Jio’s Turkish Kebab House: Pure Ottoman delight

Close your eyes and picture a juicy kebab or a hot Turkish coffee. No worries food lovers, you can now relish yourself on tasty food at Jio’s Turkish Kebab House in Highlands. 

As you step in, the aroma wafting through the air start to tickle your nose. You can’t wait to have a bite of Turkish heaven in your mouth. At Jio’s Turkish Kebab House in Highlands, you will find the tastiest Turkish food available. In fact the restaurant is the first one offering traditional Ottoman dishes.

Cihan Jio Unal, founder and general manager, launched the Turkish Café-Restaurant in March this year. From Turkish origin, Cihan explains that the idea to start the restaurant came up when he met his wife Rebecca, a Mauritian national. “My wife and I used to live in Dubai and this is where we met. I was already planning to leave Dubai and follow my dream. However, Mauritius was not my first option. After I met Rebecca, we shared our plans and decided to come here.”

An engineer by profession, Cihan shares that owning a restaurant has always been his dream. “I love cooking and creating new dishes without sticking to a recipe. As my mum does not have any daughters, she always encouraged me to be in the kitchen and cook. She would give me tips and secrets. And I love seeing real happiness on people’s faces when they try my food. This was my aim.” 

Jio’s Turkish Kebab House is all about family. Cihan manages his restaurant with his wife, his brother and mother-in-law. Cihan together with his brother Cemal are both in the kitchen while his wife and mother-in-law handle the restaurant and welcome guests.

What about people’s response since the launching? “From day one, the response was great. This is the reason why we are going bigger and better now. It has been encouraging for us. Of course I need to adapt recipes to Mauritian taste but people started loving Turkish dishes,” he happily shares. His restaurant is also about sharing the Turkish culture with locals. “For example, when our guests step and sit at the table, we offer our hospitality by putting a little cologne in their hands and we offer them refreshing towels. The cultural aspect is also in the way we serve food and tea.”

Jio’s Turkish Kebab House found in a cosy and relaxing environment truly invites one to disconnect from all and reconnect with their senses. “We chose this place because we wish to focus on a friendly environment concept. It is far from busy cities and streets.” 

However, in order to meet with people’s demand, Cihan and Rebecca decided to expand the restaurant. “We didn’t provide indoor seating before. But with our new project, we have started providing both indoor and outdoor seating since October 14. We have worked hard to renovate and expand our restaurant with a comfortable indoor seating for our guests,” proudly shares Cihan.