2 Istanbul Restaurants – Both A Turkish Delight
This is the story of 2 dinners in 2 Istanbul Restaurants.
The first, on a roof top, with a menu, a view of the Bosphorous Sea. Its calm. The food is delicious, service friendly, the waiters pinch my son’s cheeks.
The second, on a street corner, no menu. The food is pre-prepared and chosen quickly in a bit of a frenzy. There is a bustle because the people are gathering to break the Ramadan fast. The trams speed down the road. The food is delicious. There is a buzz. The tables are on a hill so we lean a little. The waiters pinch my son’s cheeks.
We walk up the street from the Blue Mosque and come across the Baran Restaurant. We are asked if we want to dine. There is always the feeling of a little hustle, but we do want to dine. We walk in and the gentleman behind the counter, upon which are large platters of food, is frenetically asking what the people in front of us want to eat. He is frustrated that it is taking so long. This makes us nervous. We don’t know what anything is, but we are not leaving. My son sees something with an egg cooked on top of it. He wants this, we don’t know what it is, but we order it for him anyway, finger crossed. My niece, our brave traveling companion on this trip, says “just get me some rice and some of that stuff next to it and some from that pile.” We don’t know what it is. Mostly, meat and vegetables. I order it for her. My wife seems flummoxed, unsure and mumbling something about a Seinfeld episode. The man plates up what has been ordered.
It’s my wife’s turn to decide and I am getting nervous that the man behind the counter might get grumbly. At that very moment, he removes a spit of meat from the grill. It looks good, but we don’t know how to order it because there is no menu, no price list. I blurt out – “How do we get that?” There is no one behind us in line so the pressure is a bit lower. Some one points out the skewers of meat and there is some relief as my wife says “I will have the chicken” and I say “I will have the lamb”. We find a seat at a table outside and it is on a hill. We are leaning, but not as bad and the folks up the hill. The waiters brings my son’s and niece’s plates. We wait while the skewers are cooking. There is confusion and they ask us why we don’t have anything to eat as if we might be just taking up seats. I say “Skewers.” They seem relieved.
The ground beef upon which the fried egg sits is delicious with tomato, peppers, onions, spices. The meat and vegetables my niece eats are tasty, too. She says “This is great comfort food.” The drinks come in cans and plastic cups. We drink Ayran as everyone who comes to Turkey should – salted yogurt drink is odd, but so refreshing. The skewers come with rice and pita bread. The meat is tender, a little spicy. The rice is good, too. I ask my wife if she has any cash. I am not sure how much this is going to cost. I now know what all the food served to us is though – delicious. We sit a little, leaning on to the right on the hill. The place is a bustle as people come to the park nearby and wait for it to be time to break the day’s fast. My son plays with his top on a string, a simple toy that we purchased at the grand bazaar. The toy the waiters played with when they are were children. The waiters are enjoying showing my son the tricks of the top.
At Baran, the waiter brings the check. The prices come out of thin air. They pinch my sons cheeks. That is what they do. Nothing but friendly. They ask if we are pleased. We are.
I hope you get a chance to try these restaurants! They truly are a Turkish Delight! Enjoy!
Do you want to know about more foods eaten in Istanbul? Check out this post!
Do you want to know more about the things to see and do in Istanbul? Read here, here and here.
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Ever been to Istanbul, Turkey? What is your favorite Turkish Restaurant? Have any Turkish travel tips to share? Let us know all about it in the comments or on Facebook.
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