(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)

In this picture, anything but fresh grilled fish would seem incongruous. But hop off the boat in Cengelkoy, for example, and you’ll find a very different culinary world in the backstreets beyond the dock. Among other things, you’ll find köfte. In fact, people in Cengelkoy seem to have been eating kofte, quite happily, at Recep Usta kofte since the 1970’s.

Köfte comes in many forms each with its own title – lastik köfte, inegol köfte, ev köfte and, like the one at Recep Usta, tükrük köfte. The term tukruk, 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 kofte at Recep Usta.

We happen to love eating tükrük köfte sandwiches outside of the stadium. It’s about the only part of a Besiktas soccer match that we do enjoy. So it was pleasantly surprising to see our old game day meal on a plate alongside a pile of onions and a dollop of red pepper sauce. But the resemblance stopped there. If Besiktas stadium kofte is the canned tuna fish of meatballs, then Recep usta is serving sushi-grade.

On the way out, we asked Yavuz bey, son of the founder Recep usta, how he’d categorize his excellent meatballs. “Recep usta köftesi,” he said, then and there, creating a new category of meatball (and cleverly avoiding any reference to bodily fluids). Smart move.

Address: Cakali Sok. 4, Cengelkoy
Telephone: (216) 321-4977

(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.

Still, we’ve found good reason to ladle high praise on traditional manti, although we are always on the lookout for some downright diabolical dumplings. The folks over at Emek Manti, in the ritzy Bosphorus-front neighborhood of Yenikoy, answered our call for something different with a menu stuffed with novelty.

Paneled in dark wood wainscoting with walls painted dark green, with something easy to listen to, such as Lionel Ritchie and Simply Red, piped throughout the vast dining room, the place feels more like a “classy” airport bar than a hole-in-the-wall culinary discovery.  But there is something utterly inspiring going on in the kitchen, namely saray manti. At a glance, this dish – made up of strips of dough that have been twisted and then fried – looks like it would be named “Barb’s deep-fried Frito’s with ranch dressing,” something whipped up by a whacky Texas housewife. After a closer inspection however, we came to think of the crispy manti as bowtie pasta – the ground lamb folded into the knot of thin manti ribbons. One whiff of the sauce that was on top of the manti and we knew that it wasn’t ranch dressing but a yogurt sauce liberally laced with garlic. At once crispy and soft, rich in flavor, never dull, here is a manti to get excited about.

Unfortunately, in the world of manti-making street, cred is not earned with zany schemes like the saray manti, however delicious they may be. Tradition demands that a dainty little boiled Kayseri manti no bigger than the fingernail be on offer. Emek’s Kayseri manti was about as traditional as it gets – firm and masterfully folded, the garlicky yogurt and meat-flavored dumplings joined in partnership, not battle, on the palate. Spooning out the last of the yogurt sauce we were shocked to find not one single scrap of shell or dreg of filling – the hallmark of sloppy kitchen work. This Gulser hanim, the founder and chief of the kitchen, has got mad manti-folding skills.

On the way out, we saw someone digging into a bowl of glowing green manti, which, we later discovered, was made from dough run through with spinach. Holy ravioli! We will be coming back for that one soon with the hope of discovering more unusual dumplings on the menu. With a bit more freedom from convention, one day Emek Manti Evi could very well be the first dim sum ala Turca.

Address: Koybasi Caddesi No. 218, Yenikoy, Istanbul
Phone: 212-262-6981

(photo by Ansel Mullins)

Not that there’s anything wrong with the food here, which is reliably well made. The meze tray at Inciralti (which means “under the fig tree” in Turkish) is brought to your table carrying all the classics, plus a few welcome and tasty surprises, such as the zingy brined twigs of the caper plant and a sea bass filet that had been cured in a piquant sauce redolent of curry. Among the excellent mains we had sea bass again, this time grilled wrapped inside grape vine leaves, and meltingly soft uykuluk (sweetbreads), that were also grilled and dusted with oregano and red pepper. Both were winners.

But it’s Inciralti’s location that will have us coming back, especially if we’re looking for an opportunity to take an excursion without leaving Istanbul. Located on the Bosphorus’s Asian side, Beylerbeyi is a like a miniature and untouristed version of the more popular Ortakoy neighborhood on the European side, mercifully free of the tchotchke vendors and crowds that today line Ortakoy’s narrow streets. Stepping off the evening ferry from Eminonu at Beylerbeyi’s old wooden one-room ferry terminal feels a bit like stepping back in time. There are few Bosphorus-side neighborhoods that have managed to keep their unpretentious original charm they way this one has.

Inciralti, meanwhile, is located inside a welcoming old house on a small side street a few steps away from the ferry terminal. In the back there’s a leafy garden (home to the restaurant’s namesake fig tree) that, like Beylerbeyi itself, has a transporting quality to it. On a recent night, we found it to be one of the better places in town to forget about Istanbul’s hustle and bustle and to get away from the city’s summer heat.

(Note: to reach Beylerbeyi, take the Bosphorus commuter ferry that leaves from Eminonu. Check the schedule here: www.ido.com.tr)

Address: Arabacılar Sok. No:4, Beylerbeyi
Telephone: 216-557-6686
Web: www.inciralti.com.tr

(photo by Yigal Schleifer)

(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 hills of Istanbul will never go out of style. Though the guidebooks may steer you elsewhere, we’ve compiled a short list of lesser-known but equally rewarding spots to have a drink while keeping an eye on the city.

Dersaadet
Under most circumstances, we wouldn’t recommend drinking under a bridge, but Dersaadet offers spectacular views of the Old City from its perch under the Galata Bridge, right at the junction of the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus. Here we like to blow the froth off of a few while fisherman above reel in little fish right past our table.
Address: First café on the northeast (Karaköy side) side of the Galata Bridge, Karaköy
Telephone: 212-292-7001

Buyuk Londra Oteli
This quirky, cult classic hotel is a great place to swill all year-round. With its eclectic clientele, you might be elbow to elbow with a video artist from Berlin or a Macedonian diplomat. The low-key terrace bar is a perfect spot for a sundowner, without paying the premium for the Golden Horn views.
Address: Mesrutiyet Caddesi. No: 117, Tepebaşı
Telephone: 212-245-0670

Çok Çok
The street side tables of this funky Beyoglu Thai restaurant benefit from a perfect position for sunsets over the Golden Horn. We are not sure what they put in those big blue cocktails they serve, but it certainly does the trick while soaking in the late afternoon sun.
Address: Meşrutiyet Ave. No:51 Tepebaşı
Telephone: +90 212 292 64 96
website: www.cokcok.com.tr

Asma Altı Café Bar
One of our favorite pit stops in Beyoglu’s fish market, Asma Altı’s outdoor tables offer a window onto the bustling, if rough and tumble, social life of the Balık Pazar. From here, watch as butchers feeds scrap meat to seagulls, old ladies haggle with the fruit vendor for a kilo of cherries, the lottery man hocks a chance and a steady stream of transvestites sashay by.
Address: Kalyoncu Kulluk Caddesi 13/a, Beyoglu
Telephone: 0537-407-5877

Banyan
Despite the décor inspired by Miami Vice and the tony Ortaköy address, Banyan is a surprisingly mellow place to have a drink and take it all in. The bar itself seems to hang over the Bosphorus, offering unmatched views up and down the strait, from Ortaköy all the way down to the Old City. A cocktail will set you back $15-20, so nurse it while you memorize the priceless view.
Address: Muallim Naci Cad. Salhane Sk. No:3 (beside the Ortaköy İskelesi), Ortaköy
Telephone: 212-259-9060
Website: www.banyanrestaurant.com

Zeyrekhane
The open terrace at Zeyrekhane is a great spot to get up close and personal with the Byzantine brickwork of the monastery-cum-Mosque of Zeyrek. Overlooking the Golden Horn, the sublime Suleymaniye Mosque and across to Galata and Istanbul’s historic peninsula in the distance, this unusual Old City locale offers some very rewarding vistas. Though frequented by large tour groups, there’s plenty of room for everyone on the huge terrace.
Address: Sinanağa Mahallesi İbadethane Arkası Sokak No: 10, Zeyrek-Fatih
Telephone: 212-532-2778

Cihangir Steps
Though self-catering in public places is not exactly encouraged in Istanbul, it is not forbidden either. Casual drinkers of all ages prefer two outdoor spots in the Cihangir neighborhood for their awe-inspiring views of the Bosphorus and the monuments of the Old City and for their peaceful surroundings – all for the price of the package goods and a newspaper to sit on.
Address: Batarya Sokak (stairs next to building #1) & Iliyas Celebi Sokak (next to the Cihangir Mosque)

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.

But our mood quickly changed as we made our way past the valet marked “Lucca,” the chic restaurant across the street that was the Ferrari driver’s actual destination, and up the stairs to the simple but stylish Fish. Inside, there was no burly security there to stop us from touching the scaly metal walls, so we gave them a feel as if petting a giant goldfish swimming down to the bar. Upstairs on the terrace, old style filament bulbs and blue awnings are all that adorn the comfortable, quiet dining space.  While the Ferrari-driving types were busy seeing and being seen across the street at Lucca, everyone on the terrace at Fish seemed focused on the food in front of them.

The founders of Fish – the people behind some of the more glam spots around town – are no strangers to the high life. But if their other ventures, the ritzy 360 and Suada, express a Crockett and Tubbs aesthetic, then Fish is channeling Colombo – cool, smart and to the point. Stripped down of the glitz, Fish wins with the food, course after course, the meze in particular

Our meal at Fish began with fresh salty rolls and flatbreads served alongside a sort of tarama-infused butter and a tiny marble mortar that held a single roasted clove of garlic sitting in a bath of olive oil and pesto. The waiter produced an equally tiny pestle, mashed the garlic and left us to it.

The meze selection seemed designed to please a range of Istanbul diners. For the finicky meyhane stalwart there was a wedge of white cheese with melon to go with a duble raki and an excellent fava puree. For the slightly more adventurous, Fish offered interesting spins on meze classics such as a whole artichoke stuffed with rice and mussels served alongside a butter sauce for dipping the leaves. And for those at the table who have seen and eaten it all, there is a world-class fresh catch carpaccio, and roasted kumquat with caramelized onions. We indulged in all of these along with excellent stuffed squash blossoms.

After several skewers of fat, tender octopus legs and a plate of squid stuffed with smoky eggplant puree, there was no tempting us into one of the lovely fresh catches we’d planned to eat that night. The waiter brought over a beast of a turbot and two beautiful sea bass, but in the end, we agreed on a chocolate soufflé and apple baklava.

“Next time,” we promised the waiter and ourselves, but in the three times we’ve eaten at Fish we’ve never managed to save room for fish. Someone at the table suggested they rename the restaurant “Meze,” but we’re sure that the fish are equally stunning. When the bill came – Ay caramba! only $60 per person – we decided we’d definitely be giving Fish another try very soon.

(photo courtesy of Fish)

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. The food at Suna’nin Yeri (“Suna’s Place,” in Turkish) is just that good. The chilled fava bean puree, for example, was so delicious that we immediately ordered two more for a further inspection. Usually not our first pick from the meze tray, Suna had coaxed something smooth and rich, almost custard-like out of the humble fava without abandoning its earthy beany flavor.

A plate of fried calamari was also a pleasant surprise – rough bundles of crispy legs and tiny rings mixed with large, soft flat pieces like a breaded sail. Each bite was a new chapter in texture accompanied by a delicious, tangy garlic sauce. We relished this rare moment – perfectly prepared, fresh food served in an environment that celebrates nothing more than the inherent beauty of the city itself – feeling that this was what a dining experience was inherently supposed to be. It felt specifically Istanbul.

Though big catches such as levrek, çupra and kalkan were tempting, we took the cue from all of the tables around us and ordered a large plate of small fried fish –  hamsi flayed and ribbon-like, istavrit, and, our favorite, tekir.  Each fish played its part with ease, as if Suna had a pep talk with the group before perfectly frying them in her little kitchen. After all that fish and a few rounds of “special cola” (cans of Efes Dark delivered with a wink in a plastic bag and served in Coca-Cola glasses), like real Istanbulites, we wanted more.

Tankers passed by – Romanian, Ukrainian, Lebanese – as the shadows grew long in Kandilli. The crew onboard those ships were likely oblivious to what was transpiring at Suna’nin Yeri, but not the folks from Guernsey. Like us, they were swooning over a plate of homemade baklava prepared by one of the wife of our waiter. We’ll carry that sweet memory with us until our next visit.

Address: Kandilli İskele Caddesi 4-17, Üsküdar
Telephone: (0216) 332 32 41

(photo by Ansel Mullins)