(Editor’s Note: This guest post was written by “Meliz,” an intrepid explorer of Sultanahmet’s culinary backstreets who would like to keep her anonymity.)

The neighborhood around Sultanahmet and the Grand Bazaar introduces an interesting plot-twist into the slow-cooked Choose Your Own Adventure that is the esnaf lokanta experience. As described on this website, an esnaf lokanta is the Turkish workingman’s lunch spot, to be found in every hard-working neighborhood, nation-wide.

Despite being the city’s touristic ground-zero and a neighborhood not often associated with much of anything authentic, I am here to insist: Sultanahmet IS still an esnaf (working-man’s) sort of place. There are hordes of starving tourists, to be sure, but there are just as many hungry shop-guys, carpet-menders, hotel managers, printers, book-binders, lawyers, cops, dentists, and diverse and assorted clerical types – all of whom, occasionally, cannot face another tost or doner sandwich, and need a real lokanta lunch. At the same time, Turkish men are oftentimes as finicky as Goldilocks when it comes to the lokanta’s slow-cooked food: if a dish is too oily or too watery, too spicy or too bland, too runny or too lumpy, the waiter will hear about it, as will everyone at the table. The true esnaf will not just eat lokanta fare at any old place.

So, where do the workingmen of Sultanahmet all go? Below are two options:

Sefa

The Major Guide Books tend to focus on Havuzlu and Bahar – perfectly decent spots right inside or close to the Grand Bazaar. And on any given day, each of these places will have a few clutches of lunching locals. But I suggest that you leave these places to the modern-day Baedekker set. Head for Sefa instead.

At Sefa, there are no dishes offered up to appease a tourist sensibility. Ergo, every dish is made as (or perhaps, ahem, better than) every Turkish mother would make it, and everything is delicious – choose according to your own taste, confident that whatever you choose, it will rock. For example: last visit, a stewed celeriac dish altered my world-view. Sefa is bustling all day, every day – but do not be intimidated by the ranks of be-suited locals hunched over the plates, cleaning them up with single-minded devotion. Traffic moves swiftly and efficiently through Sefa (another sign of its esnaf cred). So head on in, belly up to the glass display case in back, and feed your inner workingman.

Some tips: do not be shy about putting together a karişik (mixed) plate, with small bits of a number of things, or ordering a few az (just-a-little) portions to share. Variety is the spice of life, so try as many dishes as you want!

Address: Nurosmaniye Caddesi #17, Cagoglu
Telephone: (212) 520-0670
(Open for lunch only, get there early (before 1 pm) for better selection)

Akdeniz

The Ottoman Archives* were, for years, located smack in the middle of Sultanahmet, and, as such, generations of starving students of Ottoman history (as well as various others) faced the challenge of finding a cheap and reliable lunch spot in close proximity to the archives. Akdeniz was that place for decades.

I first learned of Akdeniz through a friend who often needs a bowl of lentil soup before facing the Grand Bazaar, and when in need, heads there. Recently, though, an Ottoman historian friend and I stopped by for lunch – a bit of a nostalgic indulgence: my friend used to have lunch at Akdeniz every day, when camped out in the Archives in the 1980s. Turns out, they still do many things well (they also run an excellent pide operation next door: Karadeniz). The slow-cooking side of things might not offer up the daily smorgasbord of elaborate options that one finds at Sefa, but Akdeniz does offer five or six dishes, all simple, very well-made, and cheap – ideal for a quick, unfussy lunch (an overflowing mixed plate is usually around 10tl). And unlike most places in the neighborhood, at Akdeniz there are no smirking young bucks, no jaded, shifty glances, and as far as I can tell, minimal English spoken.

Both Akdeniz and Karadeniz are located on one of the many pedestrian side-streets off Divan Yolu, right at the Sultanahmet tram stop. Once you make it there, you can sit at any of the shady outdoor tables and relax – the staff does not tolerate unsolicited chit-chat with their guests, so no one will pester you (and if someone does, the cashier will run them off, if you throw him a help-me look). If you want pide, you can always sit at either establishment and order from both, if you wish.

*Yes, yes, I know. One archive of many. I refer to the Basbakanlik Archives.

Address: Haci Tahsinbey Sokak, Sultanahmet
Telephone: (212) 528-6290
Web: www.karadenizpide.net

(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.)

Address: Divanyolu Caddesi 12
Telephone: 212-520-0566

(You can find yesterday’s entry here.)

(Editor’s Note: This guest post was written by “Meliz,” an intrepid explorer of Sultanahmet’s culinary backstreets who would like to keep her anonymity.)

There is a quiet grace in doing one thing, but doing it very well.

Or, maybe, two things. Like, say, borek and baklava.

This is what distinguishes Rumeli, a tiny place a block or two from the Hippodrome in the Sultanahmet neighborhood. Do not be discouraged by the barren display cases, by the sparsely filled trays in the window, by solemn ranks of unrefrigerated Camlica bottles. As noted previously on this site: in Istanbul, most often, quality of food is in direct inverse proportion to fanciness of décor. This holds true in Sultanahmet, as well.

The key with Rumeli is to make it your first early-morning stop, before powering your way through the glory that is Sultanahmet. Why? Because Nilgul Hanim makes the day’s batch of borek once, every morning, and it is invariably gone by noon. There might be a spare pogaca sitting around, looking lonely, but for borek, one must arrive early.

And it is worth the trouble. This is the borek your Turkish friends have told you about — the kind of borek usually reserved for those lucky children whose aunties or mothers loved them too much, and had time to spare to make fresh yufka (the Turkish version of phyllo dough). At Rumeli, I finally understood the glossy-eyed insistence of friends that had tried for years, against overwhelming evidence to the contrary (from freezer-aisle yufka to franchised borek salons), to convince me that borek could be one of the great pleasures of life. Rumeli validates, for the uninitiated, the special place borek has in the hearts of the citizens of Turkey—buttery hand-rolled yufka, rolled around a generous but not excessive amount of spinach, cheese, or meat, everything prepared from scratch that morning.

Then there is the baklava.

This is not the photogenic, overbred, golden-fluffy baklava of the guidebooks. At Rumeli, you will get homemade walnut (never pistachio, ever) baklava that is, let’s just say, pretty on the inside. By which I mean delicious. The pastry is crispy on top, overstuffed with walnuts, and the syrup-soaked layers on the bottom never have time to turn into the chewy wad that one sometimes gets with mass-produced baklava. Rumeli baklava is so special that it is accepted currency with many in the bazaar (especially for payment of debts incurred over backgammon or pishti). HINT: if you do not see any baklava, ask. It may be cooling out back, in which case, you are in for an extra-special treat, as their baklava is obscenely good when fresh. As for timing with the baklava, get there before 3.

So—how best to enjoy Rumlei’s borek or baklava?

Sultanahmet is chock full of public benches in stunning locations—none of which truly offer the chance to sit and enjoy oneself in uninterrupted peace. That said, if you do not mind a little unsolicited conversation, nothing beats the view from a Sultanahmet park bench on a sunny day. BUT: If the thought of that unsolicited conversation makes you grind your teeth, Rumeli does have a few tables, inside and out. I recommend that you sit inside, where you get to follow the banter between Eshref Bey and his wife Nilgul Hanim—he is deaf, she is formidable—and interactions between Eshref Bey and the various and sundry regulars darting in for their treats.

Address: Peykhane Caddesi 41/5 (3 blocks up the Hippodrome using Üçler Sokak), Sultanahmet
Phone: 212-516-4880

It looks like Istanbul municipal officials have gotten wise to the bread ring’s rise. Yesterday marked the beginning of the first ever “Sultanahmet Simit Festival,” sponsored by the local municipality and the tourism office of the Istanbul governor’s office. Beyond, of course, offering simits, the festival will also feature music performances and the presentation of a new documentary about the ubiquitous baked street snack (title: “Be Spread, Sesame Seeds”).

Turkish officials and businessmen clearly have high hopes for the simit. According to an article in today’s Hurriyet Daily News, the head of the Turkish Franchise Association said at a press conference that he believes the simit could become a global culinary icon, in the same league as “sushi or spaghetti.”

Istanbul’s Provincial Culture and Tourism Minister, meanwhile, told reporters that his office is, ahem, “advising” hotels in Istanbul “to to offer simit along with a glass of tea and aged cheese at their five o’clock teas.” Yes sir!

More details on the simit festival (sadly, only in Turkish) can be found on the festival’s official website, here.

Tarihi Sultanahmet Koftecisi
Tarihi Sultanahmet Koftecisi is the real deal for kofte, or meatballs. All those hand-written, framed letters from movie stars, politicians and military generals that cover the walls of this Sultanahmet mainstay are not complaints. This Inegol-style kofte – that’s the log format of the meatball, not the patty – is pleasantly springy, aromatic and juicy. When dressed with a spicy red pepper sauce (served upon request) and stuffed into a fresh hunk of bread, it borders on divine.  We like to sit in the front room at the old marble tables to watch the action at the grill.  (15-20 TL/person)
Address: Divanyolu Caddesi 12
Telephone: 212-520-0566

Giritli
Giritli (in the photo above) deserves more ink than we can afford it here. This elegant yet comfortable fish restaurant, serving food typical of the Turks who once lived on the island of Crete, is full most nights with groups of locals and tourists taking advantage of a prix fixe menu that includes bottomless glasses of wine, raki or beer. But the food here more than holds its own. While the grilled octopus leg in olive oil is close to perfect, but we get really worked up for the seafood and orzo salad and the olives stuffed with walnuts and feta – part of the dozen or so starters brought to the table. In the warm months Giritli’s garden is just as pleasant any rooftop terrace. (Set menu: 95 TL/person includes local wine, beer or raki)
Address: Keresteci Hakkı Sokak
Telephone: 212-458-2270

Dubb Indian
You’ll need the strength of Shiva to fight past the hawkers shoving menus in your face as your work your way to the quiet side street that is home to Dubb Indian. Inside, you’ll find a quiet, if garishly decorated, sanctuary to curry and vindaloo.  Dubb’s menu has all the Indian standards, although the kitchen needs a little encouragement if you like your food spicy hot. Request to become a “Dubb Club” member and you’ll get a discount – if the gods are willing. (30-40 TL/person)
Address: Amiral Taftil Sokak 25 (just behind Divan Yolu by the fountain)
Telephone: 212-517-6828

Seoul Restaurant
Istanbul has an unusual abundance of Korean restaurants, many of which are surprisingly good. We suggest the full Korean spread laid out at Seoul Restaurant. Usually packed with groups of Korean expats and tourists, this restaurant can’t afford to slip on authenticity. The cold salad starters, including the fiery pickled cabbage kimchi, followed by a range of BBQ standards grilled in situ at your table, offer a refreshingly spicy break from Turkish norm. (40-50 TL/person)
Address: Akbiyik Caddesi 37
Telephone: 212-458-0621

Ahirkapi Balikcisi
We found this little grilled fish and beer dive while popping out for a drink from a dry wedding at the lovely wooden Dervish lodge, Dede Efendi.  With a simple menu dominated by fresh seafood at reasonable prices, a smattering of rickety tables, and colorful locals sipping raki, this is just the sort of place a concierge might tell you avoid. In warm weather, when they drag a few tables out onto the sidewalk, there are few better places in Sultanahmet to eat a simple grilled fish washed down with a cold beer. (20-30TL/person)
Address: Keresteci Hakki Sokak 46
Telephone: 212-518-4988

Hocapasa Sokak
Hocapasa Sokak near the Sirkeci train station, a short trek from the Sultanahmet monument epicenter, is without dispute (at least in our opinion) the best address for authentic, inexpensive dining options in the Old City area, if not Istanbul. From Iskender kebab (link in kasap osman) to cag kebab (link our cag spot) it is hard to go wrong with the many options packed into this small pedestrian street. (10-20 TL/person)
Address: Hocapasa Sokak (one street uphill from Sirkeci train station), Sirkeci

Meanwhile, the English-language daily Today’s Zaman has an interesting article about the first woman chef in Turkey to become officially certified to make Adana kebab. Turns out the Adana chamber of commerce is now actually training kebab makers in the proper way of making the city’s namesake kebab. The article is here (recipe included).

(photo — the dining room in Tugra, a restaurant in Istanbul’s Ciragan Palace hotel. Photo by Kerem Uzel, WSJ)

]]> http://istanbuleats.com/2009/12/dine-like-an-ottoman/feed/ 0 http://istanbuleats.com/2009/09/a-48-hour-tasting-tour-of-istanbul/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-48-hour-tasting-tour-of-istanbul http://istanbuleats.com/2009/09/a-48-hour-tasting-tour-of-istanbul/#comments Sun, 13 Sep 2009 20:09:33 +0000 admin http://istanbuleats.com/?p=549
Thinking about spending two days eating your way through Istanbul? If so, Anya von Bremzen, a travel writer who knows her way around Istanbul better than most, has an itinerary for you. You can check out her short article from Travel + Leisure here.

(photo by Yigal Schleifer)

The Sultanahmet area is a bit like Istanbul’s culinary black hole: it may be home to the city’s historical treasures, but most of its restaurants are monuments to mediocrity. That said, we’re always on the lookout for places that might redeem the area’s dismal dining scene, especially since so many visitors end up staying in Sultanahmet. Recently we were told good things about Vonali Celal, a Sultanahmet restaurant serving the hearty food of Turkey’s Black Sea region. Being big fans of Black Sea cuisine – and hoping to find a ray of light in the Sultanahmet dining scene darkness – we decided to go check the restaurant out.

At first, things didn’t look too promising. Located on the coastal road that hugs Istanbul’s ancient city walls, Vonali Celal is part of a strip of seaside restaurants that rely on conniving concierges and lazy tour guides to steer hapless tourists to them. The restaurant seems to have a split personality, though. Like its neighbors, Vonali Celal’s business is based on large tour groups, with a massive interior filled with tables for 20 or more and a small stand at the entrance selling trinkets. But there’s also a pleasant outdoor space in front with a view of the Marmara Sea (just ignore the cars whizzing by) and brick oven where fresh bread is baked, and a kitchen in back that turns out a wide range of homey and satisfying Black Sea dishes.

For those interested in tasting everything the kitchen has to offer, Vonali Celal offers a prix fixe menu that offers five courses (including one devoted to all things pickled, including green plums and cherries) and some 20 plus dishes. At 40 lira (around $26), it’s a fairly good deal, although we opted to go ala Carte on our visit. Among the highlights of what we tasted were cesni, a dip made of tangy, crumbly white cheese and walnuts, white cabbage leaves stuffed with rice, yumurtali sakarca, a Spanish omelet-like egg dish that was stuffed with herbs and pearl onions, and kaldrik, a wild green stewed in olive oil. We also enjoyed the kuymak (also called muhlama), a kind of Black Sea fondue, made by mixing melted cheese and butter together with corn meal, which gives the dish a surprisingly pleasant grittiness.

Even without ordering the smorgasbord-like prix fixe meal, we still left Vonali Celal feeling stuffed to the gills and satisfied. Though not great, we had a good meal in Sultanahmet, and that in itself felt like an achievement.

Address: Kennedy Caddesi Sahil Yolu No. 40/1, Ahirkapi
Telephone: 212-516-1893
Web: www.vonalicelal.net