Name: PeperZout HAARLEM Turks Mediterraans Restaurant
Address: Marsmanplein 218, Haarlem, 2025 DV, NL
Telephone: 023 202 2955
Price range: €€
Rating: 3.3

Netherlands

Haarlem

PeperZout HAARLEM Turks Mediterraans Restaurant

A long skewer of minced lamb or beef, grilled over charcoal, rolled tightly inside a sheet of lavash, cut into slices and served with a tomato-butter sauce and a pool of garlic yoghurt: the beyti is the kebab that Istanbul made rather than inherited. It takes its name from Beyti Güler, whose restaurant in the Florya district has operated since 1945; his original beyti of the 1960s was a cut of lamb wrapped in its own fat, and the wrapped-and-sliced version served everywhere today is a later development that borrowed his name. Within the kebab family it sits closest to Adana and Urfa, since the meat is the same hand-chopped mince on a flat skewer; what makes it a beyti is the lavash, the slicing, and the sauce. It is a dish of knife and fork, not of the hand, and in a kebapçı it is one of the more expensive orders.

The meat is prepared as for an Adana or Urfa skewer: fatty lamb or a lamb-beef mix chopped fine with onion, salt, pepper and red pepper, kneaded, rested cold and pressed along a wide skewer. It is grilled over charcoal until browned and just cooked, then laid on a thin lavash that has been warmed on the grill, often with a line of melted butter or a scatter of parsley, and rolled as tight as a cigar. The roll is cut on the diagonal into pieces three to four centimetres long and arranged on the plate, sometimes brushed with butter and returned to the grill or oven for a minute so the lavash crisps at the edges. The sauce is tomato, fresh or paste, cooked briefly in butter with a pinch of salt and sometimes pul biber, poured over or beside the slices; thick süzme yoghurt with crushed garlic goes alongside, and grilled peppers and tomato complete the plate.

Score the meat as you would an Adana: coarse, juicy, seasoned so lamb leads, with some char and no dryness. Then look at the roll. The lavash should be thin and clinging, soft where it meets the meat and lightly crisp at the cut edges, not thick, doughy or soggy. The slices should hold together when lifted. The sauce should taste of tomato and butter, hot and not sweet, and it should not drown the plate; the yoghurt should be cold, thick and garlicky enough to register. Mark down a beyti built from pre-cooked or pressed meat, a lavash that has turned to paste under the sauce, cold slices that were rolled long before service, ketchup-like sauce, and a version without yoghurt. A plate where the sauce and yoghurt have been mixed into one pink puddle before it arrives has been assembled by someone who did not care.

Beyti kebab

Acılı Ezme is a vibrant, spicy vegetable salad and dip that is ubiquitous in Turkish kebab houses and grilled meat restaurants (ocakbaşı). The name roughly translates to 'spicy mashed' dish, referring to the traditional method of preparation where vegetables are finely chopped or mashed together to create a cohesive, salsa-like texture. It acts as an appetizing starter, designed to wake up the palate before the arrival of rich, fatty meats.

The core ingredients of Acılı Ezme are ripe tomatoes, green peppers (often spicy), onions, garlic, and parsley. However, the secret to its depth lies in the dressing and seasonings. A mixture of pepper paste (biber salçası), pomegranate molasses (nar ekşisi), olive oil, varying amounts of hot red pepper flakes (pul biber or isot), sumac, and dried mint is massaged into the vegetables. Some variations might include walnuts for crunch or a splash of lemon juice for extra brightness.

Preparation requires patience and skill with a knife; using a food processor is often frowned upon as it can turn the vegetables into a watery mush. Hand-chopping ensures that each vegetable retains its identity while contributing to the collective flavor profile. The result is a dish that hits every flavor note: sweet from the tomatoes and onions, sour from the pomegranate molasses, savory from the salça, and unmistakably spicy.

Served cold, Acılı Ezme is typically eaten with warm, puffy lavash bread or pita. It is not just a condiment but a standalone meze that showcases the freshness of Turkish produce and the mastery of spice balancing.

Spicy Ezme

Spain

Patatas Bravas, often simply called 'bravas', are one of the most quintessential and beloved tapas dishes in Spain, found in virtually every bar and restaurant from Madrid to Barcelona. At its most basic, the dish consists of white potatoes that have been cut into irregular cubes of about 2 centimeters, then fried in oil and served warm with a spicy sauce. The name translates to 'brave potatoes' or 'fierce potatoes', a nod to the fiery kick of the sauce, which is a departure from the generally mild palate of traditional Spanish cuisine.

The preparation of the potatoes is key to the dish's texture. They are typically fried twice: first at a lower temperature to cook them through until soft and tender on the inside, and then again at a higher temperature to achieve a golden, crispy exterior. This double-frying technique ensures that each bite offers a satisfying crunch followed by a fluffy, pillowy center.

The sauce, or 'salsa brava', varies significantly by region and chef. In Madrid, it is traditionally made with a base of tomato and vinegar, seasoned with pimentón (paprika)—both sweet and hot—to give it its characteristic red color and smoky, spicy flavor. In Catalonia and Valencia, the sauce is often accompanied by or mixed with allioli (garlic mayonnaise), adding a creamy, garlicky dimension that balances the heat.

Patatas Bravas are the ultimate social food, meant to be shared with friends alongside a caña (small draft beer) or a glass of vermouth. They are inexpensive, comforting, and deeply rooted in Spanish social culture.

Patatas bravas

As main dish one of the choose was for me is classic beyti.

If I start with main ingredient which was adana kebap inside the bread roll. Taste was nice but the meat itself was pretty dry. It was served hot.

The yogurt and tomatoes sauce was in match for me no serious problem.

My advice to chef is if you are gonna put tomatoes and green peppers on this plate make sure they are cooked well so i can easily peel.

And yes it is expensive. 

Acılı ezme

As second starter we tried Acili ezme. I was expecting a classic with tomatoes, peppers, onions and sumak. Which was the case but there was a big mistake…

They did put hot chilli sauce in it, and it killed all the taste. They could have keep it simple.

Patatas Bravas, often simply called 'bravas', are one of the most quintessential and beloved tapas dishes in Spain, found in virtually every bar and restaurant from Madrid to Barcelona. At its most basic, the dish consists of white potatoes that have been cut into irregular cubes of about 2 centimeters, then fried in oil and served warm with a spicy sauce. The name translates to 'brave potatoes' or 'fierce potatoes', a nod to the fiery kick of the sauce, which is a departure from the generally mild palate of traditional Spanish cuisine.

The preparation of the potatoes is key to the dish's texture. They are typically fried twice: first at a lower temperature to cook them through until soft and tender on the inside, and then again at a higher temperature to achieve a golden, crispy exterior. This double-frying technique ensures that each bite offers a satisfying crunch followed by a fluffy, pillowy center.

The sauce, or 'salsa brava', varies significantly by region and chef. In Madrid, it is traditionally made with a base of tomato and vinegar, seasoned with pimentón (paprika)—both sweet and hot—to give it its characteristic red color and smoky, spicy flavor. In Catalonia and Valencia, the sauce is often accompanied by or mixed with allioli (garlic mayonnaise), adding a creamy, garlicky dimension that balances the heat. Some purists argue that tomatoes have no place in a true salsa brava, insisting instead on a flour-thickened broth colored with paprika, while others embrace the tomato base.

Patatas Bravas are the ultimate social food, meant to be shared with friends alongside a caña (small draft beer) or a glass of vermouth. They are inexpensive, comforting, and deeply rooted in Spanish social culture, representing the joy of gathering, sharing, and enjoying life's simple pleasures.

As starter i tried patatas bravas from the starter menu.

I think everything is wrong with this. It was quickly served and that time you realise it is made in the oven. Cooked a lot.

Nothing like the original. They put chesse and curry sauce and it is a mistake.

Eventually i didn’t like it at all. I am open for changes but this one definitely didn’t work for me.

PeperZout HAARLEM Turks Mediterraans Restaurant

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