Turkish Restaurant Singapore: What to Order Beyond Kebabs

Start with pide, a smoky aubergine dip and Saksuka if you want a Turkish restaurant meal that goes beyond kebabs. Add a salad for freshness, choose braised lamb if you prefer a substantial rice dish, and leave room for pastry.

At Tarboush, Turkish breads sit alongside Arabic and wider Middle Eastern dishes. That variety gives you several ways to build a meal around baked dough, vegetables, slow cooking and sweets. Here is what to order, and how to choose between the options.

Make Turkish Pide Your Main Course

Pide is an easy first step beyond the grill. Its topped bread format makes it a practical centrepiece when you want something substantial that can also be divided around the table.

Pide Chicken uses homemade dough shaped into a boat and topped with minced chicken. Choose it when you want a meat filling in a baked dish, with bread forming part of each mouthful.

For a richer combination, Pide Lamb pairs lamb with mozzarella. It makes sense as the main savoury dish, especially if your starters are vegetables or a simple salad.

Pide Spinach combines spinach with mozzarella. The greens give the cheese topping another flavour, making this a useful choice for diners who want to skip a meat topping.

Sharing different pide varieties lets everyone compare fillings. Eat them while they are warm, when the bread and toppings are at their most inviting.

Choose Your Dip by Flavour

For a creamy chickpea starter, order Palestinian Hummus. Tarboush combines puréed chickpeas with tahini and lemon, and serves it with freshly made Palestinian bread. It is a straightforward starting point if you enjoy nutty flavours with a little citrus sharpness.

Choose Muttabal when you want smokiness. Its aubergine is grilled over charcoal, then puréed with tahini, lemon and seasoning. The resulting dip brings the flavour of the fire into a vegetable dish, and it also comes with Palestinian bread.

The choice is mainly about what you enjoy: chickpeas and sesame in hummus, or smoky aubergine with sesame in muttabal. Both come with bread, which makes either one a convenient starter without needing to order a separate accompaniment.

Try Saksuka for Tomatoes, Peppers and Eggs

Tarboush’s Saksuka combines onion, garlic, tomatoes, multicoloured capsicum and green chilli with olive oil, tomato paste and herbs, finished with eggs.

Choose it when you want a saucy vegetable dish with enough substance to hold your attention. The tomato base gives bread something to soak up, while the eggs make it a different eating experience from a cold dip.

The green chilli is worth noticing if your table prefers gentle flavours. Ask about the heat before ordering. This is also a good dish to share alongside a plain bread when you want a smaller meal built around vegetables and eggs.

Add Falafel and a Herb-Focused Salad

Falafel brings a fried element to the table. Tarboush makes its chickpea patties with parsley, coriander, spring onion and dried spices, and serves them with tahini sauce. Order them when you want a warm starter with a firmer bite to accompany softer dips.

For a fresh counterpoint, choose Tabbouleh Salad. This Levantine salad centres on finely chopped parsley, with tomatoes, mint, fine wheat and olive oil. Expect the herbs to lead; the wheat is one component of the dish.

These two choices work together because they offer different textures and flavours. If your main is already rich with cheese or lamb, the parsley and mint are especially useful additions. Serve the salad alongside the warm dishes so you can alternate between them.

Order Braised Lamb When You Want Meat and Rice

Skipping kebabs still leaves room for a substantial lamb dish. Tarboush’s Braised Lamb Shank is cooked overnight and served with smoky mandi rice and buttered vegetables.

Choose this if you prefer a main that arrives with its accompaniments already planned. The long cooking is the key difference from a grilled skewer, while the rice gives the meal a different foundation from pide.

The buttered vegetables add another component without needing a separate side order. For someone who usually orders lamb kebabs, this is a natural way to explore a different preparation of a familiar meat.

Use Turkish Bread to Complete the Order

Extra bread is most useful when you have sauces or dips left to enjoy. Lavash is oven-baked and finished with black sesame seeds, giving you a seeded option for the table.

Ekmek Plain Bread is Tarboush’s classic Turkish flatbread. Choose it when you want a plain accompaniment that lets the dip or tomato sauce lead.

Treat bread as part of the meal when deciding quantities, particularly if you have already chosen a pide main.

Finish with Baklava or Kunafeh

Choose Baklava if chopped nuts and honey appeal to you. Tarboush’s version includes nuts and pistachios in a rich, sweet pastry. It offers a clear change from the savoury dishes, with the filling giving you something to savour in small bites.

Kunafeh takes a different direction: thin shredded pastry baked with soft goat cheese and syrup. Choose it for the combination of pastry and cheese beneath the sweetness.

Decide according to the texture you want to finish with. Baklava puts nuts at the centre; kunafeh makes cheese part of dessert. If you are sharing, ask about the serving size before ordering both.

Put Together a Balanced Sharing Order

For two diners, a useful starting point is one dip with its included bread, one pide and a salad. Check serving sizes with the team, then add falafel if you want another warm dish.

If you prefer a rice-centred meal, make the lamb shank your main and pair it with a vegetable starter. With a larger group, divide the choices: let one person pick a dip, another select the pide filling, and someone else choose the salad. This helps everyone contribute while avoiding several dishes that fill the same role.

FAQs

Are Tarboush’s non-kebab dishes halal?

Tarboush states that its food is 100% halal and that the restaurant is Muslim-owned. This applies to its wider menu, including dishes beyond the grill.

Is spinach pide vegan?

No. Tarboush’s spinach pide contains mozzarella cheese. Diners seeking a vegan meal should ask the restaurant which dishes and preparations meet their requirements.

Does tabbouleh contain wheat?

Yes. Tarboush lists fine wheat among its tabbouleh ingredients. Keep this in mind when choosing a salad for someone avoiding wheat.

Can I order for delivery in Singapore?

Tarboush offers islandwide delivery. Browse the online menu and check the available dishes and delivery details when placing your order.

Where is Tarboush located?

Tarboush lists outlets in Bugis on Victoria Street and Orchard on Tanglin Road. Find the addresses through its location details.