No Bull in Istanbul

I am going to Istanbul in a week with three foodie friends and we're all dying for an authentic experience. From some serious heavy culinary reading, I've read that Refik is a must in the Beyoglu district and that somewhere along the way, I must have a fish sandwich near the Bosporous Villages. I will definitely be eating kebabs aplenty and the delicious fresh yogurt, but what else do you recommend?

Places?

Eats?

Culinary Buys?

Turkey is food central -- and I don't think there is a bad place to eat.

Turkey is a crossroads of history, but it is also a crossroads for culinary influences. Turkey was the main route for the spice trade before the area fell to the Ottoman Turks, and spices are used generously. The Turks came from next door to Mongolia, introducing something of that “let’s eat meat” focus of Central Asia, and Turkey’s national drink, ayran, is a yogurt-based drink that isn’t so far from airag (Mongolia’s fermented mare’s milk) in either taste or name to make the connection hard to see. Between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, getting good fish and seafood is no problem. You’ll also find pretty much everything from the Middle East through to Greece—Turkish versions of everything from hummus to baklava. Shared borders with Georgia and Armenia add another spin to the food mix.

In Turkey that “kebap” means anything that is grilled. Among my favorite dishes were adana kebap (grilled minced beef), döner kebap (Turkish gyros), the white bean salad and green beans with tomatoes and onion that appeared at most meals, hunkar begendi (roasted eggplant purée topped with lamb stew), cheese pidé (often called Turkish pizza), and çaçik (pronounced “jajik,” a popular yogurt, cucumber and dill salad). Virtually every meal except breakfast is accompanied by a long, thin, green, grilled pepper, which may be mild or hot, but you won’t know until you taste it.

My favorite street food was the sesame encrusted bread rings sold everywhere. Everywhere you go, there is Turkish delight, which is delightful. In the spice market, you'll go crazy -- scads of spices (including saffron), dried fruit, candy, pastry, caviar, and more -- beyond imagining.

As for specific places, two come to mind: Viktor Levi, the oldest wine restaurant in Istanbul in the Taksim district of town -- they bring platters of appetizers for you to choose from (roasted red peppers, seafood with veggies in vinaigrette, spinach with onions, and more), and the house specialty is steak with mushrooms and cheese. Then close to the Arasta Bazaar in the Sultanahmet district, try Rami Restaurant. This is a wonderful 3-story restaurant with a roof-top garden, a great view of the bazaar and Blue Mosque, and a splendid menu. There, I enjoyed borek (bread stuffed with a potato mixture, and hunkar begendi, which immediately became one of my all time favorite dishes.

But I never had a bad meal -- from tiny local place to high-end. Istanbul was amazing.

For a bit more info, and especially if you need a hotel recommentdaion, here's something I wrote a little while ago for one of my blogs -- along with a photo from the spice bazaar -- though just one shop among hundreds . http://worldsfare.wordpress.com/2008/06 ... t/#more-52

It's a wonderful destination.

We went to Refik and it is like eating food from someone's grandma's kitchen (with lots of cigarette smoke

I highly recomend iskander kabab - which is basically a variation of gyros, swarma, doner etc, except that it may be the very best of the lot.

there is a small chain called Sahan, the one I go to is on the asia side, excellent and very authentic.

I would also highly recomend getting the hamam expereince - the steam room and massage. there are several old ones by the grand bazaar that speak english, but you can find one pretty much anywhere in the city, ask your hotel. don't go only to the one in your hotel, that is like going to disney world.

I spent ten days in Istanbul in May and fell absolutely in love with the city. There's simply too much I could say, so I'll just reduce my post to a couple of recommendations:

Sofyali 9 was a small, but really tasty meyhane in Beyoglu, near Tunel. Apparently, a few guidebooks agree that it's worth a visit. Here's a nice review:

http://www.iexplore.com/concierge/Istan ... li+9.jhtml

We had kofta with a bulgar and tomato salad, cacik, grilled and marinated fresh anchovies, a pureed eggplant dish, white cheese, and sarapi (wine). We also welcomed an unexpected dining guest -- a stray cat -- so if that's not your thing, you may be taken aback since there are cats lurking about everywhere.

Not far away was another meyhane called Gurme Boncuk, where my friend and I found ourselves eating, drinking, and dancing to accordion music with a bunch of Turkish patrons for many hours:

http://www.meyhane.com/beyoglu_meyhanel ... hanesi.htm

We only had meze here, consisting of meat and cheese boregi, fava bean and carrot salad, that eggplant and red pepper puree again, stuffed grape leaves, another fava bean dish (this time the beans were pureed, shaped into cubes, and served with dill.) Oh, and there was a lot of wine and raki to be had, in addition to infinite dishes full of fruits and nuts.

Okay, one more recommendation: Cemberlitas Hamami, a hamam near the Grand Bazaar. If I lived in Istanbul, I'd go there every week...maybe twice a week. It's a fabulous place to relax after walking around those seven hills of Istanbul!

artichoke wrote:Okay, one more recommendation: Cemberlitas Hamami, a hamam near the Grand Bazaar. If I lived in Istanbul, I'd go there every week...maybe twice a week. It's a fabulous place to relax after walking around those seven hills of Istanbul!

This is absolutely on my list of things that are must-dos in IST. In fact, I am lucky enough that my hostel is in the same neighborhood as the hamam. (I can't wait to be scrubbed like a dirty pot by someone who really knows how!)

Last fall we were in Istanbul and loved Ciya, in the Kadikoy district, which you should definitely visit. It's truly authentic Turkish cuisine. We brought a copy of a story we read about them from Saveur magazine and they treated us like kings. Unfortunately I don't have that copy now but this should help.

http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides ... 4674492283

http://www.ciya.com.tr/index_en.php

I've read that getting saffron in Istanbul isn't for the light hearted--i.e. that if you don't know what you're looking for, don't bother. Now, I don't think I could tell high quality saffron in blind taste test, but I'd still like to get some of the good gold stuff--so how does an amateur go about this?

Eaterlover wrote:I've read that getting saffron in Istanbul isn't for the light hearted--i.e. that if you don't know what you're looking for, don't bother. Now, I don't think I could tell high quality saffron in blind taste test, but I'd still like to get some of the good gold stuff--so how does an amateur go about this?

Either look for nicer shops (not to say the good stuff can't be found in the bazaars, but you need to be comfortable picking stuff out) or, my preference, ask for recommendations at your hotel. They'll probably know right where to send you -- possibly a relative -- but the hotel has a greater stake in protecting its reputation than some guy running a stall that you probably wouldn't be able to find again. Or if you meet locals, ask them. Or if you like a particular restaurant, ask them. The Turkish people are VERY hospitable, and also very protective of their honor, so it is unlikely anyone (other than a shopkeeper with a bunch of fake saffron to unload) would intentionally mislead you.

That said, you can also play it by ear -- price isn't too cheap (saffron costs less there, but it isn't cheap anywhere), shop is clean, there isn't an inch of dust on the package, seems like product is moving, packaging looks good/tightly sealed but you can see the saffron, and it looks like saffron, not marigold petals -- and if you feel positive about it, a small package can't hurt. But if you're thinking large amount, definitely talk to people first.

What I read about buying Saffron in Turkey said you should ask for the Iranian stuff, it's supposed to be much better.

leek wrote:What I read about buying Saffron in Turkey said you should ask for the Iranian stuff, it's supposed to be much better.

I thought that was just for the caviar. Saffron, too?

Okay -- so I just went and checked the little package of saffron I bought in Istanbul, and it says "Saffron for export," and all other writing looks like Persian or Arabic. They use the Latin alphabet in Turkey, so maybe the good stuff is from Iran. They brag about their Iranian caviar, but no one told me I was buying Iranian saffron.

Nice to know I got the good stuff.

I never cease to be amazed at how what I learn on LTHForum helps me in "real life." Here we have the comment about good saffron coming from Iran -- I read it just a few hours before going out for the evening. Among the friends I was seeing tonight were one man I've known for years and his Iranian wife. She was just back from visiting her parents back home. She had brought me a gift of Iranian saffron, and it was wonderful to be able to gush, "Oh, yes, I was just discussing this with someone, and Iranian saffron is supposed to be wonderful." She was so pleased, not only that the gift delighted me (and who wouldn't be happy with a saucer-sized box of saffron), but that I actually had a good opinion of Iranian saffron in particular.

So thanks for making me look good, leek.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks of this as a conversation, too!

yes, apperently most safron comes from spain and iran. I get iranian safran in dubai, it isn't all that expensive there. iranians also make a safron candy, which is sort of like old fashioned rock candy, studded with safron.

I'll have more time in the coming weeky to gradully post more about my trip but I thought I'd liven up this post with some pictures I took of the Spice Market. Which other than the propositions I got for Turkish Viagra, was fantastic--as I was giggling at the "Five Times in One Night" sign, the salesman yelled out, "don't you remember me from last night?" Ach! I quickly scurried away.








Shaping spices to be ready for sale.


Figs!


Figs the size of your hands! Even though these were slightly out of season, I made nice with my fruit vendor and he picked out the softest, juiciest ones for us. Funny thing is, he completely fell in love with my friend on our last day to the Bazaar.


Russian Caviar. I have no standards when it came to buying caviar and the gentleman seemed reputable enough. $20 for a small tins seemed like a good price. Of course, more photos on the blog and in the days to come.

Eaterlover -- these photos are gorgeous! Mr. K and I are leaving for Istanbul in 3 weeks. Can't wait to try these recommendations!!

Krasmania wrote: Mr. K and I are leaving for Istanbul in 3 weeks. Can't wait to try these recommendations!!

I'm so excited for you! I absolutely fell in love with the city by the sea--such a devastating combination of geography, culture and history. I sampled quite a few kofte (ground lamb/beef meatballs) places (from Taksim to Sile) and still the Tahiri restaurant in Sultanahmet kofte was the best! And I wanted to recommend Sofyali 9 per the previous commenter's recommendation, it is located in the most romantic looking district I've seen outside of an Italian movie. Its located on Asmalimescit Caddesi, which we walked on Istiklal Caddesi until it turned into Galip DeDe and it was a tiny corridor filled with strung lights.

See here for confirmation of Sofyali 9's gorgeousness.


Here are the Sofyali 9 mezes. I found that turkish eggplant with tomato sauce is unbeatable, it will be good whereever you go.


What we ordered. I thought the preserved fish in the upper right hand corner was waaay fishy.


The obligatory raki picture. By the way, our new Turkish friend told us that Yeni was the cheap stuff and to get a higher grade level (and he was right, Yeni was far more potent than flavor).


A seabream


The eclectic view outside Sofyali 9