Food

Italian Restaurants and the Sicilian Germs in Istanbul

Posted in Food, Istanbul on January 28th, 2010 by admin – Be the first to comment

Photos via LondonEater

For a long time, between 1995 and 2003, the Italian scene in Istanbul has been limited to Mezzaluna Restaurant. Mezzaluna lost some of its appeal in the interim and has diversified its scope and services by opening its fast-food branch, the Mezzaluna Express –delivery of express Italian meals for those in a hurry. That said, Mezzaluna continues to hold the quality of its service and meals, ceased, nevertheless a long time ago, being the first-date restaurant of the city. Now just a good choice for an informal meal, found in a corner in every shopping mall.

Da Mario of the Doors Entertainment Group, received the flag from Mezzaluna; and proved itself to be an upscale, romantic Italian Restaurant on the hills of Etiler. The menu, too, is designed to offer plenty of Italian tastes, including the Osso Buco, as well as oven-baked pizzas and good Italian wine. Criticism remains to be made still for the heavy spices used in the pasta sauces, which has turned my stomach upside down more than a few times. Some also comment that, “it used to be a cool place”; now frequented by business people for business lunches and by families or mid-aged couples on weekends. Still a possibility on the list of date, business, romantic and serious dinner restaurants and has been chosen once the “Best Restaurant in Istanbul” by the Financial Times in its special Turkey additional copy –year unknown and unannounced…

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An “artisan” neighborhood behind Şişli

Posted in Food on November 28th, 2009 by admin – Be the first to comment

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For over a month, I have been meaning to visit a small Armenian Café / Restaurant in Feriköy, behind Pangaltı and Şişli: Hamov. Open only during daytime (from 10 AM to 8 PM), Hamov was established for the purpose of serving lunch to nearby businesses. It is thus that they have a daily menu of mostly home-cooked food –a blend of Turkish and Armenian- at very reasonable prices.

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Diners’ Fish Spots in Istanbul

Posted in Food on November 7th, 2009 by admin – Be the first to comment

Bogaz-Harbour

I had already written in one of my earlier articles that I cannot fit the dining spots in Istanbul into a basic top ten list. This new list is going to comprise a new category, that is the list of the best “fish” restaurants in the city.

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Diners’ Spots in Istanbul for Carnivores

Posted in Food, Istanbul on October 6th, 2009 by admin – Be the first to comment

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Someone, not akin to the Turkish cuisine, would classify “kebab” as the one and only Turkish food. Especially in parts of Europe where the Turkish diaspora earns a living from opening kebab buffets and selling doner kebab, this perception is even more widely accepted.

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