Ann B.
Yelp
The food from the Hatay region is famous within Turkey, and for good reason. We went to this restaurant at the recommendation of a Turkish person from near this area, and were not disappointed. It was the most interesting meal that we had during our entire trip in Istanbul.
The restaurant isn't just about the food, it's also about putting on a bit of a show. They have a several foot long kebab which they carry on a special very long plate. There's also meat baked in a clay jar which is then cracked open at the table. Or you can get chicken baked in a salt crust, which is set aflame at the table before the crust is broken. Both the clay jar and the chicken have to be ordered a few hours in advance, as they take time to cook, but the family sitting next to us ordered both and so we were able to admire the dishes nonetheless.
Most of the food is already prepared. It is served in small plates, so the format is that you order many different plates of food. Our waiter was also able to give us half plates of some dishes so that we could sample even more delicacies. He was very attentive and talked with us about some of the dishes that we tried. Before we left we were given a magazine about the Hatay region and some soaps. We spent a fair amount of time there, sampling the food and talking, and did not feel rushed. When we left we were pleasantly full and were glad that we had taken the time to appreciate the meal.
Tea and coffee are complimentary, as are the kömbe (sesame cookies). We were also given small glasses of gül şerbeti (rose sherbet) which we both found delicious although our previous taste of sherbet had been less enjoyable; we wound up ordering a larger glass. The prices here are quite good, especially given how tasty the food was. Our total came to about 65 lira for two people without tip, which was far cheaper than at any of the other nice restaurants we tried, and only a little more expensive than some of the quick ordinary places we ate at.
We sampled haydari (a dill yogurt and garlic dip), tebbuli (bulgar, onion, tomato, lemon and parsley salad), bakla ezmesi (fava bean humus), mumbar dolması (a rice filling in a sausage casing), kemmunlu biberli aş (seasoned cracked wheat), oruk fırında (a minced meat in a wheat shell) and oruk haşlama (oruk fırında with a pomegranate sauce). For dessert we had the aforementioned kömbe, which we found a little dry but which went a treat with the clotted cream which was served with the Hatay usulü künefe (cake of shredded wheat and goat cheese). I also got candied figs, which were good but very sweet.
