Asi Bar & Barbecue, Hull: The Turkish restaurant which has taken over an old pub near to Hull City's stadium

I’d estimate that all those figures have now increased by at least 25 per cent. My last posh feed saw me hand over £181. Probably the most I’ve ever spent on a meal.

Seeing as we’re heading into the New Year and we’re all skint and looking to save a few bob, I thought I’d try to find a really decent place to eat for as little as possible.

So I asked around to see if there was anywhere good and cheap of which I was unaware. Of the six people I spoke to, four mentioned Asi. So, to Asi I’ve come to see if two can eat and drink well for under £100.

Asi is a Turkish restaurant operating in the former Brickmakers Arms pub on Walton Street in Hull. Brickies has the distinction of being the nearest pub to the KC Stadium and so match days - for both football and rugby - have traditionally been busy, as has Hull Fair week as it’s the only pub up the street in which the fair is held. Neither of these regular sources of income proved enough to keep the pub profitable and so it faltered, closed and has now been brought back to life as restaurant.

It’s a trend that’s been ongoing all over the country for several years now and has been the saviour of many ex-pubs that would undoubtedly have fallen to the wrecking ball.

Asi still feels pretty much like a pub but the traditional Turkish copper Mangan grill set perpendicular to the bar leaves you in little doubt you’re not in your average back street boozer. It appears that almost all of the food is cooked over this eight-foot long charcoal grill and watching the chefs at work is a hugely entertaining part of the evening.

Menu-wise, there is little to surprise. It’s the usual mix of meze starters, skewers, and grilled meats and fish that you’d find in any Turkish restaurant. There are also a few anglicised or Mediterranean offerings (onion rings, mozzarella sticks etc) that have presumably been added to appease the less-adventurous clientele.

We start with an entirely excellent cold mixed meze. Six sides, two dips (one spicy, one cooling), a plate of salad and a basket of breads for just under £16 is probably meal enough for one in itself. But, as well as being filling, the cold meze is quite delicious.

Best is sun dried tomato Ezme; made with garlic, tomato and walnuts, it has a zing and texture to it that means it disappeared fast. Asi Ezme is the hot one; grilled aubergine with peppers, tomato garlic and enough chilli to let you know it means business. Kisir is a wheat salad with just the right amount of parsley, mint, spring onion and tomato.

The humus and cakic are both excellent but can’t compete with the other, more excellent, options. Oddly, best of all is found in the salad. There are clumps of red onion and grated carrot but the grated white cabbage with mint is the real star. So simple yet so tasty. I know I ate far more than my fair share.

We also tried a couple off the hot meze section. The king prawns were okay but nothing more and the sigara boregi – deep fried feta-stuffed pastry rolls – were good and much improved when dredged through the humus.

For mains, we sampled kuzu sis - cubes of marinated lamb, skewered, grilled and served with rice and salad. As with all of these things, the quality of the meat is vital and Asi can’t be accused of skimping on the butcher bill.

All of the meat was top notch, as confirmed by the adana beyti, which is grilled lamb mince wrapped in lavash flatbread and served with garlic yoghurt, a tomato sauce and a rice/ chickpea combination. The dish is meaty and moist and – thanks to a drizzle of melted butter – rich and deliciously unctuous.

Sadly, the baklava on the dessert menu was unavailable so I went for kunefe, as it was new to me, and was very glad I did. It’s a syrupy spun sugar pattie filled with sweet cheese and served warm with a dollop of ice cream melting into it. I became an instant and huge fan.

More prosaic but just as delicious was chocolate cake with custard. Just your usual cakey/ custardy bowlful. We did ask if they had the green minty custard you used to get at school (or at least us lucky ones did) but this was met with blank stares. The campaign to bring back green custard starts here.

Asi is as good as everyone told me it is. Simple, unpretentious and hidden in a backstreet pub, but making cracking food and becoming quietly essential.

They have just opened Asi Cafe in the centre of Hull, which is rather more respectable-looking and serves - as the name suggests - lunchtime treats. The Asi empire is clearly on the up and it’s probably because they manage to successfully mix quality and value.

So, the big question: did we manage to eat and drink well for under £100? Not quite. The bill came in at £101, but I do think we over-ordered. We could easily have shaved around £12 off by cutting a couple of things, had we known the size of the portions delivered.

I’m counting our evening at Asi a victory for the parsimonious diner and hereby recommend it to you all ahead of your Chirstmas credit card bill landing on the mat.

Asi Bar & Barbecue, 57-65 Walton Street, Hull, HU3 6JB www.asirestauranthull.com Tel: 01482 501656

Open: Tues to Thurs 4-10; Fri, Sat & Sun 4-11​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Welcome 4/5

Food 4/5

Atmosphere 4/5

Prices 5/5