Long time waited (long enough for me and her fans) Kantin’s Dükkan was opened on Thursday, April 4th, 2013. A Şemsa Denizsel design deli – bakery, will be the new hang out place in the beautiful area, Bebek. Everything is Kantin-made. Her famous bread is playing the key role here. You…
One great surprise today was the kuzu sarma I came across at Çiya… It was the first of the season, cooked with orzo, it was a true delicacy! And have to admit it was one of the best things I had at Çiya for a long time. Ordered one portion and did…
I know I know… Gluten-free eating in Turkey may sound challenging, I admit. If it is not the dishes themselves makes you take the challenge, it is the slaphappy, carefree, lovely waiters, the know it all restaurants and nothing can happen form this kind of attitude bearers. Yes, you need to…
Pazar changes its color like seasons. Fruits, flowers, vegetables even the stalls selling homemade produce change… spring is one of the liveliest times and as the summer approaches, I was not surprised to see the heap of clothing switched to heap of sun bathing suits, shorts, t-shirts… Some may be taken by…
There is artichoke and then there is artichoke. Do you wonder where the big fatty artichokes you see around the city are from? Izmir, you think? Going through the markets, all these colourful plastic basins full of artichoke hearts, beautiful heaps of artichoke displays stops you. They may look sight for sore eyes. They are called Kıbrıs…
Have I told you about my heritage, I might have. My grand grand mother is from Thessaloniki, Greece and my grand father is from Mardin. My roots pretty much drew my life, my faith in food. Growing up with the best home-cooked meals that a person can eat, I was…
After my morning soup at Paçacı Mahmut, I was craving for something sweet. But by the time I arrived at Fatih Sarmacısı, the display was empty, little early I was. So I walked around working an appetite, surprisingly(!!!) I found myself facing the entrance of Şeref Usta! Darn! It is…
The good cooks/housewives/chefs/food enthusiasts… you name, all have one thing in common, they/we have our pumpkin/artichoke sellers in our neighbourhoods. We trust them, we wait for them while they are on vacation, do not betray them with other sellers. We know their locations, their schedules, where they are from, what…
Hamsi may not be the king of fishes or the fish king itself for most of us, but Karadenizliler -locals of Black Sea region- have an emotional attachment to hamsi. It is more than a fish, but a life culture there. Even when you ask a Karadenizli about another fish,…