May 14
Friday
Kandilli Suna’nin Yeri: Port of Call
Boatspotting on the Bosphorus is a favorite pastime for those lucky enough to have windows with the right view. On any given weekend afternoon on the busy straits that divide this city, the ship and boat traffic unfolds like a caravan of the flags of the lesser-known countries of the world.
One afternoon at Suna’nin Yeri, a small fish restaurant that, with its army of tables, chairs and frazzled waiters, seems to have conquered the waterfront of the Bosphorus-side Kandilli neighborhood, a small boat from a nation we could not immediately identify pulled up in the wake of a tanker and unloaded two hungry patrons.
A closer look revealed the word “Guernsey” written on the back of the boat and we wouldn’t be surprised if the couple actually did come all the way from that island in the British Channel. Continue…
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Quick Look
Recent Posts
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Hanging On to History: Edible Nostalgia in Samatya
no responses - Posted 05.08.18
That much of the past seems to stick to Samatya is a marvel in Istanbul, a city being rebuilt and “restored” at an alarming pace. First, there’s the question of its name. Occupying a stretch of the Marmara Sea and squeezed between the old city walls and Kumkapı, an area home to a rotating cast of eclectic restaurants, the neighborhood still ... continue -
Spring Surprises: Skewering the First Fruits in Istanbul
no responses - Posted 04.25.18
It was the first of April and an absolutely pristine Istanbul spring day, the kind where one can break a slight sweat walking up a hill then catch a cool breeze in a nearby patch of shade. Returning to the city from a lovely weekend on Büyükada, we were smitten with spring and wanted to indulge in its finest offerings. In ... continue -
Farewell, Pando: An Istanbul Culinary Legend Passes On
no responses - Posted 04.16.18
It’s Saturday around lunchtime and business as usual in the bustling Beşiktaş Çarşı neighborhood, as crowds of mostly younger people fill the narrow streets. Down on Mumcu Bakkal Sokak, a pedestrian-only street lined with miniscule shops, a line around the block has been formed by those eager to get into one of the city’s best döner spots. For many of those ... continue -
Bağdat Ocakbaşı: Licensed to Grill
no responses - Posted 04.09.18
Istanbul’s T1 tramway is relatively pleasant if you can find a seat, but borders on unbearable if you are on your feet. Back in 2015, we wrote about a trip we took from the line’s first stop all the way to one of its last, which lies way out in the district of Güngören. By the time the tram has made ... continue -
Dose & Istos Café: Greek Revival
no responses - Posted 03.30.18
A café at its best is so much more than the sum of its parts: it’s a place where people can easily mingle, share ideas, and dertleşmek, or commiserate over their troubles, all while imbibing caffeine. At the same time, it’s a place where visitors might feel an invisible thread of common beliefs connecting them, an unspoken camaraderie, even if ... continue -
Back to the Land: Urban Turks Tackle Rural Life
no responses - Posted 03.23.18
When Buket Ulukut first moved from Istanbul to a rural plot of land in the foothills of the Taurus Mountains in southern Turkey, she was leading a double life. “I’d be taking calls from clients in Europe while out amidst the rows of peppers and eggplants, hoping they didn’t hear the rooster crowing in the background,” says Ulukut, who worked in ... continue -
Semt Pazarları, Civic Life Perfected
no responses - Posted 03.09.18
“Two kilos five liraaa! Two kilos five liraaa!” bellowed a young and exuberant vendor of tomatoes to the ongoing stream of frugal-minded shoppers making their way through the snaking Tarlabaşı Sunday Market. Hundreds of sellers of fresh produce, dairy, seafood, kitchenware, clothing, smuggled tobacco, jewelry, fresh baked goods and numerous other items set up side by side in the central Istanbul ... continue
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Hanging On to History: Edible Nostalgia in Samatya
All entries filed under Reviews (Eats)
Kalpazankaya Restaurant: Paradise Found
4 responses - Posted 05.03.10
One of the great joys of spring and summertime in Istanbul is the chance to get away for a day to one of the Princes’ Islands, the car-free and forested archipelago that is a short ferry ride away from the city. continue
4 responses - Posted 05.03.10
One of the great joys of spring and summertime in Istanbul is the chance to get away for a day to one of the Princes’ Islands, the car-free and forested archipelago that is a short ferry ride away from the city. continue
Workingman’s Eats: 5 Favorite Esnaf Lokantaları
4 responses - Posted 04.26.10
(Editor's Note: In honor of the upcoming May 1 holiday, today we take a look at the esnaf lokantası, Turkey's gift to the working man and woman. While in many parts of the world, lunch during the work week means eating an uninspiring sandwich or salad inside a lonely ...continue
4 responses - Posted 04.26.10
(Editor's Note: In honor of the upcoming May 1 holiday, today we take a look at the esnaf lokantası, Turkey's gift to the working man and woman. While in many parts of the world, lunch during the work week means eating an uninspiring sandwich or salad inside a lonely ...continue
Küçük Ev: Fantastic Voyage
2 responses - Posted 04.23.10
“I want to go to the soccer match, everything must go! Game day discount! Hamsi, one Lira! One Lira!” the fishmonger shouted from a rickety stand spread with fresh fish glistening under a bare lightbulb. Judging by the cackles coming other fishmongers and tables at the adjacent fish house, this ...continue
2 responses - Posted 04.23.10
“I want to go to the soccer match, everything must go! Game day discount! Hamsi, one Lira! One Lira!” the fishmonger shouted from a rickety stand spread with fresh fish glistening under a bare lightbulb. Judging by the cackles coming other fishmongers and tables at the adjacent fish house, this ...continue
Read Between the Buns 3: Istanbul’s Burgers
4 responses - Posted 04.14.10
(Editor’s Note: We've been looking this week at some of the new burger places that have recently opened up in Istanbul. After trying out some of these new joints, our thoughts kept drifting back to the classic "Wet Burger" served by Kizilkayalar in Taksim. A true Turkish original, the "Wet ...continue
4 responses - Posted 04.14.10
(Editor’s Note: We've been looking this week at some of the new burger places that have recently opened up in Istanbul. After trying out some of these new joints, our thoughts kept drifting back to the classic "Wet Burger" served by Kizilkayalar in Taksim. A true Turkish original, the "Wet ...continue
Read Between the Buns 2: Istanbul’s Burgers
11 responses - Posted 04.13.10
(Editor’s Note: Turkey is not unfamiliar with cooking ground meat – it is the home of köfte and kebab, after all – but hamburgers (at least the kind we’re used to) have never really been part of the landscape. That seems to be changing, though. Recently, a whole new crop ...continue
11 responses - Posted 04.13.10
(Editor’s Note: Turkey is not unfamiliar with cooking ground meat – it is the home of köfte and kebab, after all – but hamburgers (at least the kind we’re used to) have never really been part of the landscape. That seems to be changing, though. Recently, a whole new crop ...continue
Read Between the Buns: Istanbul’s Burgers
9 responses - Posted 04.12.10
(Editor’s Note: Turkey is not unfamiliar with cooking ground meat – it is the home of köfte and kebab, after all – but hamburgers (at least the kind we’re used to) have never really been part of the landscape. That seems to be changing, though. Recently, a whole new crop ...continue
9 responses - Posted 04.12.10
(Editor’s Note: Turkey is not unfamiliar with cooking ground meat – it is the home of köfte and kebab, after all – but hamburgers (at least the kind we’re used to) have never really been part of the landscape. That seems to be changing, though. Recently, a whole new crop ...continue
Istanbul Eats on the Road: Antakya’s Sultan Sofrasi
1 response - Posted 04.06.10
(Editor's Note: This guest post came to us courtesy of Katie Parla, a Rome-based food writer whose blog, Parla Food, is a great resource regarding eating in both Italy and Turkey. Katie's is the first post in a new feature called "Istanbul Eats on the Road," in which we plan ...continue
1 response - Posted 04.06.10
(Editor's Note: This guest post came to us courtesy of Katie Parla, a Rome-based food writer whose blog, Parla Food, is a great resource regarding eating in both Italy and Turkey. Katie's is the first post in a new feature called "Istanbul Eats on the Road," in which we plan ...continue
Kısmet Muhallebicisi: Funky Chicken
1 response - Posted 03.29.10
Ali Bey, the owner of a cubby-sized restaurant in Küçük Pazarı called Kısmet, sounded a bit like Bubba Gump listing the items on his menu: “Weve got chicken soup, fried chicken gizzards, shredded chicken breast, dark chicken meat too, chicken and rice, chicken with onions and peppers, and chicken breast ...continue
1 response - Posted 03.29.10
Ali Bey, the owner of a cubby-sized restaurant in Küçük Pazarı called Kısmet, sounded a bit like Bubba Gump listing the items on his menu: “Weve got chicken soup, fried chicken gizzards, shredded chicken breast, dark chicken meat too, chicken and rice, chicken with onions and peppers, and chicken breast ...continue
Şahin Lokantası: Edible Complex
4 responses - Posted 03.26.10
For Turks, mealtime is often a complicated emotional drama, one that revolves around a lifelong effort to return to the culinary womb – in other words, their mother’s kitchen. In Turkey, Mom’s cooking sets the standard by which all others are judged and, truth be told, some of the finest ...continue
4 responses - Posted 03.26.10
For Turks, mealtime is often a complicated emotional drama, one that revolves around a lifelong effort to return to the culinary womb – in other words, their mother’s kitchen. In Turkey, Mom’s cooking sets the standard by which all others are judged and, truth be told, some of the finest ...continue
Badehane: Asmalimescit Gone GaGa
no responses - Posted 03.22.10
One recent Wednesday night found us outside of Badehane, in Beyoglu’s Asmalimescit area, packed in like sardines. We were pleasantly pickling ourselves with raki while listening to the sweet sounds of clarinet virtuoso Selim Sesler and his Roma orchestra when someone at an adjacent table said, “This place used to ...continue
no responses - Posted 03.22.10
One recent Wednesday night found us outside of Badehane, in Beyoglu’s Asmalimescit area, packed in like sardines. We were pleasantly pickling ourselves with raki while listening to the sweet sounds of clarinet virtuoso Selim Sesler and his Roma orchestra when someone at an adjacent table said, “This place used to ...continue
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