Join our mailing list!
Email :  



Posts Tagged ‘ Bosphorus ’

Jun 10
Friday

Istanbul Kofte Week: #1 – Meshur Kofteci Recep Usta

Filed under Reviews (Eats)


(Editor’s Note: Over here at Istanbul Eats, we like to think of ourselves as kofte savants. While to the untrained eye kofte may look like nothing more than a grilled meatball, we like to discern differences in taste, texture and consistency in the different styles of this ubiquitous Turkish dish. Like coffee, tea and wine, we would argue that the concept of terroir be applied to kofte and its different regional interpretations. With that in mind, we invite to join us this week for an exploration of the many faces of kofte, with a look at five favorite spots in Istanbul.)

Köfte comes in many forms each with its own title – lastik köfte, inegol köfte, ev köfte and, like the ones at Recep Usta, tükrük köfte. The term tükrük, meaning saliva, comes from a slightly stomach churning popular urban legend that the street cart köfte vendors outside of Besiktas stadium spit on their hands before shaping their meatballs. All the same, köfte that resembles those street meatballs in size and shape – spit or no spit – are categorized as tükrük köfte, as do the fantastic kofte at Recep Usta….(click here for the full review)


Share on Facebook
Post to Google Buzz
Bookmark this on Google Bookmarks
Bookmark this on Yahoo Bookmark
Bookmark this on Digg
Bookmark this on Delicious
Share on FriendFeed

All entries filed under this archive


Meshur Kofteci Recep Usta: In a Category All its Own
no responses - Posted 06.10.11
From a seat on the deck of a Bosphorus ferry, the little neighborhoods of the Asian side seem to have the same idyllic layout – a platoon of fisherman with long casting rods on either side of a small white boat dock in the foreground, a minaret poking through the ...continue
Istanbul’s Top 5 Lahmacun Makers – #3: Fistik Kebap
no responses - Posted 03.23.11
(Editor’s Note: A recent article about a spat between Turkey and Greek Cyprus over who owns the rights to claim lahmacun as their own got us thinking about those minced-meat covered discs of dough and how, when done right, they really are something worth fighting over. So, prompted by the Turkish-Cypriot ...continue
Best Bites of 2010: Our Take
1 response - Posted 01.03.11
(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 ...continue
Emek Manti Evi: Diabolical Dumplings
1 response - Posted 09.20.10
After a while, some Turkish food, like manti, can become repetitive – serving after serving of the same tiny, boiled dumplings with yogurt. Deeply conservative when it comes to food, Turkish cooks and diners alike generally don’t like any fussing around with traditional recipes. So, distinguishing between a good manti ...continue
Inciralti: Meyhane Time Machine
1 response - Posted 08.30.10
We like to think of Inciralti, a laid back meyhane in the sleepy Bosphorus-side Beylerbeyi neighborhood, as a destination restaurant – not so much because of the food, but because of the destination itself. Not that there’s anything wrong with the food here, which is reliably well made. The meze tray ...continue
Brews With Views
4 responses - Posted 08.23.10
(Editor's Note: we first ran this roundup last summer, but we're bringing it back for those who may have not found it in our archive.) The mojito may go the way of the grasshopper and other forgotten cocktails, but a cold beer accompanied by a panoramic view of the waters and ...continue
Eating Al Fresco: Top 5 Outdoor Dining Spots
no responses - Posted 07.12.10
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): continue
Fish: Mmmm…Meze!
8 responses - Posted 07.09.10
“D’oh!” we said with a wince when we spotted the Ferrari parked in front of Fish, the restaurant we were heading to for dinner. It may have been the lucky day for the valet parkers who crowded around snapping pictures with their cell phones, but for us it meant certain ...continue
Kandilli Suna’nin Yeri: Port of Call
3 responses - Posted 05.14.10
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 ...continue
Kale Cafe: Escape from Beyoglu
6 responses - Posted 02.26.10
With its outings along the Bosphorus, one thing that the recent Istanbul-centric episode of Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations” television show made us realize was how much we tend to get stuck in our own little Beyoglu bubble. Granted, Istanbul’s “downtown” zone has enough restaurants to keep all but the most ...continue

Copywright by Istanbul Eats 2009 Istanbul Eats | Original theme by Zidalgo.