http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34725 Location of the hotel was excellent for all tourist sites. It's two minutes to the Blue Mosque, Aya Sofya, and Topkapi Palace. Plus it's a short walk to the Grand Bazaar and about a 15 minute walk to the Spice Market (we took a taxi instead.)
Highly recommended.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34725 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34547 Located in Beyoglu - Taksim area, next to Galatasaray, the bar serves over 100 homemade cocktail shots and offers really good music.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34547 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34110 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34110 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34109 Mardin is a small town in the southeast of Turkey, golden stone house rising in chaotic rows up the side of a rocky escarpment. To the south the land falls away to a vast plain that stretches away into Syria. Tiny rivers incise the heavily irrigated fields and it feels like the view continues on into infinity. However, I was staying in the far less glamorous, but far more affordable new town at the foot of the escarpment, and so for me the view would have to wait until the following day.
After checking in, I set off into the town in search of something to eat. No golden stone houses here, just the usual mess of concrete and brick and nowhere looked promising. Turning down a side street I saw one restaurant, but with no-one sat outside I walked on, hoping to find somewhere better frequented. After a few more minutes I turned back and took a closer look at the first restaurant; the Karburger Kino. Inside it was all fluorescent lighting and Formica tables, but it was also very busy; the locals clearly felt differently to me about what constituted suitable weather for dining al fresco. I walked in and a waist coated waiter handed me a menu and sat me at a table next to an old local man who was also eating alone.
Western pop music was pumping out of restaurants speaker system, but as Christina Aguilera gave way to Carlos Santana I conceded that someone had pretty decent taste. Around me local families were talking and laughing, and the old man at the next table was industriously demolishing a delicious looking combination of meat and rice. After several solid days of grilled meat and flat bread, it looked like heaven. The waiter came back over and I enthusiastically pointed at my neighbour’s dish. He flipped open the menu and pointed at the first item on there; Karburger. It seemed I had ordered the house special.
A few minutes later the waiter returned with my drink and a small plate of mysterious looking starters. I gingerly started eating, and found myself tucking into a selection of local specials, ranging from delicious meatballs fried in bread crumbs to a far less inviting suet based concoction.
Next came the Karburger main; a huge plate of shredded lamb on a bed of rice, with a side bowl of chilli and tomato sauce for pouring over the dish. It was fabulous, and I wolfed it down, but my waiter wasn’t done with me. My sun-chapped lips still stinging from the hot sauce, I was presented with a small Noah’s Pudding, which I finished off with the last bit of space in my stomach filled.
The meal done with and the waiter thanked profusely for the excellent meal, there was only the bill to come. It was 13 Lira, about £5. I paid with a hefty tip and left happy. Staggering back to my hotel, I realised how lucky I had been to stumble onto such a marvellous, local, authentic place. It may not have looked like a great restaurant, but that’s what makes such places such a great surprise!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34109 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34107 The Deniz Restaurant on the sea front has a marvelous array of hot and cold mezes, mainly vegetarian or sea food, including stuffed courgette flowers, samphire and sea urchin when in season. The fresh fish that almost inevitably follows is delicious although prepared simply by either frying or grilling (depending on the type of fish). Try the local speciality, papalina, tiny fried fish eaten bones, head and all.
In winter you can eat inside in front of an open fire.
You should try drinking Raki whether winter or summer, but don't forget to dilute it!
The best thing about the Deniz Restaurant is its affordability - a full meal with Raki or wine will cost about £20-25 per head which compares favourably to the many neighbouring restaurants. The Deniz Restaurant is the one the locals choose and they can't be wrong, they may even have caught the fish served there!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34107 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34106 The smell and sound of sizzling köfte (a spicy Turkish meatball) will direct you to the right place. Ask for a köfte sandwich and the guy will throw four or five meat balls on to the barbeque, closely followed by a generous portion of bread. Once this is cooked, the fun really begins - a large counter out front displays every kind of fresh salad vegetable available including: different types of lettuce, rocket, flat-leafed parsley, mint, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, onions, carrots, the list goes on. Next there are bowls of spices: pul biber (red pepper flakes), sumac, thyme, cumin, black pepper and small but deadly pickled chillies. Fill your sandwich to your heart’s content and wash it all down with a cool glass of ayran – a refreshing salty yoghurt drink.
Not only does this mop up any alcohol and help ward off next day’s hangover, but you can feel justified in having indulged yourself in a healthy snack. Beats chips with curry sauce any day.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34106 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34102 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34102 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34100 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34100 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34099 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34099 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34098 He then set off in his little boat along the coast with us wondering why he left in such a hurry. 7pm arrives and we apprehensively approached the cushioned area at the front of the Pension. (It was out of season so not set up for a restaurant.) To our great surprise Cemil laid out a wonder of treats before us. Meze to start with Babaganoush style dip, fresh Turkish warm breads, a tatzijki sort dip and fresh rough looking pitted olives. The main was just as I asked, freshly caught fish to order just hours old and home-made sizzling koftas with a delicious fresh mouthwatering local salad. We ate our feast to the sun setting, looking out to the sea and delightful Turkish music playing in the background. We were offered cold beers or Raki and water (a traditional Turkish combo). I would never have imagined that a small pension in the middle of nowhere could have produced us such a wonderful meal in such a picturesque and idyllic setting. I would recommend Cemils Pension in Cirali as a relaxed and beautiful place to eat a delicious and memorable meal.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34098 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34097 A few minutes later, a huge tray arrived, laden with dishes. A saucer of olives picked from the tree in her garden and home-cured with thyme and lemon was followed by sliced tomatoes in which you could taste the warmth of the Medittarenan sun. A plate of strong, crumbly local goats cheese came accompanied by bowls of creamy chicken soup that our host indicated had also come from her garden, gesturing outside at the small flock of happily clucking hens. It was all served with piles of yufka – delicious and impossibly soft and thin village flatbread. We ate it, attempting to communicate in our few words of Turkish with our host and her assorted children, grandchildren and their friends. The warmth of this welcome and the delicious simplicity of the food is the real taste of Turkey.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34097 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34096 Don't fancy that? They also offer a four-course tasting menu of contemporary Turkish food which changes daily. Book ahead, since they have very limited tables.
I went on my 30th birthday and they bought me out a small cake and candle, while the staff sang 'Happy Birthday'.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34096 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34095 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34095 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34093 A precarious jetty juts out from what is essentially a farm homestead, owned by a family who keep sheep for most of the year, but during the peak tourist season open up their home as a restaurant. When you arrive a family member will take the boat's line and ask you what you would like for supper. If home-grown lamb is on offer jump at the opportunity: cooked until it falls off the bone, it melts in the mouth. Sitting under the stars in the silence (no banging beats here), will be a memory to cherish.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34093 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34092 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34092 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34089 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34089 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34088 After meeting the guardian Ali we explored the site containing the temple of Zeus Labrys (double headed axe)amongst the baths and monumental tomb. Meanwhile Alis wife brewed cay (tea)and made a feast of traditional aegean dishes for us to devour. Our table was set amidst Hellenistic period ruins amid a sublime panorama.
Lunch was followed by Turkish coffee before we continued our hike along Turkey's new long distance footpath 'The Carian Trail.']]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34088 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34087 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34087 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34082 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34082 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34081 However, if you truly want to get to the heart of Turkey’s crowning glory, Istanbul, there is no better nor faster way than the midye.
Midye, the little stuffed mussels with rice and lemon juice, are ubiquitous in most Turkish cities. But to walk across the Galata Bridge, eating midye, watching the sunrise, is another experience in itself. The rice in the overstuffed morsel, absorbs the saltiness of the sea and the sourness of the lemon, producing a combination much like Istanbul itself, that in the overcrowding of 11 million people and four empires, you can find peace in the calm waters of the Bosphorus, highlighted by the sharpness of the sun.
On this bridge, at this time, with this food, you can feel the overwhelming sense of beauty of the Queen of Cities.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34081