If you ask me what I miss about Turkey the most, I will shout "Turkish Breakfast" without a doubt. Unlike many countries in the world, Turks take breakfast very seriously. A typical Turkish breakfast consists of many types of cheese, jam, butter, omelette, bologna sausage, olives, vegetables and simit (ring shaped bread covered with sesame seeds). 

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Just take a look at this photo! I thought I would never ever see this again...until one day, a friend of mine told me about a place in Stellenbosch called Turkspirit. According to the myth, this place had amazing Turkish breakfast, so I decided to give it a shot taking any risk of disappointment.

This was the entrance of the restaurant. It doesn't look fancy on the outside but the inside is another story. The decoration from the motifs to the music was all Turkish!

The owner of the restaurant, Dilek Hanim has been in South Africa for 14 years. She first left Turkey during the aftermath of the 1999 earthquake. She first moved to Germany with her friends and then moved to South Africa while her friends stayed in Germany. Another interesting fact about her was that she graduated from chemical engineering just like me (and this made me grow even more sympathetic of her and the place).

The menu had everything I needed, although a bit more pricey than the prices in Turkey. For example, a traditional Turkish breakfast for two people was 300 Rands. In Turkey, the price would be at least half of that. On a side note, you normally have to make a reservation beforehand for Turkish breakfast. So, I tried Pide (Flatbread with veggies, melted cheese and omelette), which was decent and filling. Home made simit was a bit different from the traditional Turkish version but was very flavory.

The Turkish Tea that came along with it was beyond amazing, I couldn't get enough of it!

After the breakfast, Dilek offered us some Turkish coffee. Interestingly, her chemical engineering knowledge helped her in the making of the coffee, because she actually came up with a formulation that would give the coffee the exact texture and taste of a Turkish coffee. And boy, was it successful!

Next to the Turkish Coffee was flour-based halva-my all time favorite- although I found it to be a bit too dry and westernized (the unnecessary addition of the chocolate sauce).

We made the grand finale with the Turkish delight. Turkish delight is in fact very commonly sold in Cape Town, except it would be much more juicy and much less sticky than how a proper TD should be. The Turkish Delight here had just the right texture. It turns out that Dilek Hanim and her family were also running a small factory in Western Cape for the mass production of this brand.

Overall, my long-awaited desire for a complete Turkish treat was fulfilled that day. I ate so much that I wasn't able to eat anything else for the rest of the day!

Have you ever tried Turkish food and what did you think of it? Drop me a comment below.

Cheers!

Haritakurdu.