Venus Restaurant

Venus is basically a Turkish Supermarket, selling most of the things you would expect from a supermarket, plus lots of Turkish specialities such as baklava, which were delicious. It’s bakery provides the pide for the café.
The main attraction for my family though is the attached café, It is definitely a café rather than a restaurant, wherein lies Tim M’s disappointment. It does say restaurant above the door, it has similar seating to Akbar’s but the giveaways are the high steel counter and the illuminated takeaway style menu hanging from the ceiling.
The kebabs are the most expensive thing on the menu at £5.50 each; for that you get a surprising quantity of lean, spicy meat in a Turkish pide, which is much more substantial than the bog standard pittas, three sorts of fresh salad and fries. I have to admit that they are fries not chips and obviously the American cut frozen style but this is a takeaway so that’s hardly unusual. We always have the kebabs, lamb for the beloved and I, chicken for the youth. At some point I will have a pide, which seems to be a sort of Turkish pizza, with meat or cheese on pide dough.
The coffee is from a bean to cup filter machine; I haven’t checked if they do espresso … yet. There are a variety of cold drinks in a fridge; I tried a mint yogurt drink but didn’t spot straight away that it was carbonated. Let’s say it was interesting; sharp and mildly minty but I’d have been happier without the bubbles.
The seating and tables are a cut above your average café, high backed, padded chairs and substantial black tables. The glass lights are very pretty too, I like it when people make an effort.
The service isn’t fast but very pleasant. Bear in mind that they are cooking the food as needed rather than serving precooked food or boil in the bag (like Bibis) and I like a leisurely lunch.
oh and it is halal.

Take an average kebab shop, add some vinyl seating and some instant coffee and do you really have a restaurant?
stuck at the side of a supermarket this place has none of the charm of your average supermarket café, the service was a little slow and the food was not outstanding. The chap serving was pleasant and helpful but this is not a place I’d choose to come back to.