Before starting the review in earnest, we wanted to express our disappointment with our visit from the outset. While we try to give all restaurants a fair judgment, especially during our post-meal discussions at a café or pub, we found the price-to-quality ratio quite lacking at Agora. Even with its charming interior decoration, a fusion of the classic handmade copper crockery of Turkey with the English tudor-style architecture, Agora failed to impress us and very evidently lives up to its “tourist trap” allure.

Agora is a restaurant opened exclusively for dinner housed in The Copper Kettle, a venue dating back to 1929 on King’s Parade. From our observations, the ownership of the day-time restaurant is the same but more tourist-appealing dishes such as continental brunch are swapped out to fully take advantage of the venue’s prime location. In the summer, tables and chairs are put out so customers can enjoy coffee and a meal while basking in the rare rays of British sun and the impressive facade of King’s College.

• Hot & cold mezze

These were two separate plates that came with both cold and hot mezze staples: turkish sausage, fried halloumi, hummus, pita and so on. Nothing stood out to us as particularly tasty or special. We had our suspicions that some mezze were several days old. As we were quite hungry, we still managed to enjoy the freshness of the herbs (of what little there was) and the tang of the baba ganoush.

• Lamb shank
• Mixed meat platter
• Lamb meatballs

As the menu was quite extensive, we asked the front of house manager what the restaurant’s best dishes were and ordered accordingly. The braised lamb shank, which fell apart with every forkful we took, was quite appetizing and delicious though plated quite the opposite way. The braising liquid was rich with strong hints of tomato, lifting up the sorely bland rice and under seasoned salad. However, the mixed meat platter and the meatballs told quite the opposite story. Chewy and charred, the meat platter was presented as though chunks of frozen meat had been dropped from a height and ungracefully bounced then splattered onto the plate. The meatballs were softer in texture and came with a nice sauce, but presented no flavor diversity from the lamb shank. Accompanying bland rice and salad was a recurring theme by this point.

To accompany the meal, we each had a glass of Turkish wine that we felt was overpriced.

Concluding remarks

We were promised quality Turkish food from a friendly recommendation, but instead we received dishes that were unimpressive with mediocre presentation at best and service unable to make up for the faults of the meal. With this in mind, it’s no wonder we regularly pass the restaurant front with just a handful of tables sat on even the busiest of nights. Our verdict of Agora is that it is an uninspired interpretation of Turkish food lacking in rudimentary elements of food and presentation, piggybacking off its unbeatable location and correspondingly charging eye watering prices. It turns out you can judge a book by its cover.

Review by Matias Silva.