Turkish establishment. There is good news and there is bad news. The bad news is that the occupiers of our table have not finished - in fact, they've just ordered sweets. The good news is that we're getting our drinks free. We order doubles and things are suddenly looking up.
The wait also gives us a chance to browse the vivid artwork with which the walls of the tiny restaurant - there are only five tables - are covered. The primary-coloured canvases of Dundee artist David Cook are favoured, and the other main exhibitor is Zeki himself.
It's an intimate, exotic-smelling place and, if you bang elbows with someone at a neighbouring table, it only adds to the fun.
As expected, there's nothing vegetarian among the main dishes, which are largely kebab variations featuring chicken and lamb in various permutations. The starters, however, look a better bet, with everything from stuffed aubergine to hummous.
My starving dining partner, having knocked back his double gin and tonic, takes all of two seconds to decide on the "Agacan Special," a chicken dish with various trimmings. I timidly confess being veggie to the waitress, who immediately offers to bring me a selection of the starters as a main meal.
Now that we're finally seated, the service is fast and friendly, without being intrusive. The meals arrive at the same time and it even looks as though I might have got the better deal. My plate is piled high with gorgeous salad things, including the aforementioned items plus pitta bread, stuffed vine leaves and a mixed bean dish. It's every bit as good, and as filling, as it looks. The chicken disappears quickly and is judged "totally great."
By this time it's almost too late to stumble pubwards - and anyway, we're too full. This is a great place for informal dining and, if you're on the hop, the take-out selection is every bit as extensive as the sit-down menu. There's also a selection of Turkish beer.
Above all, "Zeki's" is a friendly place where even vegetarians get a warm welcome.
- Melanie Henderson