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You’ve got half-an-hour until your train departs from Derby – and your tummy is rumbling. It would seem that a pasty from Greggs or a panini from Costa are among the few easy options. But as we discovered there’s an exceptionally tasty new offering – with generous portions – just two minutes up the road.
The Greek and Turkish “Alaturka” cafe has opened in Midland Road, located opposite the historic WW Winter photography studio and near the Royal Mail delivery centre. It offers gyros, wraps, toasties, bagels and burgers, with prices ranging from £2.99 for a cheese toastie up to £7.99 for an Alaturka Special Wrap.
On arrival, it had a welcoming smell of fresh food and herbs and the loud clattering of the spatula on the grill made the place feel alive. It was the gyros that piqued our curiosity, having never tried one before.
There were four or five customers already in the small cafe at lunchtime, including a rugged postman who seemed to be picking up a group order. As Tu Vuo’ Fa’ L’Americano played from a speaker behind the till, the owner offered the postie a free drink, which he politely refused.
It was our turn to order, and with a little trepidation, we asked for a medium-sized halloumi gyro at £6.99. A large would have come in at £9.99. Having noticed the handful of customers waiting for their orders, it seemed likely there would be something of a wait, although we were not told how long it would be. Despite the bountiful salad bar at the counter reminding us of chains such as Subway, it seemed unlikely that the service would be quite as instant.
Read more: We review pub in idyllic Derbyshire spot that serves fresh seafood from Cornish coast
That’s not to say that there was no sense of urgency. The cafe was being run by a friendly man and his hard-working mother-in-law, and while the scenes were a little frantic, we would much rather it be at that end of the spectrum than the agonisingly slow pace you see at some eateries.
As we waited, a new customer walked in and asked about the gyros: “What’s that then? A chicken wrap? Go on then, I’ll have one of those.” He was a little surprised when he saw chips added to the freshly-cooked chicken inside the thick bread wrap, and initially said he didn’t want any, but the man behind the counter convinced him: “It’s tasty. Try it.” The man also guided a young lady through the various sauce options for her gryo, with options including sweet chilli sauce, tzatziki and hot chilli sauce.
After ten or 15 minutes, our halloumi gryo was almost ready, and we were asked what salad we wanted and what sauce. We opted for a bit of everything from the salad bar and tzatziki (a sauce made of Greek yoghurt, cucumbers, garlic and fresh herbs). The wrap was humongous. It was so large that the man appeared almost to struggle to roll it together. He hesitated as he did so before looking at us and saying: “I’m not happy with this bread. I’m going to make a fresh one”. After another minute, we had a big lunch ready to go, wrapped in tin foil.
Once home, the gyro did not disappoint. Full to the brim with fresh salad, a generous helping of halloumi slices, a handful of chips and a zingy tzatziki, it was a delight to eat. The main ingredients were not spread uniformly through the wrap, so at various times you’d get a bite of grilled cheese, a mouthful of colourful salad or a hunger-beating serving of chips. It did start to fall apart slightly as it got near the end, so we would recommend grabbing a few napkins and not wearing a white T-shirt.
We cut ours in half and once we had eaten the first 50%, it was clear that the rest would be for dinner later. And the remaining portion was just as tasty at teatime. One-and-a-half meals for £6.99 is not bad going. With the sad closure of Gee’s Sandwich Bar last year, the area around the railway station desperately needs a variety of food options in addition to fast-food favourites like pizza, burgers and fish and chips. Next time you’re waiting for a train, why not skip Greggs and try something different? You might be pleasantly surprised.
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