Istanbul Food | Istanbul Food - Istanbul,Turkey and Turkish Food, Istanbul Restaurants, Food Photography, Tuba Şatana

Istanbul, Istanbul European Side, Istanbulfood's picks, Kurtuluş, Sweet Tooth

Damla Dondurma-Boza – Istanbul

02 September 2010

One of the hottest days of Istanbul I hit the road to Kurtuluş. For some ice cream and talk. The small, white, compact shop was my stop and I stayed there for hours chatting, eating ice cream and watching the locals, the kids of all age popping in for a treat. The kids run in, [...]

Fish & Seafood, Istanbul, Istanbul European Side, Istanbulfood's picks, Karaköy

Tarihi Karaköy Balık Lokantası – Istanbul

13 August 2010

If you feel like you are lost, and this place is so wrong for a fish restaurant, it means you are in the right place. Tarihi Karaköy Balık Lokantası is located in Karaköy, in a rumble place. This place was used to be a fish tradesman restaurant, in the good old days. At this small [...]

Food and Culture, Istanbulfood's picks, Regional Turkish Food, Street food, Turkish Tastes, What's Cooking?

Şalgam Suyu

27 July 2010

Many drink sodas to beat down the thirst. I prefer something salty rather than sweet. Usually I end up drinking a glass of herb ayran or şalgam suyu. Şalgam suyu is a local drink around Çukurova meaning, Adana, Mersin and even Hatay. Locals prepare şalgam suyu either for their consumption or for a meal ticket [...]

Büyükada, Istanbul, Istanbulfood's picks, Turkish Tastes

Köfte & Piyaz – Büyükada

20 July 2010

In Büyükada, you supposed to eat fish, right? Wrong! The lining restaurants at the seaside, which apply different fees to different kinds of customers, you never know which one you are till you get the bill, you may end up paying an unexpected amount of money, to an unworthy meal. The annoying-greeter-employees, standing in front [...]

Bakery, Büyükada, Istanbul, Sweet Tooth

Büyükada Pastanesi – Büyükada

12 July 2010

On a nice sunny morning we hopped on a ferry and began our trip to Büyükada. The sea is calm, a little breeze, seagulls literally crying…and hungry stomachs. By the time we finished our coffee in the travel mugs finished we approached Büyükada. It was about time for breakfast, so we hopped out! We almost [...]

Antakya - Turkey, Istanbulfood's picks, Regional Turkish Food, Sweet Tooth, Turkey Tastes, Turkish Tastes

Çınaraltı – Antakya

14 June 2010

Künefe is made with kadayıf, butter, special unsalted cheese and syrup made from water and sugar. It is a very simple dessert, yet it is hard to maintain this simplicity. Yusuf Usta started his small künefe shop, because he wanted to eat a decent künefe in the land of künefe! Simple as künefe, right? He [...]

Istanbul, Sorry, but no..., Turkish Coffee

Sorry, but no: Kuru Kahveci Mehmet Efendi – Istanbul

04 June 2010

Very sorry to say, but Kuru Kahveci Mehmet Efendi’s coffees are stale, not fresh, flat, odorless. Why not buy the high quality beans and process it? I would definitely pay more for decent Turkish coffee. I realized I stopped buying and recommending their coffee long time ago. The oldest establishment of an industry, the one [...]

Bostancı, Istanbul, Istanbul Asian Side, Istanbulfood's picks

Dondurmacı Yaşar Usta – Istanbul

04 June 2010

You bite into the half lemon, catch that thought, then add sip of lemonade, there, you have the perfect tangy slurp of the lemon ice cream of Yaşar Usta. It is not a shy from lemon ice cream, it is old school. Like all his other fruit ice creams. When we met with Yaşar Usta [...]

Istanbul, Istanbul Asian Side, Sorry, but no..., Tradesman restaurant, Üsküdar

Sorry, but no: Kanaat Lokantası – Istanbul

02 June 2010

I held myself so long for this entry. It makes me sad as I write because, Kanaat Lokantası is one of the oldest esnaf lokantası, tradesman restaurants in Istanbul. But the other day, again and again the same thing happened. Within the last years the quality of the ingredients, the service and the taste of [...]

Antakya - Turkey, Döner, Istanbulfood's picks, Regional Turkish Food, Tradesman restaurant, Turkey Tastes, Turkish Tastes

Sultan Sofrası – Antakya

31 May 2010

If you want to eat local food of Antakya, cooked delicately,deliciously and properly, a must stop is Sultan Sofrası. Metin Tansal is a very demanding boss checking if everything is in order, you may see him in the kitchen or anywhere showing working like his staff. Osman Bey is working like a family member, keeps [...]