Grub in Istanbul

BREAKFAST

Turkish Breakfast - this is all eaten with bread rolls; there's sausage, cheese, tomato, an egg, olives, sourcherry (popular in Turkey) jelly, chocolate spread, butter and honey. And an orange slice to taste. This was the complimentary breakfast at the hostel, but I saw the same thing on menus at several other restaurants.

ENTREES


Lamb doner with rice, salad and chips - The lamb was cooked perfectly (really tender!) and was complimented with great spices which I can't really name.
A lot of places are beginning to add chips (or fries) to their foods. At one restaurant we had doner wraps with fries IN them. Not bad. A bit like a California burrito. But not a burrito-- man! I miss Mexican food! The restaurant I ate this at was very close to my hostel. The drunken restaurant owner, who called himself "Uncle" beckoned us in. And he gave us a free concert. What a man. I'll provide you with some entertainment by Uncle before we continue this tour of Turkish cuisine (Uncle let me play with his "guitar" thing before he gave us a free acoustic concert):




Perde Pilavi - This dish starts out like a cylinder-shaped tower of rice with almond slices on top (representing children). Inside is rooster meat (representing the groom) and chicken meat (representing the bride). The rice symbolizes blessing and the dough sheets on pilaf represents the immunity of the home. Originating from Middle Asia, this dish is now popular for Turkish weddings. That little dumpling thing on the side is kinda like a pizza in a roll with mushrooms, cheese and peppers.


Grilled fish - they have these open grills all over the riverside next to fresh fish stands. If you want, you can even hire a boat to take you on a tour, have the staff catch a fish for you, and grill it right on the boat.


Grilled fish sandwich - this is usually how the grilled fish is eaten, with lettuce, tomato, onions, oil and salt. We ate fish sandwiches twice simply because they were really amazing. I haven't had many fish sandwiches, so this was easily the best fish sandwich I'd ever had. The key? The fish. INCREDIBLY fresh.


Chicken kebab with rice bulgur pilavi (rice), lettuce and flat bread

DESSERT


Rice pudding - You can get this in lots of Turkish shops and restaurants, but be careful: it has to be done right! If it's too watery, well, all I can say is that it's ruined! The consistency is meant to be between jello and grits.


Baklava from Karakoy Gullugolu Baklava Shop - The best baklava I've had to this day (and ask my mother, I've eaten a lot of baklava). Perfectly flakey and caramelized; good texture. Not too hard. A nice twist with the ground pistachio.


Tulumba tatlisi - I don't know the translation of this sticky, delicious cross between a churro and a glazed donut, but it's very sugary. The syrup, which I'm pretty sure is JUST sugar will essentially glaze your hand if you don't eat it fast enough.


I've heard of the company that makes these bars, but this I've NEVER seen this one before! It's essentially a Neapolitan chocolate bar! Light, airy (like those Aero bars) strawberry and vanilla on the inside, covered in chocolate. I dunno about you, but I think this is a great invention.

BEVERAGES


Turkish apple tea- made with loose leaf tea, not exactly sure what else is in it besides apple, but I bought a box before I left Istanbul. It's one of my favourite teas now because it's so true to the apple flavour and scent.

Pomegranate Juice
I sadly have no photos of this, but it's not exactly an unheard of drink. Basically what makes it special is that they juice the pomegranate for you right there. And it's delicious. :) And good for you!