by MARK SLUTSKY

There aren't many options for lunch if you're working or hanging out downtown around the Bleury and Ste-Catherine corner. Sure, there's an abundance of food courts in nearby malls, a couple of mega-diners like Jack Looney's, or a walk to Chinatown if you have the time. Less than half a block east from MusiquePlus, though, is a little gem of a place called Merveille Istanbul, a small, unprepossessing lunch spot serving tasty and wholesome Turkish eats for very reasonable prices.

Though they're open into the evening, most of Merveille Istanbul's trade comes from the lunchtime crowd; the place fills up for an hour or two around noon, and it's pretty empty afterwards. Lunch is the best time to eat there, though, as that's when they serve their specials, which vary daily and are a ridiculously good value.

The specials vary according to the day of the week; there's always at least two to choose from and sometimes up to four. The kind of Turkish cuisine the restaurant specializes in deals in seemingly infinite variations on a handful of basic ingredients - tomatoes, eggplants, garlic, yogurt, peppers, onions, beef, lamb and a variety of spices. On Monday, for instance, you could order the kadinbudu köfte (fried meatballs) or etli biber ve domates dolmasi (minced beef stuffed into green peppers and tomatoes, cooked in a tomato sauce). Tuesday offers a variation on the meatballs, izmir köfte, which is the same thing as the kadinbudu, only cooked, like the etli biber, in a tomato sauce. Or you might go for the karni yarik, another minced beef dish, with the meat stuffed into an eggplant.

Particularly good, as the specials go, is Thursday's patlicanli köfte, a dish consisting of sliced meatballs in between buttery-soft wedges of grilled eggplant, and topped with sliced, grilled tomatoes. Salad and rice are served on the side, and the rice is a tasty white, short grain. If you want a change from the meatballs, eggplant, and yogurt, on some days you can go for the yaprak dolmesi, a rice and vine leaves dish, or the ispanaki börek, a spinach pastry. Most of the specials cost $7.49 (some go up to $8.49), and they all come with various side-dish combos of rice, salad or yogurt, depending on which you order.

The daily specials aren't all, though. There's an extensive appetizer menu as well, with items ranging in price from $2.99-$5.99. A good option if you're dining with friends is the Choix du Chef ($13.99), a very shareable mixed plate with a bit of everything. There's sigara böregi, a feta/mozzarella pastry that's halfway between a spring roll and a spanakopita; it's crispy and delicious. The yogurtlu havuç kizartmasi is a dish of fried carrots served with a yogurt and garlic sauce - the carrots are thinly sliced, a little chewy and candy sweet. You'll also find a multitude of spreads and dips, like the spicy antep ezmesi, made with green peppers, hot peppers, onions, tomatoes and parsley. Good stuff.

Also on the menu are a wide variety of kebabs, made with a bunch of different meats and all accompanied by salad, rice or both. The yogurtlu adana ($12.99) is a particularly tasty one, made with a gyro-like mixture of veal and lamb, and served with yogurt. Next to the salad you'll find rings of raw onion lightly dusted with the zesty, purple-red sumac, which brightens up the taste of the meat in a subtle, but noticeable way. Spread some yogurt on and you're cooking.

There are a couple nice options with which to end your meal. It goes without saying that you should have a glass of hot, sweet, amber tea, and if your sweet tooth is acting up, try a dish of figs with cream for dessert.

Merveille Istanbul
ADDRESS: 1247 Bleury (just below Ste-Catherine)
PHONE: 861-6094
HOURS: MON 11AM-3PM; TUE-FRI 11AM-10PM; SAT NOON-10PM
BEST FEATURES: The ever-changing and affordable daily specials
ALCOHOL: Yes
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: One step up
VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY: Yes
CREDIT CARDS: Yes
NO-SMOKING SECTION: Yes
PRICE: $7.50-$15 per person, before tax and tip
RATING: *** out of ****