During my stay in Turkey my cousin Suzy, who is an Istanbul expat, took me to a restaurant so good it deserves its own post- Çinaralti.
Çinaralti serves affordable, tasty Turkish food in the style of Korean barbecue. But you won’t find any kimchi here- at Çinaralti it’s traditional Turkish fare all the way.
We, as in Suzy, her boyfriend, and their closest friends (all Turkish), began the meal by toasting bread, a task this carb-lover is all too familiar with. After the toast became properly golden, one of the guys said, ”Let’s hurry up and start grilling the meat so Ashley doesn’t think all we eat in Turkey is bread.”
Next we sampled two of Turkey’s most beloved beverages. There was Şalgam, or turnip juice, the flavor of which is bitter and slightly off-putting at first. But after a few more sips I fell in love with the refreshing, vegetable-y taste.
Served alongside the Şalgam was Turkey’s beloved spirit, Raki. It tastes a lot like lighter fluid the fennel-based Greek liquor, ouzo, but it’s so strong that you have to dilute it with water. Honestly? Not my favorite. I’ll stick to my turnip juice, thank you very much.
Şalgam and Raki
Next up was the mezze, which are essentially small-plate Turkish appetizers ranging from grape leaves to collard greens. This was my problem in Turkey- I would fill up so much on the delightful mezze plates that I would have no room for the meat-centric main course- and never one to miss out on the meat course, I would then stuff myself to oblivion.
I was so full after this plate full of food. This could feed a family of six in France.
And then the real fun began- after the mezze course we got to choose the meats we wanted to grill. I didn’t contribute much as all I could do was drool at the bounty of lamb meat in the case (Due to my Oliver Twist lifestyle, lamb is a very, very rare treat for me.)
And then, as it happens the world over, the men got grilling.
So needless to say, the charred, juicy lamb was absolutely out-of-this-world amazing. I helped myself to lamb chop after lamb loin after lamb kidney. But the biggest surprise of the night was lamb heart; it was slightly rubbery but tender and flavorful.
I feel like it’s kind of evil to enjoying eating the hearts of baby animals but here I am.
(Also, the lamb kidneys were horrible, which furthered my belief that all kidneys are vile and are best NOT eaten under any circumstance save deserted island starvation.)
Thankfully we just noshed on some almonds for dessert as I really couldn’t stomach another bite. (The ice apparently helps to remove the skins.)
If there’s anything more wonderful than charred, juicy lamb (and let’s be honest, there isn’t much) it’s being so warmly welcomed into a new country. My cousin and her friends were so sweet and excited for me to learn more about Istanbul.
So I’d like to say thank you to Suzy and her awesome friends- or as it look me 36 attempts to remember, teşekkürler.
Have you ever eaten Turkish food (or lamb’s heart)? What did you think?
To learn more or book reservations, check out their website: Çınaraltı MangalBaşı. They didn’t sponsor me to say this but I just really enjoyed my time at their restaurant- though if they want to mail me lamb chops I’m totally okay with that!
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Ah how did I not know about this place while I was in Istanbul – it looks truly out of this world and such a fun group dining experience, too!
It was so much fun to grill right at the table! And the food was amazing too :)
Wellcome :)
Selcuk Gundogdu recently posted..Sürpris İmralı Heyetinde
Haha glad to see you are reading! And thanks again for an amazing weekend :)
Hey Fellow-Michigander! Thanks for sharing; the food looks fantastic. You had me at the colorful and tasty stack of mezze, yet I wouldn’t mind sticking around for the lamb. I think the food alone just bumped Turkey up a couple spots on my travel “to do” list.
Don recently posted..BARBADOS – “The Dangers of Assumption”
That’s great to hear! And I always love connecting with fellow Michiganders :)
What an amazing experience! This sounds like such a great interactive way to eat! That mezze course looks so good!
My favorite Turkish restaurant always serves Raki on the house after dinner and I always drink it (I mean, it’s on the house!), but I’m not a fan either :)
Julika of Sateless Suitcase recently posted..Why Disney May Have Caused My Travel Addiction
I tried it several times but it’s really just too strong for me! The flavor is good though. And yeah, the mezze course was soo good- I couldn’t help myself from trying everything!
Never! I can’t believe what an adventuresome diner you are– amazing!!!
But you are right, the company and the hospitable is so valuable.
Love, Gamma
It was a great experience! And Suzy, being a Dansby, was an excellent host :). Love, Ashley
This looks phenomenal! And it actually is somewhat similar to Korean bbq- the mezze are kind of like all the panchan (side dishes). But there’s not usually lamb on the menu :)
Amanda @ Farsickness recently posted..Street Eats: Night Markets in Taiwan
I’ve never had real Korean barbecue but I certainly would love to try! Any day now :)
Hey! I never ever had traditional turkish food but that does look delicious! Deftly want to try it someday, i will have to organise a trip to turkey now :)
http://www.eminhapinto.blogspot.com
Yumm looks so good! Great pictures too. I recently watched the Bourdain episode on Istanbul and it spiked my interest in Turkish food. I’ll have to try some soon :)
Jessica Wray recently posted..And Here We Go!
Are you a fellow Bourdain fan as well? I kind of like to think of him as my travel mentor… he’s inspired me to do so many things!
That all looks so good! Raki sounds like Pastis which I always diluted with orange juice when I was in France and it was pretty good.
Aryn recently posted..Two Days in Xi’an, China
Raki + orange juice would probably be good too! Great idea :)
YUM! I wish I had gotten to try that when I was in Istanbul! I had left by the time I saw this. Next time :)
Liz recently posted..Top Five Reasons You Should Visit Jaén, Spain
Oh no! Definitely next time :)
Nice feast and so much food to try! Are iced almonds tasty? I always have them for my breakfast but never tried to put them in a bowl full of ice :) The food’s so yummy!
Agness recently posted..Snapshots of Oslo
Personally I don’t mind eating almonds with the skin so I wouldn’t ice them. And yes, the food was amazing!
The grill in the table reminds me of Korean BBQ, my fav! All of the different dishes filled with lovely sides, I would love to try this. Something to put on my list of new eats :)
Cheers~Erin
It was honestly amazing so check it out!