Mikla
As for other chefs, for the Turkish chef the search for great gastronomic treasures around the world has become a way of life, although in his case it has been taken to the extreme. For years, he has been traveling, village by village, one of the most unstable regions in the world, the region mountainous anatolia (Turkey, Syria, Iran and Iraq) with the aim of “finding gastronomic traditions without recipes, not written; products passed down from generation to generation” and techniques that are being rapidly lost.
The work of recovering the gastronomic heritage of Anatolia is taking years, and he develops it hand in hand with the anthropologist Tangor Tan , from the Italian University of Gastronomic Science (yes, the one promoted by the father of the slow food movement). Between the two of them, they comb the villages of Asia Minor in search of "gastronomic treasures" that, later, readapted to the contemporary, can be found in Mikla's menu.
Mehmet Gurs
If you are in Istanbul, the experience of dining on the terrace of the hotel The Marmara Pera , where the restaurant is located, is fabulous. It has heart-stopping views of the Golden Horn, the Galata Tower and Sultanahmet : the historic neighborhood and home to the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, the Topkapi Palace or the Yerebatan Cistern. So if you think about A romantic dinner , this restaurant with a funky aesthetic could be an option. If you can't afford it, you can always have a drink at sunset at the terrace bar, enjoying the same views and the chic atmosphere of the place.
Tables at The Marmara Pera
YOUR THREE FAVORITE PRODUCTS
For lovers of Turkish cuisine, Gürs recommends trying the karayaka lamb , in the central highlands of the Black Sea, buffalo milk yoghurt and cheese Kopastini “from which unfortunately there are only a handful of producers left on the Çesme peninsula ”. Although, the latter can still be purchased at places like izmir.
Aside from these three exceptional products, Gürs says that in order to systematically test, town by town, family by family, tavern by tavern the best Turkish cuisine should be visited “** Antioch, Gaziantep or Sanliurfa **”, although he does warn that “today the southeast of Turkey is an area of some instability. In this case, "the Aegean region is not bad either" to get started in Turkish cuisine.
Set to find a city that brings it all together, some 350 kilometers from Istanbul and 50 kilometers west of touristy Izmir is one of the chef's favorite dining destinations: Tire. It also has "fantastic restaurants and interesting accommodation options" and above all, "it has best market in turkey : the one for farmers that is celebrated every Tuesday”. His kitchen is unique. If you are a vegetarian, in Tire you will be happy since a good number of dishes are prepared only with vegetables, although their “ Tire-style meatballs ”, or its desserts based on blackberries and cheese.
WITHOUT LEAVING ISTANBUL
For breakfast: The chef's top five for those who wish to take a Turkish gastronomic tour of Istanbul would start with a breakfast at Cihangir Kahvalti Evi (or what is the same, the Cihangir breakfast house) a warm and charming place where you can enjoy the best meal of the day, breakfast, in the local style, with regional specialties and local prices that will make you come back more than once during your stay Try your version of kavut (bread baked with nuts and honey) ; your sauce lol (yoghurt and cheese), their aubergine pancakes or any of their cheeses (feta, herbs...). Homemade breads, meats or the gözleme (a bread stuffed with meat, potato and cheese) will shout at you: “eat me”.
A nice coffee: In Istanbul, in one of the cities with a deep-rooted coffee tradition, a good place where coffee is roasted and the atmosphere is modern and pleasant could not be missing. Gürs recommends Kronotrop Café Bar & Roastery, which, as it is located right in the tourist center of the city, is perfect to start the route each day with a good coffee behind your back.
coffee and peace
The ultimate kebab: Another classic that cannot be missed in the city is a good kebap. Nothing to do with what we are used to seeing. The chef recommends us his favorite, Zubeyir Ocakbasi , with spectacular meats cooked on the grill in the restaurant's own hall. Its apparently simple tomato, onion and parsley salad is perfect to accompany.
Street cuisine: For lovers of street stalls, Karadeniz Doner , in Besiktas” This is the best fast food place I've ever been. ”, comments Gürs. Although there is always a queue because word has spread about the quality of their döner kebaps and their unbeatable prices, the service is fast and the atmosphere is pleasant and authentic.
**For dinner the Mikla restaurant**, with its funky '70s aesthetic, has been conquering all palates since it opened in 2012 . Its avant-garde cuisine mixes Scandinavian and Turkish traditions, like the chef who directs it and has become the best representative of the so-called New Anatolian Cuisine.
Mehmet Gürs ends his recommendations by pointing out a market where you can take those little Turkish treats home, the Spice Bazaar , also called the Egyptian Bazaar, which is worth a visit just because of its antiquity. Its stalls are a festival of spices, sweets and nuts, and a unique sensory experience. Is found in Eminönü , a few steps from the Galata Bridge.
One of the stalls in the Spice Bazaar