Eating our way through some of Türkiye
AUGUST DATES, a little road trip itinerary and my first time writing a bit of a travel blog.
9 days starting from Istanbul and ending in Istanbul airport.
We landed in Istanbul at 10.30pm and stepped out with humidity hitting our face like a very welcome change from the rain in London earlier that day. The car that took us from the airport to the airbnb in Upper Beyoğlu was…interesting. It felt like a mini living room from a Turkish tv show but on wheels. There were full bright overhead lights throughout the 1 hour drive into Istanbul and the inside of the vehicle was like a limo. We were dropped off in what seemed like a club in Piccadilly Circus. Nevertheless, our willpower to get to sleep took over and we stuffed our two suitcases into the almost coffin shaped lift in the building that was between two late night kebab shops, a corner shop, an Irish pub and the booming club at 1am.
We started the first proper day in Istanbul by waking up not mega late (so that the mid afternoon heat could be avoided) and thought we would take it easy. Easy meant we ended up walking 27,000 steps.
The airbnb we were staying at, despite being above the club, was actually super peaceful and really close to Lades Menemen. A pit stop that Mark Wiens and a few friends had recommended. Silky eggs with sucuk, a lentil soup and a few cups of çay later, we decided we would walk gently via Galata Tower to the ferry station to go and explore Kadiköy. I have to say right here that the highlight of my trip was ferry rides. Deliciously windy and spacious, the ferries that connect Istanbul were where we could spend most of our trip. It felt like we were touring without paying extortionately for the tours. I would 100% recommend this as a mode of transport.
Kadiköy market was gorgeously colourful. But first we stopped for a quick lunch for some black sea salmon casserole. While eating and mopping up with our first proper ezme and Turkish salad, we both questioned what the best way to get recommendations for holiday eating spots.
In reverse order of how you should eat on holiday:
Tripadvisor
Google reviews or instagram
Food blog from people that you think travel like you
Youtube videos - we both like Mark Wiens these days but also the OG Anthony Bourdain for the feel of the place and areas to scout out
Asking friends who travel similarly to you - some friends give you lists of recs which is a real bonus
Meeting a friend locally in that city
Mindfully observing the vibe of the place, people and reading menus in combination with other points.
I guess the above may only apply if you solely travel to eat, like we do. So with the rest of what I am about to write, it will be quite heavily food based. I am sure you can find the historical sites suggestions on Google rather easily. You can also find lots of blogs and write ups on Google on Turkey because it is quite a well travelled destination, but these are from my personal perspective and experience, and I guess if you know me via this newsletter or my supperclubs, you can rely on the taste of the food for sure!
Istanbul top spots in no order of preference:
Zübeyir Ocakbaşı - everyone told us to go here, as did the internet. EVERYONE WAS RIGHT. The kababs and the mezze were immaculate. The vibe was immaculate and not in a fancy way. There was heaps of smoke, a man brushing the kababs with generous helpings of fat and vegetables being charred in all of the meat fat. No way this can go wrong.
Çukur Meyhane - felt a bit like Europe but is extremely Turkish. The mezzes were absolutely delicious and the top ones to go for are the mackerel with mustard (tasted a bit like shorshe maach), broad bean paste, esme, butter prawns. We also tried some Raki here and it was absolutely NOT for me.
Turkish-German Bookstore & Cafe - gorgeous music to sit and watch the tourists go by, the best iced Turkish coffee and a gentle browse through a really interesting collection of books.
Gaziantep Közde Künefe Kebap Salonu - we went way too early, they don’t serve the best things til later in the day. But, the ayran in this place knocked my socks off. Tangy, salty and churned in house. Served in old school copper vessels.
Şehzade Cağ Kebap - absolutely phenomenal kebap. Get the one that everyone else is getting. It is legit. Soft, umami, simple. Don’t use the bathroom in this place, it goes two floors up into what feels like scaffolding and the way down is scarier than any theme park ride.
Petek Fırınım - absolutely my favourite milk baklava, trileçe and çay. The staff are some cute uncles who could not care less for your presence and will not try to impress you. You should point at what you want and it really will not cost you much to eat here and sit down in the middle of Kadikoy market and soak in all the shouting, bargaining and many tourists.
Have a kumpir. It is the best version of a jacket potato you may ever eat. I love potatoes and this particular version of the potato is really a special thing.
Salgam and spices from Özcan Tursu in Kadikoy. The best smelling sumac and isot pepper I found with the best tasting Salgam (fermented pickle juice) which may not sound that appetising but if you are like me in any way and ADORE sour flavours, this one will be top on that list.
Karaköy Muhallebicisi - buffalo cream and honey with sesame bread. No words for how good this was. I will think of it for a long time. It reminded me of chhena and gur, it was magically delightful with the almost bitter nutty sesame bread.
After 2 nights of walking endlessly up and down Istanbul, we set off back to the airport to get our car for the rest of the trip. The reason for this was that we did not want to fly again til we got on the flight back to London. Both of us over the years have realised we love what driving can show you about a country. The boring motorways, the small city roads, the perhaps intense traffic and the narrow lanes in the rural lands. Rolling down the windows then rolling them back up for the much needed AC and listening to podcasts or music.
For the rest of the trip I thought it best to sum up each town in some lines and then leave you with some top things to do and eat if you wish to ever go there.
Sirinçe
A town nestled in the mountains that may be too touristy for its own good. The parking situation in this town is horrendous BUT the drive up to and down from this town is truly breathtaking from 10 miles. If you time the drive to get there for sunset, you will see some of the most magnificent colours in the sky. The town is perfect for 1 night and 1.5 days. We walked around and this is where I bought most of my spices to bring home. Beautiful aromas and a fair bit cheaper than those in Istanbul, I got a few bags of sundried za’atar leaves, tomatoes, aubergines, caper berries and real sumac on the branches. The breakfast at Siriçem restaurant and cafe (very blue doors and path) is a bounty and delicious. The dinner of veal kabab on top of potato fries and doused in tomato was rather nostalgic.
Take a daytrip to Suculuk market - definitely the least touristy place we went to in this entire trip. Not a single word in anything but Turkish was spoken here. The fruit and vegetables looked like emojis and smelt like perfume. We bought an entire week’s worth of fruit and an entire watermelon to take to the beach (without a plan on how to consume it).
Eat at Ortanca Restaurant and get the manti.
Drink mulberry juice and wine.
Alaçatı
I won’t lie, this town was the most surreal place we have ever visited. It felt almost Greek in its streets and and houses. This may have been because we visited during the national holiday weekend in Turkey or because it was summer or because it was normal. No idea. But everything felt like it was pumped with adrenaline. Shops and everything around us was open til 1am and people were as awake at that time as they were at 5pm.
Kebapta Ramazan Usta was the LEAST touristy place we found and the prices online were a few years out of date. Regardless of that, the meat was incredible and the potato fries with garlic yoghurt could have been on repeat.
If you are a fan of jewellery, this town will have you addicted. All the fancy-ish jewellery that we find everywhere come from this place, or so it seems!
Ayvalik & Çunda
Some of the best coastal views, bougainvillea filled streets and live music restaurants. We stayed right on the coast and actually tried to take it slow for the last two nights before getting back to the fast paced life in London. Ayvalik felt like it was not for foreign tourists. Most people kept being surprised that we spoke basically no Turkish. Çunda is the cuter counterpart town right next to Ayvalik and possibly may be more quaint to stay in but like I mentioned, we visited during this national holiday weekend and found no bookings there!
Tik Mustafa’s Place - heavenly lokantasi (home style buffet) food where you can go up to the counter and choose what you want from a bounty of options. We went for the okra, meat stew with potatoes, pulao rice and a fried aubergine and tomato dish. This truly felt like a comfort meal. The rice made me a little emotional because at this point I hadn’t really had a full plate for rice for 7 days and I am such a Bangali.
Ayvalık Deniz Yıldızı Restoran - beautiful sea views and beautiful fresh fish that they either grill or fry to order. We loved the octopus and aubergine dish because it was the perfect marriage of textures.
Guler Tatlihanesi - gorgeous trileçe and an array of biscuits (the names I do not know). Also extremely popular because it was heaving with people on both nights at midnight!
Altinsoy Gurme kebap ve lahmacun salonu - BEYOND delicious chicken wings that were charred to perfection, heavenly salad and the friendliest kebab man. This truly felt like a home run business where friends came to hang out and eat chicken. It was our last meal and this sealed off the trip in the best way.
Visit Scala beach - I am NOT a beach club sorta lady but this was really a good spot. It was right on the sea (no sand to clean up from clothes afterwards) and had really good service for drinks, towels, bathrooms etc. Last day of the trip was spent just napping and lounging with the water lapping in the background.
HOME Supperclubs in August
JODUBAJAR POTATOES
Tamarind, cumin and dry chilli coated new potatoes
MAACH'ER CHOP
Spicy smashed sardines and potatoes, raisins, coriander in panko
DHAROSH
Whole okra on a bed of homemade kashundi
GHOTI DAAL
Seasonal daal with panch foron and ginger. Served with lime.
BADHAKOPI
Charred sweetheart, garam masala, herbs and pomegranate molasses
BHAPA DOI
Baked labneh, served with dulce de leche and fruit
Oh and watch this space for this ^
Available SOON at my home during supperclubs and on Delli Market.