Turkish desserts are the most underrated part of the cuisine and at the same time probably my favourite desserts in the world too. Hafiz Mustafa in Istanbul was literally our favourite spot in the city and we visited every single day. And ever since we’re always on the look out for a good Turkish dessert spot. Mehmet Efendi have landed in Whitechapel East London. They’ve been doing desserts in Istanbul itself for decades, so when they enter the London market, surely they will prove to be popular and successful!? Read on to find out more.
Mehmet Efendi
1953. That’s how far these guys go back. That’s when they opened up their first shop in Istanbul. So, their desserts can be trusted to be authentic and of the highest of quality. As you walk in, you get the proper Turkish dessert vibe and aura. If you’ve ever been to one e.g. Hafiz Mustafa, you’ll exactly what look I’m talking about. A fancy, polished cafe for dessert lovers. What’s on offer are the usuals including baklava (many different types), kunefe, lokum (Turkish delight) and different types of cakes.
Read more about them here.
Our experience
Our favourite dish in our favourite spot in Istanbul (Hafiz Mustafa) was undoubtedly the caramel milk cake. It was so delicious. Creamy, sweet and oh so moreish. It has to be my number one dessert in the world. Ever since trying it, we’ve been looking for this in London. And even though we’ve found a couple spots that do it, we haven’t really found one that hits the spot like Hafiz Mustafa. It seems the caramel milk cake is difficult to master. So, of course we ordered the caramel milk cake. We also ordered baklava and Turkish tea. We wanted the San Sebastian cheesecake too, but they didn’t have it available at that time. The baklava was decent, the Turkish tea was on point as you’d expect, but the main question is how was the caramel milk cake? It was pretty good, the taste was somewhat there, but still quite far at the same time. The cake part was more cakey than moist and spongey. And the price was double what Antepzade charge and theirs is easily the best in London. So, I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit this place unfortunately, but if I were in the area, I’d hit it up if I wanted a nice post meal dessert chill.
Getting there
Nearest station: Aldgate East
Nearest mosque: East London Mosque
Parking: Most if not all the roads behind the East London Mosque are free evenings and weekends, but there is literally a competition for parking spaces. So, be prepared to drive around in circles and wait till you find something to pounce on.
