Olive Thyme Turkish Cuisine

Olive Thyme Turkish Cuisine is arguably Brisbane’s best Turkish restaurant, located in a gorgeous heritage-listed 1920s Albion building.

Here, ancient food traditions are given a fresh contemporary twist by the restaurant’s three chefs (including the owner and a dedicated pide and pastry baker) to make for a memorable dining experience. Everything, including the bread, yoghurt, dips, sauces and relishes, is made from scratch inhouse.

The family-friendly restaurant is beautifully decked out with dark polished floors, heritage leadlight glass trimmings, lofty casement windows, multi-coloured light fittings and Turkish touches such as a wall of beautiful ceramics and eclectic music including Turkish jazz. There's also a little fenced off kids play lounge with colourful cushions and banquette and drawers of age-appropriate toys, a place for kids to play whilst parents enjoy a glass of wine.

A centrepiece lit-up counter, in true Turkish tradition, displays all of the tempting entrée platters and freshly made desserts so diner can take a peek before ordering (Olive Thyme has full table service).

Recommended to start is a Dips Plate - a selection of the delectable house-made dips including Hummus Patirma (hummus with cured pastrami and currants), Muammara (cheme paste, walnuts, cumin, chili flakes, labne & garlic -infused olive oil), Togurtlu Kabak (house-made garlic yoghurt with Aegean style raw zucchini, roasted walnut, olive oil and dill) and the signature Olive Thyme (char-grilled eggplant & capsicum, green olives, oregano, garlic and lemon juice) served with puffed lavash bread straight out of the oven.

From the pide oven, a must-try is the Lahmajan (ground lamb mince, tomato, garlic, capsicum with char-grilled eggplant, sumak onion and fresh greens) and for vegans, the Sepzeli Pide (caramelized onion, spinach, capsicum, eggplant, two cheese and fresh greens).

A plentiful range of Mezes and Salads includes Kuru Dolma (rice-filled dried eggplant, warm house tomato relish and mint yoghurt garlic), Soujouk Haloumi (Turkish sausage and haloumi cheese with sesame fig relish) or Mediterranean Octopus (grilled octopus, dill, gherkins and baby capers with garlic, olive oil and lemon juice).

For mains, it’s hard to go past the Meat Platter (a mix of melt-in-the-mouth lamb and chicken shish and adana (hand-minced kebab) with warm house tomato relish and mint garlic yoghurt while other choices include Balik Shish (chargrilled barramundi with house tartar and crunchy chips), chargrilled Spicy Chicken Wings and Imam Bayildi (stuffed eggplant with garlic, onion, mushroom, paprika, cumin and tomatoes simmered in olive oil).

And save room for dessert with deliciousness such as Burma (hand-rolled hazelnut and walnut baklava and hazelnut ice cream), Coconut Blueberry Friand and Firanda Sutlac (mastic rice pudding with cotton candy) on offer.

To finish, diners can enjoy a Turkish coffee or apple tea, espresso, latte, hot chocolate and standard teas or housemade teas including mint, green, cinnamon, chamomile, cloves or lemon/ginger.

Drinks-wise, Olive Thyme has a cracking wine list, with wine served in stylish tumblers.

There’s also a ‘Little People’ menu of sesame calamari, chicken or lamb shish with rice and crunchy chips or cheese pide, along with small ice cream or Turkish delight.

Nice to know – Out the back is a spacious enclosed deck which on busy nights is filled with diners and can also be booked for functions including parties, work meetings or weddings.

Need to know – Olive Thyme caters very well for dietary needs and allergies (the owner’s family has food allergies), with a great range of gluten-free and dairy-free and vegan options on the menu. As well as dine-in, takeaway is also available.

The menu may have changed since our visit.

Check out more of Brisbane's great Turkish restaurants HERE