July 15, 2011 2

Notable cafes in Istanbul

//// By Joan in 12: Istanbul, Travel

Some of the best time we spent in Istanbul were just hanging out at cafes. Other than The House cafes, here are other notable places we went to:

The cafe at the Istanbul Modern Museum has an amazing view of the skyline of old town Istanbul. We spent a long time chilling there, sketching and reading. The tiramisu was surprisingly good!

Istanbul Modern Museum
Meclis-i Mebusan Caddesi, Liman Isletmeleri Sahasi 305, Antrepo No: 4, Istanbul

White Mill cafe at Cihangir. It’s an interesting place, the first floor is a design product shop and the cafe is on the 2nd floor. Once you climb the stairs you’ll see a pretty outdoor patio which was quite unexpected. The food is pretty good but not that memorable. It’s a better place for drinks as they have a big menu of tea, coffee, wine and cocktails. I got the ginger fruit tea which was fantastic.

White Mill cafe
Susam Sokak No:13 Cihangir

Ara Cafe – a cafe in the small backstreet behind Istiklal caddesi. It has a causal bohemian artsy vibe to it that I like. The walls were adorned with beautiful b&w photographes byAra Guler, who’s known for capturing the melancholic Istanbul in the 50-60s. They don’t serve alcohol though, which is a pity.

Ara Cafe
Tomtom Mh., Tosbağa Sokak 8, Istanbul

On our long walk along the Bosphorus coast, we had to take a break at Bebek, an upscale seaside town. There was a choice of a very nice Starbuck with amazing view or Divan, a chichi Brasserie. I guess no matter how nice the starbuck is we just couldn’t bring ourselves to go in. Divan’s patio has a pretty view of the bosphorus. It was cozy until a super tacky Mafia looking guy started smoking a cigar and killed the mood. The chocolate tart was rich and delicious though.

Divan
Cevdet Paşa Caddesi No: 28/A Bebek, Istanbul

We spent the last night at this cozy little place just a few steps from our apartment on Timarci street. Unfortunately I don’t know the name (Update: it’s called Open Kitchen.) I love that it looks like someone’s cool vintage chic home. Love the vibe very much, homey and no electronic lounge music! If you find yourself in the Galata area, look out for this little gem!

Open Kitchen
Timarci str no:6b galata istanbul
90 212 293 74 33.

Tags: Cafe, hip, Travel Report, turkish

July 13, 2011 Off

Changa (Istanbul: Cihangir)

//// By Joan in 12: Istanbul

There are lots of chichi gourmet fine dining options in Istanbul but we soon realized their price aren’t so affordable. Istanbul is no longer a bargain European destination. The price range is basically on par with major western European cities like London and American cities like NYC/LA, which means about $25-40 for main course, $10-12 for dessert and $10-20 for a glass of wine/cocktails. For a two weeks vacation, we could only afford 1-2 fancy meals so we picked Changa, a long time favorite since 1999.

Changa is one of the first modern fusion Turkish restauranst in town. Converted from a 1900s Art Nouveau building, the slick modern interior was quite unexpected. And of course they played those electronic lounge music in the background (see this). Despite the many empty tables on the 1st and 2nd floor and the 3rd floor being completely empty, they sat us at the bar because we didn’t have reservation. At the bar, we got to stare at Mao statues.

Good bread and chips.

Mixed mushroom stuffed hinkal (Georgian dumpling) with creamy parmensan, quince sauce and lapsang souchang tea leaves.
Interesting description and the sauce was indeed interesting tasting. It’s rich and flavorful. The tea leaves added a touch of tea aroma which worked quite well with the creamy sauce.

Sea Bass with Creamy basil sauce and hazelnut studded apple leather.
Very amazing! The sea bass were rolled into three rolls, fresh and perfectly cook. The creamy basil sauce was very tasty, light and had lots of subtle flavors. The crispy hazelnut and apple topping add a touch of acidicness which went very well with the sauce.

Chili pepper and red wine poached pears with buffalo milk mastic ice-cream and sugar floss (Pismaniye).
We also called it “Andy Warhol” the dessert. I love the sugar floss (Pismaniye) very much, it’s a traditional Turkish sweet made with flour and sugar and hand pulled into fine strands. Fluffy and airy, it’s a bit like cotton candy without the sticky finish. The sugar strands just melt into your mouth. The wine poached pear was very good too.

All the dishes were superb and interesting, I wish we had more budget to try the appetizers. Changa has an offshoot called Muzedechanga at one of the chichi Bosphorus neighbourhood and it’s supposedly very good as well. Hopefully we will have opportunities in the future to visit Istanbul again so we could try it.

Changa
Cihangir Mh. Sıraselviler Caddesi 47, 34433 Istanbul
0212 251 7064

Tags: fashionable, Fusion, turkish

July 8, 2011 Off

Meyhane at Asmalimescit (Istanbul: Beyoglu)

//// By Joan in 12: Istanbul, Travel

Two blocks from our apartment is one of our favorite places in Istanbul to wine and dine: Asmalimescit – lively small streets filled with Meyhane (Tavern), bars and cafes. Any day in the week, starting in late afternoon, these narrow streets would be filled with outdoor tables and chairs occupied by people having a good time drinking, eating and playing backgammon. Waiters would bring over a big tray of meze for people to choose from. I love the energy and it’s a great place for people watching.

It’s a bit overwhelming to settle for a place as they’re all crowded and fun. Some people say they’re all pretty inter-changable so you can go to anyone of them. So we picked the ones that’s most crowded and have been around for years.

Sofyali 9 : In a three stories house, this place is very popular and reservation is a must on the weekend. We got the last table on the 3rd floor fortunately.

Here comes the big tray of mezes! We picked four: marinated anchovies, Lakerda (cured mackerel), Muamara (hot pepper dip) and Kisir (bulgur with parsley and tomato paste). All the ingredients are good and fresh. I like the cured Mackerel and Kisir a lot.

Fried Albanian Liver – very tasty! The liver is tender, slight crispy outside and then melt in your mouth.

Refik Restuarant: This place is one of the oldest Meyhane in town. Apparently it’s popular among artists and intellecutals (which might explain the many “professor” looking types in there). Many of their mezes are Black Sea region of Turkish food.

Shrimp Galantine – refreshing.

Roasted Sweet peppers, Salicornia and Saute Mushrooms in Butter.
The peppers is so sweet and flavorful. Not sure I like the texture of Salicornia (didn’t know you can eat them) but they are well seasoned. The mushrooms were very good and one of the highlights of the night.

Pickled Anchovies – very good!

Sliced Tongue – very tender.

We liked Refik a bit better than Sofyali 9, but both are very good. There are also many other good places that people highly recommended in Asmalimescit so I think you’ll have a good meal in a lot of the places there.

Sofyali 9 – Asmalimescit Mh Sofyalı Sokak No: 9, Tünel, Beyoglu Istanbul
Refik – Asmalimescit Mh. Sofyali Sokak No:7 Tunel, Beyoglu Istanbul

Tags: small plate, turkish

July 8, 2011 2

The House Cafe (Istanbul: Tunel + Ortakoy)

//// By Joan in 12: Istanbul

We stayed at the Beyoglu side of Istanbul at the last couple days of our trip. The vibe is very different from old town: less touristy, more youthful, more “European” feel and is closer to all the good restaurants and night life. We stayed at this vacation apartment called The House apart at the Tunel area. It belongs to a company that also own hotels and cafes all over Istanbul. The stay at the apartment is alright, there’re service problems (i.e. internet password not working, unreachable customer service..etc etc) but the location was great. There’s also complimentary breakfast at the The House cafe which was probably the best thing about staying at this apartment!

Located few blocks away from the apartment is the The House Cafe Tunel at Asmalimescit . There’s another branch few more blocks down on Istiklal street, but we like the Tunel one better. The interior is fashionably design. For some reason all the “trendy” places in Istanbul play the exact same type of music, i.e. Electronic lounge/downtempo stuffs.

They offer a wide range of non-Turkish/Western style breakfast on the menu. After 11 days of the same Turkish breakfast, we’re ready to have some varieties!

Poached eggs with smoked salmon and avocado

Granola and Banana pancake

Eggs Benedict

Dukkah Cilbir (strained yoghurt topped with 2 poached eggs, dukkah spices, cayenne pepper infused brown butter and chopped parsley) and Smoked salmon scrambled Eggs

That’s about three days worth of breakfast (we missed the 4th day due to early flight). All the breakfast were delicious. My favorites were the poach eggs on smoked salmon and the Eggs benedict. The drinks are very good too. Tea, coffee, lemonade…etc etc, all good and fresh tasting. This place definitely is style meets substance.

They have lunch and dinner menu as well. It’s probably a pretty good place to eat for mid-price non-Turkish food. It’s also a popular spot to hang out at night too. They have an extensive cocktail and wine menu, we get 15% discount from staying at their apartment too.

We also went to their branch at Ortakoy for an afternoon break. I love the interior space of this one a lot! The terrace is beautiful and have nice sea view. The House group is certainly is very successful in creating a brand, I wouldn’t be surprise if they branch out to start selling lifestyle products (aka “The House Shop”?) in the future.

The House Cafe
AsmalıMescit No: 9/1-2, Beyoglu
+902124444842

Tags: Breakfast, Cafe, fashionable

July 7, 2011 Off

Asitane (Istanbul: Edirnekapı)

//// By Joan in 12: Istanbul

Asitane is a fine dining restaurant specialized in recreating authentic Ottoman cuisine. The restaurant’s location is quite out of the way. It’s right next to the amazing Chora Church (Kariye Camii) which is located at a working class neighbourhood. Clearly the restaurant is aim for tourists as it seems so out of place from the rundown surrounding. We took the bus there for lunch (along visiting the church) but it’s probably best to take taxi at night.

Tasty dipping for bread. The menu is on the higher price scale but not horrible. Entree are all above US $20. They compiled actual recipes developed from the royal kitchen at Ottoman palaces like Topkapi and Dolmabahce. The menu listed the year each dish was developed next to the name.

Mutanjene with Dani-i Yesil: Leg of Lamb braised with apricots, Rezaki raisins, almonds, served with green pilaf.
The description sounds more a lot more interesting than it taste. It was pretty good but a bit gamey.

Stuffed Melon: baked melon stuffed with a blend of lamb and beef, rice, pine nuts, currant flavoured with grape molasses.
Smells great! It’s interesting tasting, not as sweet as I expected (based on the description). Multi-flavors in every bite, it’s quite rich.

Overall we found the food interesting but can’t say they’re amazing, they do have a different palate from the usual Turkish food. We walked around the neighbourhood after the meal and it was quite a contrast in terms of vibe. It’s also a close walk to the Walls of Constantinople which is a fascinating sight in terms of history.

Asitane
Kariye Camii Sokak No: 6, Edirnekapı

Tags: turkish

Notable cafes in Istanbul

Changa (Istanbul: Cihangir)

Meyhane at Asmalimescit (Istanbul: Beyoglu)

The House Cafe (Istanbul: Tunel + Ortakoy)

Asitane (Istanbul: Edirnekapı)

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