Palamud

A lovely find for anyone looking for a new fish address in Assos. In the kitchen is Yusuf Usta, who worked for years at Çanakkale's legendary Yalova Restaurant. His experience shows from the first bite.

We started the evening with cured swordfish and tuna ceviche. Both were, in a word, superb. The swordfish pastırma was perfectly cured, intense but balanced — one of the stars of the night. The tuna ceviche was extremely fresh, bright, with the acidity judged perfectly.

The fresh prawns that followed held the same line of quality. We finished with grilled slipper lobster: perfectly cooked, juicy, the flavour exactly right. A finale like that suits a good fish dinner.

Overall the product quality is very high, the cooking techniques are accomplished, and the kitchen's philosophy is to do justice to the ingredient rather than show off. For regulars of the old Yalova Restaurant, Yusuf Usta's kitchen offers a familiar quality; for anyone visiting Assos, it's a new address worth a detour.