Ultimate 🍲 Food Guide to The Best 🦃Turkish Experience! OR Where Did I Go in November? 🚀PART I/2

itsginta (61)in #food • 6 years ago (edited)

This year it's my 4th time in Istanbul, Turkey. Can you believe it?! A few years ago I even stopped counting how many times I have visited this extraordinary country.

Believe it or not, between me and Turkey there is definitely THE hate❌ and love💟 situation going on. However, despite all of these differences, it just does not stop fascinating me.

So, despite all of these situations I have had during almost two weeks, let me take you on a tour that you will never forget!

Breakfast is the most important 💎 part of the day. The perfect place for all of those who want to try everything in one sitting, is located in the lovely district (thanks to the young Turkish generation) Cihangir, and is called Van Kahvalti Evi.

We went there at around 9 a.m. and it was (and most of the time IT IS) pretty packed, but do not worry, knowing Turkish hospitality🥄, they will surely make some extra space for you! And, boom! This one goes for you, sleepy heads! You can come for your late late breakfast any time until 5 p.m.😱

We were 4 of us. Stayed there for more than an hour, because... let me tell you this. IT IS A SIN 🙅 to leave that much of a food! Each of us paid around 30 TRY (thanks to Turkish lira so low, it is around 5 euro), which is insanely cheap, adding a little, small, super tiny detail, that their traditional çay (tea) was UNLIMITED. Yes, you heard me right. IT WAS UNLIMITED. 🤩

Here you have tahini, mandarin jam, spicy red pepper and tomato paste with walnuts, all kinds of bread, honey, fried nuts with honey (THIS ONE IS INSANE, you guys!), hard boiled eggs, and scrambled eggs with tahini, black and green olives, clotted cream, various cheeses, yoghurt with herb and so much more!

After ROYAL 👑 breakfast we were unable to move. However, we with my precious companion, best friend for more than 23 years (@caminito) had to change our hotel, so we headed to do some serious business.

The day before we just ran away 🏇 from our hotel. It is my very second time in a row (yes, both times in Turkey). Yes. It was BAD. Just so you would not need to get through all we did, DO NOT... JUST DO NOT BOOK THIS ONE: Flats Company-Firuze Apartment).

Just a little throwback, so the day before, after all that 🌋 we went through (NOT EVEN MENTIONING POURING RAIN AND US CARRYING OUR LUGGAGE UPHILL 🌄), we finally decided to run away. It was not just a simple, casual runaway. No.

We did it as we know... THE BEST: go big or go home. We did not get back home, but instead, we booked Suiteness Taksim Hotel, paid 40 Eur/night and it was the best decision we have ever made. We received such a nice welcoming, such a splendid room with kitchen, dining area, perfect bathroom with massage shower and king size bed with two additional beds... should I mention that we finally had a normal internet connection?! I know, it sounds like 21st century's problem, but for us, it is crucial, since we work ALL THE TIME. The day, that started this bad, was finally getting brighter ⛅.

So now when you know where to stay and where not to. Let's get back to the same perfect breakfast day.

We did check-in at the hotel we had booked a while ago, (TAKSİM MAXWELL HOTEL, p.s. this one is very nice as well, it is cheaper, they offer you breakfast free of charge and the staff really does go an extra mile to help you and make your stay so comfortable! The super nice receptionist even upgraded our room for free and we got a double suite instead of economy one! What a nice check-in it was! 🤗).

After that, we headed for a little treat. Yes, with a basic Turkish knowledge you can get these to try out for free. They are not gluten-free and not vegan, a matter of fact, they are not the healthiest thing you can offer to your body... But damn, they do taste heavenly 😇!

Pistachio rolled with pistachio, chocolate coated pistachio with some serious berry situation, Nutella and coconut goodness, rose petals with the creamy filling, coconut-walnut situation, pistachio walnut friendship 😍...

Yes, if heaven exists somewhere, it must be between these seamless layers of goodness. How traditional are they? To be honest, not so much. Matter of fact, it is 21st century's approach on traditional lokum (Turkish delight), but MY OH MY 💗, personally for me, they do taste way better than any traditional gelatin and sugar-packed lokum!

Now for all of you, vegan/gluten-free/healthy 👸 and 🤴! I am going to take you on a date. GIGANTIC DATE PACKED WITH GIGANTIC WALNUT. Do I really need to add anything else?

GIGANTIC FIG WITH GIGANTIC WALNUT. Guys, if you are not Gordon Ramzi or Jamie Oliver, this can be your signature dessert/snack. All you need to do is to find super fresh dried fruit, make an incision and stuff it with lovely walnut. And voilà! 🎉