Yesim Patisserie
February 14, 2010
I get asked a lot for recommendations, so I really appreciate getting recommendations in return. The Yesim Patisserie at 29 Narborough Rd was one such and I had a very pleasant lunch there yesterday, an excellent curtain-raiser to City’s 5-1 annihilation of Scunthorpe. It’s in a undeniably scruffy part of town but once inside this is a smart and cosy venue. 
It’s a Turkish cafe and bakery, with breads displayed invitingly along with a range of homemade sweet and savoury pastries. There’s more room than you’d think from the outside and the atmosphere is warm – a keyboard is on display invitingly for those inclined to play. Staff are charming too. I had a fantastic strong and sweet Turkish coffee, while the pastries were light, delicate and very tasty indeed – spinach-stuffed borek (below right) and lahmacun, ultra-thin pizza-like dough with a smear of spicy lamb mixture (below left). Friends Mike and Jessica had a selection cheese pastries and russian salad, and we finished up with a selection of lokum/turkish delight, featuring a particularly lovely walnut variety, and some utterly gorgeous baklava, bursting with pistachios and dripping in honey. Could have carried on eating this all day.
Eyes on the prize 
scruffy part of time – how very dare you! Sadly though i guess i have to agree with you. i’ve walked past many times but never ventured in. From the photo the coffee looked great – is there anything to eat for the fussy types like myself?
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I know – I nearly deleted that sentence but then thought, ah sod it, Narborough Road is scruffy. Nice and lively, but scruffy. They do offer a small range of meze – dolmades, salads and so on – but I can’t pretend there’s tons of stuff for those on a wheat-free diet. I’d say it’s worth checking out for the coffee alone though.
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Good to see Yesim featured in Secret Millionaire tonight on Channel 4. The SM visited with Aiden Hallet (friend of mine, as it happens), who heads up the charity Refugee Action in Leicester, as it played host to some asylum seekers giving musical recitals.
It’s a very worthwhile group – to find out more go to: http://www.refugee-action.org.uk/leicester/default.aspx
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Splendid little haven for a fresh and very tasty breakfast, elevenses, lunch or light dinner. Beautiful breads and pastries to take away too. Miss it at your peril!!
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I unfortunately did not have the same positive experience with regards to service. We went in wanting to try everything but found we had ordered way more then we could eat, so we asked for the rest to be packed up. I do not understand Turkish but I understand tone in voice and body language very well. Who I can only assume to be the owner was shouting and banging things in a very hostile and disturbing manner after we asked for the rest to be packed up, when we asked if he was ok the gentleman serving us nervously said yes he was fine but he only seemed to calm down after we turned to leave. Im definitely not reading too much into this, we spent over £20 on lunch alone and did not want to waste the remains. Quite a disgusting attitude and will never visit again!
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That’s very unfortunate. All I’ll say is that every time I’ve been there everyone has been utterly charming.
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as from all the reports i can say only one thing.
i go for coffee almost every morning and staff are mannered and charming.
i rather pay for a fresh lunch and other cooked food on the day£20 than go in the fish and chips or the fast food all over in Leicester.
I will continue going and i will not look at the price how much it will cost as i know all food is fresh and cooked on daily basis.
Cheers,
MARIA
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Thanks Maria – I’d agree with all of that. I wish I lived a bit nearer so I could go more often myself.
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Just round the corner from where we are now – and Yesim is a gem! Staff could not have been more friendly or helpful – we could not decide on the mezes to have in our shared platter so left it to them – it was all lovely – seems unfair to have such a nice shared lunch for so few pounds.
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Great stuff Malcolm – I really like their Turkish coffee too.
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[…] https://riponia.wordpress.com/2010/02/14/yesim-patisserie/ […]
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[…] This weekend I have been mostly getting back into work. After a super slog of work over the Summer months, Owen is taking a bit of a break to do some writing and work on his own projects. Having a bit more free time means that he can look after the little one while I try and see the clients that have been waiting for me to return from my maternity leave. It feels good to be back, although it is tiring stuff. As a Sunday treat, we got ourselves a take-out from a local Turkish delicatessen and patisserie, Yesim’s. […]
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Now,Their website is online and also you can chech out their new menu. Menu looks great, more like combination of two different food culture. Menu is also available online.
Click to access yesim%20bistro.pdf
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[…] we’ve got a first class cafe which I’ve lauded here several times, in the shape of Yesim, and now two proper grill restaurants – Istanbul […]
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[…] Crafty Burger, Peter Pizzeria, Carluccio’s, Kuru Kuru Sushi, Cedars Lebanese, The Smokehouse, Yesim, Queen of Bradgate and the Slovakian bar and restaurant Tatra Eastern Corner (look out for my […]
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