Moving to the Midlands from London five years ago wasn't anywhere near the wrench that the naysayers of my social circle warned it would be. Apart from one thing. The food.
Now don't get me wrong, I'd obviously never tasted Indian food as amazing as I have since I moved up here, and let's face it, whatever you're craving there's pretty much every cuisine in the world available in and around Brum if you've got the time and bank balance to try it out. Except for one thing.
Lahmacun.
Lahmacun are a Turkish delicacy. They are also, for me at least, a much-loved childhood treat picked up in North London - to the extent that since my move north my family send me gloating picture messages showing them off every time they get some.
I'd found good Turkish food in Birmingham and Coventry but nowhere with the special kiln-like oven to make lahmacun. Until now.
Tucked away above a parade of shops and takeaways in Coventry, the first impression you get of Fethiye is one of warmth. The service is friendly, and rather than hustling you to your table, you're settled down into the bar area where your drink order is taken and you're given a chance to peruse the menu over your aperitif while the table is being prepared.
By the time we'd ordered our starters, and Alan had been served his glass of Raki (£1.95), a potent aniseed flavoured drink served with water, it was time to move to the table and the first stage of our culinary delight.
Alan chose icli kofte (£3.90) crushed wheat patties filled with minced lamb, onions, parsley, and walnuts to start, while I went for sigara borek, crispy filo pastry rolls filled with white cheese and parsley (£3.50).
The sigara borek wasn't too greasy (which is always a danger for something deep fried) and came in a portion generous enough to share - which I was very pleased about as it gave me a chance to shamelessly steal some of Alan's terrific icli kofte.
With some fresh baked bread and garlic butter to graze on - and a bottle of Turkish house red (Villa Doluca - which at £10.95 a bottle is brilliant value as it's one of the better wines on the wine list) delivered to the table, the first course boded well for - what was for me at least - set to be the highlight of the meal.
For his main Alan had picked the karisik izgara - a massive barbecued mixed grill platter of lamb cutlets, lamb shish kebab, kofte, chicken shish and chicken wings (£10.45) served with potatoes, rice and vegetables. The portion size was huge, the meat was cooked to tender perfection and Alan was struggling to finish, but I only had eyes for the plate which had been put down in front of me.
Lahmacun are a kind of cross between a crepe and a thin cheeseless pizza topped with minced lamb, onions, parsley, green peppers, chopped tomato and garlic.
The portion came with three lahmacun and the requisite onion salad and lemon which you fill them with before rolling them up to enjoy - bargainous at £6.75, especially as they are more filling than they look
When they arrived they were perfectly cooked, not too crisp and, honestly, everything I had hoped for and more. There's a note on the menu saying people can't just come to the restaurant to eat lahmacun without ordering anything else - and once you've tasted them you'll know why they had to put that on there.
The family-run (and family friendly) restaurant boasts a reasonably-priced and tasty menu showcasing the best Turkish cuisine you can imagine. Everything is home made, and the array of food is so dizzying that we're already planning a return visit - although it's touch and go whether I'll actually be able to stray from ordering lahmacun, at least for my next few visits.
Suffice to say, anyone whose familiarity with Turkish food begins and end with post-pub chilli sauce-laden kebabs is really in for a treat.
