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I crave for lahmacun, all the time, every time! The abusive smell of the mincemeat mixture, the crispiness of the dough and the first bite! I love lahmacun! Who doesn’t?! But I don’t settle for any. Here are my four lahmacun restaurant in … Continue reading
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In Gaziantep fruits are a big part of the cooking. Kebabs get their share as well, not to mention they change seasonally. Keme mantarı -desert truffles- announces the coming of spring, then yenidünya kebabı -loquat/medlar- follows, last for spring is sarımsak … Continue reading
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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 … Continue reading
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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 … Continue reading
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In Turkey we love eating pickled vegetables especially during winter time. With grilled fish, bulgur pilaf, soup, bean or chickpeas stew, as well as any other hearty meal, giving them a little zest. Most of the households love making their … Continue reading
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As if we needed any motive to eat, me and Katie celebrated the sesonal kebabs today. The sarımsak -the fresh bulb of garlic- and yeni dünya -loquat or medlar- kebabı at Çiya…
Two facts about lahmacun.
Must be thin.
Must be crispy.
And must be delicious.
Some with garlic, some with onion. Always good quality flour, meat and a know-how.
Tiny restaurant, Halil Lahmacun has been serving to Istanbul locals since 1980. Their success is the sustainability. The lahmacun is crisp, little burnt on the edges, as for the ingredients you can taste the onion, the meat, the dough, all at the same time, lovely. The smell of the cooked thin dough is homey.
Two chefs, usta, working busily, complementing each other. While one kneads and makes little balls of dough, and thins it with a rolling pin, passing on the other chef, who finishes it by spreading the meat mixture on the dough while stretching it with his fingers. Then the lahmacuns are laid on the long shovel and hop in the big burning oven.
Served with parsley and lemon on the side, believe me you do not need them. Just order spicy or plain. Or if you are not in your meat mood, try their peynirli pide, pide with typical Turkish cheese – beyaz peynir – parsley and eggs.
The menu is simple yet fulfilling your lahmacun hunger. That’s why you are at Halil Lahmacun.
Address: Güneşlibahçe Sk. No:26/A, Kadıköy Food Market, Kadıköy, Istanbul
Phone: (216) 337 0123
Service Hours: Open everyday from 11.00am – 11.30am till 9.00pm-9.30pm
Before you go in the wonderland, you have to decide what you want to purchase, otherwise you feel like Alice falling down the hall. A sweet dream. A paradise of sweets. 203 years old establishment and run by fifth and sixth generation. In the heart of Kadıköy Food Market, its window displays are always inviting, all colorful and all intact.
My favorite is akide şekeri in this confectioner, like to say bonbon, or candy. Huge jars full of colorful candies, shiny, luscious, mouth watering! Colorful and delicious as life. The assortment is wide, cinnamon, bergamot, lemon and mint, mint, rose, lemon, orange, nuts, strawberry, coconut and more.
Turkish delights with a variety of rose, double roasted pistachios, mastic gum, nuts, coffee, double roasted plain, cinnamon, chocolate coated, you name it.
Hand made marzipan, almond paste, all in the form of vegetables and fruit, you just do not want to eat them just watch them!
And the fruit flavored jelly, coated with tiny grains of sugar! They take me to my childhood, where I used to fill my little hands with them, making my hand sticky and, my granny shouting after not to fill myself with sweets before dinner!
Of course this is not all, they also made delicious Turkish sweets like tulumba, zerde, aşure, şekerpare and different kinds of helva.
Excuses to stop at Cafer Erol: You have visited Turkey and returning home already, just buying some for everyone at home, you love Cafe Erol, you love sweets, you are visiting your granny, you want to put a jar of colorful bonbons on your office desk and make everyone jealous, and make them love you more, you want to surprise your parents with their favorite, you were passing by, you loved the display, you want to ask your beloved one’s parents for their blessings, you have a newborn baby or you are buying all for you!
A timeless treat, a little time stolen from our lives, and a memory to take us to those days we had with the loved ones.
Address: Yasa Cad. No:19, Kadıköy, Istanbul
Phone: (216) 337 1103
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