We like the meticulously prepared Turkish or middle eastern dishes, but not the seating which is cheek by jowl with neighboring tables. Not conducive to conversation or privacy, so I would say either go at off times, or be really focused on your own conversation so you can block out the neighboring diners. Kind of a drag, we hurried through the meal to get out quickly. And not cheap, either. But delicious.

I had great expectations coming in. We arrived at 5p to line up for patio seating which opens at 5:30p. It was a hot and humid July day and flies and other flying insects were too bothersome on top of the muggy weather. The hostess seating us was not very friendly. The food was interesting and on the whole well-prepared except for two notable exceptions: the garnish of greens on a meze was brown and wilted so shouldn't have been used; the lemon chicken looked uncooked in the center. Various people served the numerous dishes which were cleared promptly. I got the feeling we were being rushed to finish. We ordered the vegetarian tasting option, the lemon chicken, a vegetarian and a meat moussaka (excellent), trout spanakopita (excellent), etc. We had the watermelon granita which was a nice light dessert. Maybe dining indoors would have been more enjoyable for me.

We dined late on a Sunday night (8:45 reservations) in this comfortable and lively modern restaurant in Cambridge. The dining room is modern and clean. The initial visit by the waiter was slow-ish, but once we ordered it seemed like the entire staff made sure our food was delivered straight from the kitchen to our table. As for the food - simply outstanding. These were some of the most complex, in some cases bizarre flavor combinations and simply delicious small plates we have ever had. For example; the Vermont Quail kebob with Baharat spice, barberries and crushed pistachios (outstanding) or the warm buttered hummus was warm buttered hummus wrapped in a chorizo cold cut (delicious). Everything we ordered was unique, freshly made, beautifully presented and excellent. Biggest surprise was to find a local hefeweizen from the Night Shift Brewing in Everett. Who knew Everett had a brewery let alone a brewery making a truly outstanding hefeweizen. They had a nice list of local brews and an impressive wine list was for this size establishment. We highly recommend Olena.

Daughter took us to her local favorite place. The several small plates that we had as openers were each well prepared, I liked the lightly fried mussels and fried Falafel which was (very well seasoned and soft) wrapped in pita with varying pickled items to add,
Sea Bass on lentils was seared just right. The roasted duck skewers were moist and
mildly seasoned.

This delightful,restaurant is my favorite in Cambridge area. The owner I believe is Scandinavian but travelled extensively in the Middle East and Turkey. Her recipes reflect these areas but rather than be the same they are creative and a notch above any food I have eaten while living in Turkey for 8 years. They are fresh and delicately spiced. The tastes will always amaze me when I return repeatedly. A treat for the taste buds!