Inside the luxury bar and grill bringing an authentic taste of Turkey to Abbeydale Road

After impressively transforming a former Abbeydale Road supermarket into a swish Turkish bar and grill, Mavi Ruya has fast become one of the city’s busiest restaurants, so we headed down to catch up with owner Mr Ismail to discuss the restaurants rise to prominence…

Settling down on the ground floor of the restaurant, below an ornate chandelier imported from Turkey, at a table nestled beside the large floor-to-ceiling windows, you can’t help but be impressed by the beautiful job Mavi Ruya’s owners have done reimagining the space; It’s certainly got the wow factor.

Now set over two floors, it’s hard to fathom that the space used to house a Morrisons. Everywhere you look there are meticulously thought out details and homages to the pre-Ottoman-era, Seljuk Empire patterns and furnishings of Turkey’s rich history.

“At Mavi Ruya, we are trying to marry the traditional food that we would have at home with modern service and techniques.”

Explaining the choice of décor, Mr Ismail, who has lived in Sheffield for over 20 years, tells us: “The Seljuk’s were famous for their interior design, so we wanted to use their patterns, but also to modernise them.

“We planned it like this, and thought it would make it feel special, but we didn’t expect to hear from customers how much they loved the design, and how they felt like they were transported out of the UK!

“We could have just painted the walls and put some tables in, but we know that when people come here to dine with us, they want to feel special, and we always want to show respect and hospitality to our guests – even through the décor.”

The extensive refurb split the restaurant into four main areas; a downstairs dining space with open kitchen and deli-style counter; an upstairs dining area and bar; an exquisitely fitted out private VIP dining room perfect for special occasions and meetings; and an extended outside patio that offers stunning views onto the River Sheaf in summer.

“Changing the property was a challenge for us.” Says Ismail, “People said it’s not going to work so there were a lot of question marks, but we knew we wanted to make this building look like one of the best buildings in Sheffield, because it was one of the worst buildings on Abbeydale Road. We’re very proud of what we achieved.”

What was once a supermarket has been transformed into a luxury restaurant offering an authentic taste of Turkey on Abbeydale Road

Once the refurb was complete, the next goal for the restaurant was to change perceptions of Turkish food in Sheffield. He said: “Sheffield has always had high-quality restaurants with good service, but when people think of a Turkish charcoal kitchen, they think of takeaways and kebab houses.

“We’ve been doing this for a long time, so we wanted to change those perceptions and show people in Sheffield what a real Turkish kitchen, with fine dining and good atmosphere, is like.

“When we found this property, we thought this would be the best spot to do that, and we are very happy with how it worked out.”

Ismail boasts 28-years’ experience in the restaurant industry, working in every section from pot wash, to chef, to restauranteur. When embarking on this journey, he knew he would need people he trusted around him, so he naturally gravitated towards family members, who also have many years of experience in hospitality between them.

Ismail said: “Family is very important to me. The Turkish community are very close and family connections are important to us. When we do something, we want everyone to be involved, which also makes it easier for us. We are together, so let’s do business together too – it’s like a family gathering.”

From their decedent cocktails and delicious food menu, you may almost believe you are in Istanbul

Ismail and his family hail from the South-East of Turkey, and their home region provides the inspiration for the restaurant’s grill-based menu. Being such a large country, each region of Turkey enjoys its own cuisine, and the South-East is famous for its charcoal cooking and mezes. Ismail tells us that Turkish people travel from as far away as Istanbul for a meal and a night out in South Eastern Anatolia.

“Everybody in our region knows how to marinate a kebab,” says Ismail, “They know how to get the meat from around to bone of the lamb and they know how to cook it. It’s the food we eat at home all the time.

“At Mavi Ruya, we are trying to marry the traditional food that we would have at home with modern service and techniques. If you’re cooking a kebab, you can just put it in a takeaway box, but we think about how we can add things, about the marinating, the colour, the quality and then how it’s presented at the table with style. We’re elevating classic dishes.

“We want it to be different. Sheffield is very supportive of local businesses, and we want to make sure Turkish cuisine is on the map in Sheffield.”

The praise heaped on the food shows they have definitely achieved this goal and reflecting on what will be two years since they opened the doors this April, Ismail is very proud of what they’ve already achieved.

“It’s been brilliant. 90 per cent of the people we know thought we were crazy. When we opened the doors, the hesitation and the doubt was gone. It was so busy. People were coming from all over Sheffield and beyond, and we didn’t have time to think about anything else.

“We’ve been doing this for a long time, so we wanted to change those perceptions and show people in Sheffield what a real Turkish kitchen, with fine dining and good atmosphere, is like.”

“That was scary, in a way, because being so new, we were worried that we would make mistakes and give people a bad first impression, but people were so understanding. 85 per cent of our guests are now regulars.

“Even now, we are still just as busy, and we often have to turn people away because we are fully booked, which shows we must be doing something right.”

As they are so busy, particularly in the evenings, they are now looking to increase their daytime offering by adding new and different menu items to entice people to come for lunch, or to spend the afternoon drinking Turkish tea with friends.

Ismail said: “We want to offer a place for people to come and have a light lunch, maybe some drinks, and have a chat with friends, at an affordable price. We want to bring people together and creating a meeting point for people.

“Eventually, we want to open another restaurant in the near future. We are part of this city, we are Sheffield-family who are trying to serve the city. We weren’t born here, but more than half of our life has been spent here, so we want to expand in the city that we are proud of.

“Hopefully, we will keep growing and we keep getting better.”

@maviruyaturkish