Jul 23
Friday
Baylan Pastanesi: A Slice of History

The roaring twenties: flappers in the Pera Palas Hotel were dancing the can-can, Art Deco was all the rage, the Turkish Republic was born. Hope, progress and newness double stepped to the beat of Kemal Ataturk’s drum. This was the backdrop to which two Istanbul bakers, Filip and Yorgi, opened a whimsical chapter in the culinary story of the city. The fruit of their labor, Baylan Pastanesi, remains an honored institution if not for the sheer excellence of its desserts then for the sweet taste of nostalgia. Continue…
All entries filed under this archive
Inci Pastanesi: Cream Puff vs. Wrecking Ball
4 responses - Posted 06.16.10
We’d like to like the profiterole at Inci Pastanesi on Istiklal. And we’d like to believe their claim that the profiterole was invented on the premises in the 1940’s. But we like Inci for non-culinary reasons. This old school Beyoglu pastry shop has been spooning out cream puffs covered in ...continue
4 responses - Posted 06.16.10
We’d like to like the profiterole at Inci Pastanesi on Istiklal. And we’d like to believe their claim that the profiterole was invented on the premises in the 1940’s. But we like Inci for non-culinary reasons. This old school Beyoglu pastry shop has been spooning out cream puffs covered in ...continue
Kismet Muhallebecisi: Funky Chicken
1 response - Posted 03.29.10
Ali Bey, the owner of a cubby-sized restaurant in Kucuk Pazari called Kismet, 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 Kucuk Pazari called Kismet, 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 Lokantasi: 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
Lades: Old Faithful
3 responses - Posted 02.19.10
If Lades, which means “wishbone” in Turkish, provided an actual wishbone alongside the usual post-meal wet wipe and toothpick, we’d close our eyes and make a wish that we could eat their tandir (oven-roasted baby lamb) seven days a week. These large knots of tender, fragrant meat lined with a ...continue
3 responses - Posted 02.19.10
If Lades, which means “wishbone” in Turkish, provided an actual wishbone alongside the usual post-meal wet wipe and toothpick, we’d close our eyes and make a wish that we could eat their tandir (oven-roasted baby lamb) seven days a week. These large knots of tender, fragrant meat lined with a ...continue
Özkonak: The Real Pudding Shop
no responses - Posted 06.12.09
Regulars at Özkonak, a well-loved fixture in Cihangir’s ever-changing restaurant scene, must cluck in disapproval at the sight of a new generation of customers who walk right past the pudding display at the front and head for the steam table and its selection of prepared savory dishes in back. Though ...continue
no responses - Posted 06.12.09
Regulars at Özkonak, a well-loved fixture in Cihangir’s ever-changing restaurant scene, must cluck in disapproval at the sight of a new generation of customers who walk right past the pudding display at the front and head for the steam table and its selection of prepared savory dishes in back. Though ...continue
Lades 2: A Beyoglu Greasy Spoon
2 responses - Posted 04.01.09
The no-frills Lades 2 presents diners with that age-old question: what to eat first, the chicken or the eggs? This restaurant - a Turkish version of the American-style greasy spoon diner - specializes in all things fowl, from chicken soup, to a variety of egg dishes and even a dessert ...continue
2 responses - Posted 04.01.09
The no-frills Lades 2 presents diners with that age-old question: what to eat first, the chicken or the eggs? This restaurant - a Turkish version of the American-style greasy spoon diner - specializes in all things fowl, from chicken soup, to a variety of egg dishes and even a dessert ...continue






