The husband and I were fortunate enough to have the
opportunity to visit Istanbul for one of my best friend’s weddings. . .and what an amazing and beautiful city it
is! Of course – there is the incredible
history and tradition, extremely friendly locals and blend of culture/ethnicity
which we got to experience by way of the cuisine.
Three most memorable meals:
Day 1. Dinner at Haci Abdullah just off the main shopping
district in Taksim after drinks with the bride & groom and bride’s family
at a nearby bar. Honestly, this meal was
one delicious blur as there were so many different dishes, and yes, I may have
been a bit tipsy. The cuisine was
traditional Ottoman style and luckily we had a native ordering for us. There were two rounds of courses- an
assortment of cold dishes including an artichoke salad, various stuffed peppers
and stuffed grape leaves followed by several hot dishes such as a slow cooked lamb
shank, meatballs and rice pilaf.
Day 2 (and 3). A brunchy
lunch at Taksim Lades, a standard Turkish restaurant catering to both locals
and visitors where we devoured a smorgasboard of food- fried eggs with sausage,
fried eggs with lamb, clotted cream & honey (and the very reason why I insisted
on going back for another breakfast), and fresh vegetables and olives drizzled
with extra virgin olive oil- for USD$20!!
The freshness of the ingredients- namely the eggs and tomatoes- was
remarkable.
Day 4 (and 6). Lamb and Liver kebap wraps at Durumzade, a hole
in the wall kebap joint a few blocks from the boisterous bars in Beyoglu. You order single or double order of your
choice of meat which is then grilled over coals, seasoned with parsley, sumac,
onions and tomatoes before being wrapped and placed over the grill one last
time before serving. The result is a
simple, perfect meal for $3-5.
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