THE owner of a Turkish restaurant says he's still excited to open to Winchester - despite being hit by delays. 

Turkuaz was set to open in an historic building in Jewry Street in September but this has now been postponed until mid-February.

The building, next door to Brasserie Blanc, built in 1509, was previously occupied by Loch Fyne, which left in 2020.

However, Turkuaz, a family-run business that runs eight restaurants in the south, took over the building last summer, putting up signage announcing its intention to open selling Turkish food. 

Owner Cevdet Mutlu said they have since invested more than £200,000 into renovating the restaurant, but they have faced delays in receiving furniture orders. 

He said: "We are hoping to open in mid-February but we are still waiting for deliveries of the furniture. There have been delivery issues but we have been promised they will be fixed soon. 

"We are still coming to Winchester." 

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Mr Mutlu said the restaurant will sell authentic chargrilled Turkish food, freshly prepared on-site, as well as wine from a carefully crafted menu.  

He said that it will provide 140 covers when open, with a mezzanine area available for private bookings. It has also created 14 jobs. 

He said: "It is a beautiful building. We have had to invest a lot into it, especially the external parts, but it is such a lovely building. 

Hampshire Chronicle:

READ MORE: Turquaz restaurant chain to take over Loch Fyne premises on Jewry Street in Winchester

"We have put a lot of love into it and we care about the history of the building. It is an honour to look after it." 

Married Mr Mutlu, from Putney, started out in the restaurant industry after watching his father Aziz Mutlu running a successful restaurant in the West End after the family moved to England from Istanbul in 1974. 

He said: "I went to help him out, after school, and I learnt the trade. For the past 25 years, I have had my own successful restaurant business, inspired by my father.

"It has been built from the heart, with passion. We have got of heart and passion. It is what we do, it is the type of service we provide."  

The business currently has other restaurants in Dorking and Newbury. It is also working on opening a restaurant in Horsham.