It’s been a busy few years for Eddie Isik and his team. The restaurateur has bought, sold and opened a string of eateries across Brisbane, ranging from The Sangria Bar and Ole Fuego in Indooroopilly, to Mucho Mexicano and Ole at South Bank.

His latest to fire up the burners is Downtown Istanbul in the new Hawthorne Cineplex development in Brisbane’s east.

Having previously owned the popular Ahmet’s restaurant at nearby Bulimba, it’s a return to Turkish cuisine for the businessman and, judging by the almost packed restaurant during our Saturday lunch visit, a welcome one for locals.

The first reaction to seeing the fitout is relief.

The indoor/outdoor eatery, thankfully, does away with cliched, kitsch Turkish styling that so often dominates this genre of restaurant, instead serving up fresh, modern and sleek decor with obvious nods to its inspiration (Turkish tiles and subtle knick knacks) without being garish.

The breezy space makes the most of Queensland’s year-round climate and, most importantly, there’s not an ottoman to awkwardly fall off or trip over in sight.

The menu brings back some of the favourites from Ahmet’s – pide, shish and gozleme – and adds new options such as burgers and sweet potato fries, in keeping with current trends.

The mixed meze platter ($25) is the easiest way to try several of the share plates, chockers with crisp-edged, deep-fried vegetable fritters bursting with corn kernels, almost nutty, garlicky falafels, cheese-filled ege borek pastries, subtly flavoured yaprak sarma (rice-stuffed vine leaves) and just-warm Turkish bread.

The kusbasi pide ($19) bumps the flavour up a notch with a slightly doughy base generously topped with diced lamb, capsicum and tomato with an unexpected fiery chilli hit. While the sweet potato, spinach and feta gozleme ($14) is a little light on the feta but texturally exciting with the pastry grilled to golden and beautifully crisp.

For the carnivore, there’s the mixed grill ($31) with tender strips of marinated chicken and lamb, plus a chilli and spice-laden blend of minced lamb and beef, all with that signature barbecue char.

Is it food that’s going to set your world on fire? Probably not. But is it solid, tasty and accessible fare you’d happily eat on a regular basis? Yes.

For locals, it’s an easy lunch or dinner option in a relaxed space that lends itself to sharing with friends a bottle of wine from the global, well-matched list. Throw in some friendly, though slightly slow, service and it makes a suitable regular.