If Adem Baba commands a battery of grillers in its three locations, Hayri Balik is more of a one-man show, the leaky rowboat of fish restaurants. On a recent visit, every few minutes the dining room went dark, raising the blood pressure of Hayri, who stomped over from the kitchen to the switch, located right next to the light for the bathroom, to flip the lights back on. Indeed, without him there could not even be light at Hayri Balik.

Speaking with Hayri we felt certain that he wouldn’t serve anything that he wouldn’t gladly sit down and enjoy himself. And you won’t catch Hayri calling anyone “efendi” or clearing the plates too quickly. If anything, it seems he’s about to sit down and eat with you.

So in Hayri’s hands, we felt comfortable to dig into the forbidden fruit of the Bosphorus straits, midye dolma, or stuffed mussels. Back in Beyoglu’s side streets, huge plates of mussels stacked three deep are ferried around on the head of young boys. Late at night, men crowd around these boys, squeezing lemon on the half shells and shooting the contents back with liquid courage and machismo pushing them along. As tempting as this snack on the go may look, we’ve seen the grim shucking rooms in Tarlabasi basements. There is probably a good reason that the mussel boys flee the scene when a cop turns the corner.

We are careful where we eat our stuffed mussels, but when given the green light, we can really indulge. At Hayri, the medley of rice, currants, pine nuts were informed by the fragrance of the sea, almost within view, and cinnamon. It is an intoxicating bite that wasn’t lost on a cat that prowled our way as the pile of spent shells accumulated at the center of the table.

With another drink we inquired about the fish. Bluefish? Grouper? Sole?

Hayri cut us short with a smile and suggested we have the istavrit, or horse mackerel. He told us that he’d just picked them up from a local boat and they looked great. So we ate the istavrit fried, a fresh little salad with shaved carrots and cabbage on the side.  The sweet flesh of the fish flaked from the bone easily leaving something to toss to the cat. Hayri does have more fish on offer most days but he’ll tell you what to order regardless of what the menu says.

A fling with Hayri cannot challenge our devotion to Adem Baba and the two remain incomparable in our minds. But every so often, when we are feeling frisky, we’ll sneak over for a bit of the Hayri experience, shamelessly.

Address: Satis Meydani 7, Arnavutkoy
Telephone: (212) 263-4875

(photo by Ansel Mullins)

Let’s face it: lahmacun is easy to get excited about. It checks all of the boxes of a perfect savory snack – crispy-oven fired crust, light and spicy meat spread, with a fresh green topping and a tangy spray from a lemon. It’s like an artisanal pizza with a Middle Eastern topping wrapped around a side salad – for the cost of a shoeshine.

How anyone could not love lahmacun is beyond us. Still, we hear they are out there. The only explanation is that they never had a really good one. Meaning they never set foot in Fistik Kebap, the be-all and end-all lahmacun of Istanbul. (Click here for the full review)

(Editor’s Note: Although the new year is already upon us, we had so many memorable Istanbul dining experiences in 2010 that we wanted to take one last look at the past year’s culinary highlights. So, before we get to the work of further exploring Istanbul in 2011, here’s our top 10 bites of 2010.)

For us, the best bites are often the ones that are most reliable. Before we review a restaurant for this site, we try to return several times to make sure that that best bite wasn’t a fluke.

1. Pera Sisore was always a reliable favorite of ours. However, after a shakeup in management we’ve noticed a dip in quality and consistency. Luckily, half of the Sisore team, including the kitchen staff, recently opened a new place in Beyoglu called Hayvore. We are happy to report that all of the Sisore favorites are on offer at Hayvore. Perhaps one of our last bites in 2010, Hayvore is definitely among the best.

2. Just down the street from Hayvore is another standard in our playbook, Cukur Meyhanesi. Excellent meze and fried liver aside, this is always one of the first places we head to when the hamsi, or Black Sea anchovies, start swimming. A plate of these tiny fish — skewered and grilled — help us understand the hamsi mania that envelopes Istanbul every winter.

3. Another unforgettable fish was set before us just last week at the Arnavutkoy favorite Adem Baba. We aren’t sure how many times we’ve eaten sole at Adem Baba — rolled, skewered and grilled with wedges of tomato and peppers, fried or grilled whole — but every time feels like the first time. After a double portion, we considered abandoning Beyoglu for the restaurant’s Bosphorus-side neighborhood just to be able to eat here everyday.

4. Along with the reliable best bites, there were also transcending moments when we felt we’d stumbled on something Bigger than a great meal. Smearing creamy fava puree on toasted bread, munching fried fish and drinking beer from a can dangerously close to the lapping Bosphorus at Sunanin Yeri in Kandilli was certainly one of these moments.

5. The first time we walked into Fatih Karadeniz Pidecisi in Fatih there was such intense pide-worship going on we thought we’d stumbled into the temple of a secret cult. But we were heartily welcomed into the ritual taking place and it was very special. This too was one of those out-of-body best bites.

6. If a few years ago you told us we’d be craving liver for lunch everyday, we would have laughed in your face. But the truth is that we can’t stop thinking about the Arnavut Ciger – aka “Albanian liver,” tiny morsels of calf’s liver that are dusted with flour and red pepper flakes and then fried and served with thin slices of raw onion – at Beyoglu’s Sahin Lokantasi. We really would be eating this dish for lunch seven days a week if it were not for the fact that Sahin – perhaps in an act of kindness to the other restaurants in the area – only serves liver every other day.

7. The Besiktas-based bistro-like Meyhane Sidika was one of our most satisfying finds of the year, with a great out-of-the-way location and lovingly prepared food. One of the restaurant’s meze specialties is a chunky, light green spread that turned out to be an utterly delicious mash made out of feta cheese and chopped pistachios. Nothing fancy – just good, honest food that was completely memorable.

8. In years past, the exceedingly short growing season of loquats always seemed to pass us by, which meant we usually missed our chance to have “Yeni Dunya Kebab” – a springtime specialty made by wrapping pitted loquats around minced meat and then grilling them on a skewer (in the picture above) until the fruit turns tangy and jam-like, serving as a perfect counterpoint to the fatty meat. This year we made a point of catching this unique and delicious kebab’s limited-run at Samatya’s Develi kebab house and we’re already counting the days until the first loquat appears this spring.

9. We’re all for culinary innovation, but there are some things that need little improvement. Take, for example, grilled ribs – a dish that has changed little since our earliest ancestors started putting meat to fire. Over at Taksim’s Zubeyir Ocakbasi, the kaburga – lamb ribs – are the kind of thing that awaken our inner caveman, an unbelievably satisfying mix of meat, fat, smoke and bone that always finds us ordering a second round.

10. There are several good spots to try durum – kebab wrapped in flatbread – around town, but this year we finally had a chance to try Aynen Durum, a superb joint just outside the Grand Bazaar that we had been eyeing for a long time. While the durum there was great, what we truly loved about this microscopic place was the vibe  and the crowd of hungry bazaar locals chowing down with a kind of reckless abandon rarely seen in other places around town.

With the heat of summer finally descending upon Istanbul in full force, we thought it might be a good time to offer up some suggestions for winning spots to eat outdoors. Here are five of our favorites (plus one bonus entry):

Abracadabra
Although we’ve heard some reports that the kitchen has been slipping, the Bosphorus-side location in the charming Arnavutkoy neighborhood and the funky menu help this fun spot keep its magic. Full review here.

Akin Balik
This spot right on the Golden Horn has a laid back vibe that makes us feel like we’re no longer in the big city but instead relaxing in some seaside village. The fish on offer comes straight from the fish market next door and the beer is served in brown paper bags. What more can we say. Full review here.

Çukur Meyhanesi
Eating outdoors at one of the restaurants on Beyoglu’s side streets is an Istanbul summer classic, although some of those side streets have become too popular for their own good. Çukur, one of our favorite Beyoglu meyhanes, has a wonderful outdoor area that has managed to keep its original charm. Full review here.

DTVAE
This charming Old City restaurant serving excellent Uighur food is located in what may be one of the most enchanting outdoor dining spots in the city: the courtyard 16th-century former medresa (religious school) that is shaded by massive maple trees. Full review here.

Kalpazankaya
One of the great joys of spring and summertime in Istanbul is the chance to get awayfor a day to one of the Princes’ Islands, the car-free and forested archipelago that is a short ferry ride away from the city. The out-of-the-way Kalpazankaya, on Burgaz island, is one of our favorite spots on the islands. Full review here.

Suna’nin Yeri
This 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, is a favorite spot on Istanbul’s Asian side. Ful review here.

How anyone could not love lahmacun is beyond us. Still, we hear they are out there. The only explanation is that they never had a really good one. Meaning they never set foot in Fistik Kebap, the be-all and end-all lahmacun of Istanbul.

Located on the Bosporus in the upmarket district of Arnavutkoy, Fistik has no use for the pretensions that its address may indicate. This is a down and dirty neighborhood kebab joint with a small seating area and a bustling delivery business. According to the overworked man at the oven, Ibrahim usta, more than 500 lahmacun pass over his paddle everyday. Fistik also serves the usual kebab selection – Adana, Urfa, chicken – but the main attraction is the lahmacun.

We challenge those not so hot on lahmacun to resist oohing and ahhing as Ibrahim usta slides his paddle into the oven and fetches out a fresh one. The brick oven’s rage renders the crust a bubbled, crispy fantasy – charred here, still soft and pulsing like a soufflé there.

He’ll roll it into a wrap if you like or quarter it before plating it with a small salad for dressing. With a cold glass of salgam, or fermented turnip juice, this quick bite is the perfect segue from lunch to dinner, or dinner to breakfast. Ibrahim mans the oven until midnight.

Address: 1. Cadde No.40, Arnavutkoy
Telephone: 212-263-5884

(photo by Ansel Mullins)

Luckily, there was no shortage of competent substitutes. On a recent visit we sampled no less than four different and unusual greens, all remarkably different. In a country where even an innocent looking plate of rice usually conceals some form of meat, Melengeç’s wide variety of purely vegetarian offerings is a pleasant change of pace. Complimented by laid back service in a tastefully decorated old wooden home, Melengeç sets the stage for a fine evening on the Bosphorus.

The shores of the Aegean Sea, where the owner/operators of Melengeç hail from, the place must be overrun with seaweed: dayglo spiny ones, fluffy dry ones, twiggy dark green greens. So apparently sophisticated is the Aegean taste for its weeds that Melengeç has two separate meze trays, both monopolized by little plates of greenstuff. The selection process can be a bit overwhelming, so we relied on the advice of our waiter, who steered us toward the house favorites.

Some were bitter, others sour, one had a garlicky kick, and one kept slipping off of the fork. We were pleasantly surprised by the contrasts in flavor and texture presented by a few plates of greens all stewed in olive oil and then chilled. Among the many greens, the deniz börülcesi (“sea samphire” as it is known in English) was most appealing.

But the star of the meze tray is surely the kabak çiçegi dolma, stuffed squash blossom, served with a dollop of strained yogurt. Stuffed with fragrant rice and dressed with a drizzle of Aegean olive oil, a plate of these emptied quickly, forcing us to call for more.

Along with the second round of dolma, we ordered one of the house specials, patlican balik (literally “eggplant fish”), presumably resembling fried fish to whoever wrote the menu. The light, airy slices of eggplant fried in batter reminded us of tempura and, pleasantly, tasted the part.

As eccentric as the starters were, there is, sadly, nothing remarkable about the main courses. Tire köfte, or Aegean-style meatballs, were welcomed by those who can’t leave the table without a bit of meat, but certainly don’t compare to other köfte found around town (see: Köfteci Hüseyin: The Cadillac of Meatballs). Keşkek, a hulled wheat and lamb porridge, is an effective belly-filler, but we found it bland in comparison to Melengeç’s other specialties. In many ways, making a meal out of the restaurant’s hot and cold meze might be the best way to appreciate its menu.

Despite its shortcomings, we find ourselves drawn back to Melengeç, perhaps in an effort to finally understand what makes this quirky restaurant tick. Of course, we are also secretly hoping that on one of these visits we might also get a chance to taste that elusive and mysterious Melengeç.

Address: 1 Cadde No: 73, Arnavutkoy
Telephone: 212-287-4961

(Note: This post has been corrected. The original post incorrectly reffered to melengeç as a seaweed.)

It must have taken an entire fleet-worth of nets, harpoons, anchors, life preservers, and buoys to decorate the dining rooms of Adem Baba. The decorations makes sense: the restaurant got its start as humble, boat-borne kitchen floating dockside in the Bosphorus neighborhood of Arnavutkoy, although now it has transformed itself into a local seafood empire with three locations on the same street. Kitschy décor aside, for serious, straightforward fish eating, this is one (or better yet, three) of the top addresses in town. Though their menu may resemble that of so many other Istanbul fish houses, consistent high quality and great value have established Adem Baba’s cultish following.

From the Greek grannies having a lunch after church to the French ex-pat family in the booth, on Sundays everyone at Adem Baba is talking about the fish soup. Some may even be cursing their luck, having arrived after it’s run out. A bowl of this thick, aromatic soup would make a New Englander swoon. But be forewarned, fish soup is only served at Sunday lunch in winter months.

But even when there’s no fish soup, the starters never leave us disappointed. Fried calamari is perfectly prepared – tender and crispy – and served with a tarter sauce ala Turca that smacks of garlic, walnuts, and yogurt. The term balik köfte, fish balls, just doesn’t do justice to this Adem Baba special starter – a light and creamy bite of fish encased in deep brown fried battered shell. After the fried appetizers, we like to cool down with a kasarli coban salatasi, shepherd’s salad with grated cheese, dressed with lemon and Adem Baba’s fine olive oil.

Though you could easily make a full meal of appetizers and salad, it would be wrong to pass on the fish course. Particularly in winter months, the glass cooler here is stocked with the region’s finest and freshest. Flayed open and sandwiched together in pairs on the grill, sardalya, a sardine of sorts, hides a tender salty zing within its charred crunchy skin – something of a poor man’s unagi. A plate of Grilled or fried dil, sole, is a fine choice not available at most restaurants. Thick flaky cuts of grilled dulger, John Dory fish, appear on the menu regularly and are not to be missed. But when fishing boats are chugging into the Bosporus filled with Black Sea sardines, hamsi, we have little will power to resist them, served fried in a corn meal batter.

The only thing absent at Adem Baba is a wine list. Somehow a can of orange Fanta doesn’t quite compliment the top shelf fish served here. The restaurant may trace its roots to the waters of the Bosphorus, but it remains one of our favorite dry lunches (and quite affordable at roughly $25 per person).

Address:             Satışmeydanı Sok. No:2, Arnavutköy (main location)
Satışmeydanı Sok. No:5 (alternate location)
Beyazgül Cad. No:2 (delivery or takeout)
Telephone:         212-263-2933 or 212-287-2648

One look at Abracadabra, housed in an imposing Ottoman-era mansion located smack dab on the Bosporus in the swank Arnavutkoy neighborhood, might make your wallet ache. Think again. This funky informal restaurant, serving some of Istanbul’s most creative riffs on traditional Turkish cuisine, is within reach of a backpacker’s budget (well, almost).

The four floors of the building each have a very different vibe, from bar-like to intimate. Sit on the couches in the lounge? Outside on the patio? Upstairs on the terrace with the big Bosporus view? We suggest a table in the dine-in kitchen, up close and personal with the wizardry of Abracadabra’s spunky owner-chef Dilara Erbay, a pioneer of Turkish fusion cuisine, whose creations are visually stunning, delicious and ever changing.

Through flaming woks, kitchen hustle and shouts, something smelling at once Thai, Turkish and Lebanese rushes past you for Dilara’s final touch. There’s a lot going on in this kitchen that you won’t want to miss. When it’s time to order, we usually put ourselves at the tender mercy of Dilara, letting her guide us through the menu.

Dilara’s navigation of the appetizer menu includes her latest inspired creations, prepared with what’s fresh in the markets. Like a jazzman interpreting on an old standard, Dilara hints at classic Turkish cuisine sometimes in little more than name.  The kadin budu köfte (literally “lady’s thigh” croquettes) a la Abracadabra is made with fish and parsley (replacing the usual ground meat and rice), lightening the load significantly. Dilara tweaks the classic börek into a bouquet of matchstick skinny, 6-inch batons served upright in a shot glass of sweet and spicy sauce, both beautiful and fun to eat. Patties made of salmon tartar mixed with bulgur are a refreshing take on ciğ köfte, a kebab house staple usually made with raw meat. Armenian rice with mussels is close to a traditional Turkish pilav, its sweetness amplified by currants.

After so many interesting temptations on the appetizer menu one is left guessing what happened to the main course offerings. Lacking the creativity of our starters, we found solace in the catch of the day. Local sea bass is usually on offer as is sea bream, both arriving firm and moist from the grill. Dilara’s Southeast Asian flavors find their way into Thai beef with rice noodles leaving little need to order the duck which was, truth be told, a bit dry. The final moment of satisfaction comes with the presentation of the bill. Presto, dinner for two with a bottle of local wine (the good kind) for less than one hundred USD – truly magic for a nice dinner out in Istanbul today.

Address: 50/1 Arnavutkoy Cad. Arnavutkoy
Phone: (212) 358-6087
www.abracadabra-ist.com

From Western China all the way to Istanbul, Turkic people roll out dough, fold it into small pouches, boil it and call it mantı. When it comes to dumplings, Turkish tradition dictates that the tortellini-like mantı be no larger than peanut-sized. With its unusually large (and sometimes fried) dumplings, Bodrum Mantı & Café has taken traditional Turkish mantı to soaring new heights of which we strongly approve.

Don’t be put off by the modish décor, the dour bow-tied waiters or the high street address; this is the real article. This 24-hour Arnavutköy staple with a Bosphorus view never fails to serve it up hot, fast, good and cheap. The icli köfte – boiled or fried bulgur and ground meat football-shaped patties – is always made to order, unlike many oil-soaked renditions found around town. Stick a fork in the ciğ börek and watch, or, better yet, smell, the hot airy pocket pastry deflate in an aromatic whoosh, revealing a light filling of ground meat. Like the mantı, these appetizers come jumbo; so be forewarned.

The mantı is offered in a few varieties – whole wheat or white dough, boiled or fried. When fried, we couldn’t discern the wheat from the white dough, but in boiled form the whole wheat offered a pleasant change. Ordering half portions allowed us to try many combinations of fillings and toppings.

The piece de resistance, temel feriye mantı, is fried just enough for the thin shell to crisp up and the stuffing of spinach, onions and cheese to meld nicely without being greasy.  This mantı even holds up well under a generous topping of garlic yogurt sauce. Supermantı, indeed.

Address: 1. Cadde 111, Arnavutköy
Phone: 212 263 2918
www.bodrummantı.com