Vadi Kitchen – St Ives.

My dad was kind enough to treat us to lunch on a rainy Sunday afternoon in St Ives, so we decided to pop into Vadi Kitchen – a place which we have both had our eye on for some time.

Vadi Kitchen has been getting a lot of hype on the Cambridge Foodies Facebook group lately and almost unanimous praise for its Turkish cuisine. I have walked past it many of times and often wondered what it was like, so I was glad to finally find out!

The place is very clean and spacious with a very modern feel to it. The open plan kitchen and bustling staff behind the grill really give it an authentic experience which adds excitement and atmosphere to the meal.

The menu was large with a good selection to chose from. My boy decided to go for the Lamb Sarma Beyti and I went for the Mixed Kebab. My father had the Lamb Beyti.

Everything seemed to be reasonably priced, though when it comes to meat you often want something reassuringly expensive. I think the balance is probably fair.

It was disappointing to see no draft beer on tap but they had bottles of Efes. It was apparently “draft” beer in a bottle but didn’t taste any different from the usual bottled beer. Either way, it is a lovely, smooth, and tasted great. I was glad that the bottles were a decent size too with none of that “330ml bottles for the same price of a pint” rubbish most restaurants try and get away with.

Our food came out in good time and it was nice to be able to see the open kitchen prepare our food. There has always been something reassuring about being able to see the kitchen and know that it’s clean but also to see how much work goes into preparing the food too.

The Lamb Sarma Beyti was absolutely fantastic and was devoured within a few minutes by my son.

My mixed kebab was also very nice. It was served with two different types of rice, a small pepper and a tomato. It would have been nice to have more pepper but otherwise the food was faultless. I think they got the portions here exactly right and was just enough to satisfy filling me up without making me feel too bloated. The lamb was particularly nice and quite tender (which is hard to get right when you are cooking it on a grill).

My dads Lamb Beyti also looked fantastic. Much more succulent and less dry than out other dishes. Certainly a better addition to go with the rice than my dry kebab. Something to keep in mind if you do not like dry food.

We were also given a large bowl of salad which really helped bulk out the meals. There was a selection of cabbage, mixed salad, green salad, and carrots which mixed in perfectly and complimented all our dishes really well.

Vadi Kitchen gets everything right there. I thoroughly enjoyed my dining experience from the open grill and kitchen to the food. The place is modern and open yet still have tables divided by glass barriers for people still anxious about COVID. This is a great place to take the family and smart enough for business or special occasions. I recommend getting a table near the grill like we did so you can really make the most of the bustling atmosphere.

Vadi Kitchen is just another example of how St Ives is flying high as one of the essential foodie hubs of Cambridgeshire!

I highly recommend!