Turquoise Grill House trades in traditional Turkish cuisine with enough surprises peppered throughout the menu to keep things fresh.

It's a place, says social media manager Alp Kasap, where the team aims "to bring something different, something unique to Toronto and to the GTA area."

Opened in July, the downtown location builds on the success of the team's original restaurant, in Woodbridge.

At Turquoise Grill House, the menu jumps from familiar pide and kebabs to elegant plates of Steamed Sea Bass ($39.99) and cream-slicked Steamed Chicken Roll ($29.99).

Beef Tenderloin arrives napped in savoury, rich, textbook demi-glace ($34.99).

Populated with dishes that show off the team's culinary chops, the menu is also broad enough to suit — whether you have time for a leisurely dinner or need to grab a doner to devour as you hustle to your next meeting.

"These two guys," says Kasap of the chefs and business partners who run the kitchen, "have worked in hotels and restaurants. They went to culinary school. They're real chefs. They're also good at different cuisines — Italian, French — not just Turkish."

Devoted to from-scratch cooking, the team pumps out an impressive array of offerings, each built from a stunning number of house-made ingredients — from sauces and pickles, to breads, seasoned meatballs and more.

"Everything is produced in-house," affirms Kasap. "Everything is fresh, made daily. The recipes are created by the two chefs."

Even a complex dish like Kelle Pacha, a bone-broth soup that Kasap says is "very hard" to find on restaurant menus and requires time and patience to make, is available here.

Weighed down with a half-dozen savoury, herby, zingy dips — from hummus to lentil kisir and smoky eggplant nazuktan — an Istanbul Mezze Sampler ($18.99) is a wise place to begin.

Accompanied by Turkish balloon bread, served hot from the blistering oven, the platter is comforting and delicious and just the thing to take the edge of hunger.

Savour it with a traditional drink, like imported Salgam ($3.99), salty, tart Ayran ($3.99), or aromatic Turkish Coffee ($3.99). Need something stronger? 

A liquor license is in the plans, meaning that wines, beer and raki will soon also be on offer.

Despite chef Murat Cugur's goal to offer diners unique dishes created specifically for the locale, it's hard to resist hearty, deftly seasoned versions of Adana Kebab ($24.99) and Tekirdag Butcher Kofte ($24.99).

Have you seen similar dishes before? Sure. But the fastidious way they're made here boosts them above the competition.

Made from lamb and beef spiked with red chili and a slew of Turkish herbs and spices, the former is served with bulgur and dressed green salad. The latter, finds a hunger-quashing six grilled meatballs plated with rice, salad, pita and tomato.

When there's pide on the menu, chances are there's pide on every table. Follow the crowd, with crisp, satisfying Kiymali Pide ($23.99) and stuffed Veggie Pide ($24.99).

Big enough to share, each is blistered from the oven, with a tender middle, crisp exterior and fresh, zesty flavour.

Desserts invite diners to stick with tradition or to see how the team handles some of Europe's most popular sweets. There's Tiramisu and Crème Brulée and wobbly vanilla Panna Cotta ($12.99) topped with mixed berry sauce that's rich and just sweet enough.

Prefer to cap off your meal as you might in Turkey? You'll find nothing to hold against syrupy Antep Baklava ($9.99) and warm, crisp Kunefe ($12.99), with a cheese pull you'll want to film for the 'gram.

A full-service restaurant that goes far beyond a casual doner shop, Turquoise Grill House offers substantial portions of hearty, delectable fare to a downtown audience.

Turquoise Grill House is located at 431 Richmond Street West.