Istanbul Eats

I have been putting off this post for a while now. Months in fact. 

In early November  I took my sister to Istanbul for her birthday. We had a fantastic, food-filled fling with a sexy city that never sleeps and both fell a little bit in love. I was so caught up in this short romance that I didn’t bother much with foreplay, I just wanted to dive right in.

This is a metaphorical apology for the seriously shocking photos that follow. I really ought to have pressed some of my cameras buttons… but I was too busy pressing my own.

If you are visiting Istanbul and you love food, I highly recommend buying a copy of Istanbul Eats, an English language guide to “the best undiscovered local eateries you might not always find on your own”. We lived by it and we weren’t disappointed.

Ciya

Friendly chefs at Ciya

Red pepper and walnut paste, hummous, celery yoghurt and stuffed aubergine

Celeriac stuffed with minced lamb, lentils and caramelised onion

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A humongous helping of Sydney scrumptiousness

This post has taken a while to come to fruition. I got back to the UK in mid-January but it's been straight back in the deep-end with my Masters and work. Plus I have recently started a new blog about Food Anthropology, check it out.

Mostly, though, I have been overwhelmed by the sheer volume of food photos I took in Sydney. I worked out that in the 26 days I was there, there were only 3 days when I didn't eat out. One was Christmas Day, the next was Boxing Day and the other was on my last day, when the hangover I'd managed to avoid all holiday, despite drinking everyday, hit me like a ton of Jagerbombs. I spent the whole day in bed with the blinds down, but my sister brought me gözleme in bed so I'm not sure if that day even counts.

I'd love to talk you through each and every dish I tried, but if I attempted that you'd be waiting till 2015. Instead, I have selected around 3 photos from (almost) every restaurant I visited to give you a little flavour of my culinary escapades in Sydneytown this time round.

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Orto, at last

In April 2011, over two and a half years ago, my sister’s boyfriend, Chris Low, and his business partners, Anne Cooper and Louise Hunt, opened Orto Trading Co. This week I finally got to eat there.

It was top of my list coming home to Australia for the first time in 3 years, and it did not fail to impress. OK, I am biased, but Chris really does know what he is doing in the kitchen. His food is interesting, imaginative and inventive. Chris spoiled us rotten, with oysters as an amuse, 6 starters, 3 mains and 2 desserts, all washed down with 3 expertly chosen bottles of wine.

White anchovy and sobrasada fish fingerMarrowbone, parsley, lemon and garlicCape Grim beef tartare and frites

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A weekend in Paris

At the end of summer last year I had a lovely weekend in Paris with my Mum. I meant to write it up but, like many things, it got put on the back burner when I started my Masters. It is now far too late for me to share the intricate details of each meal I had there, but I still have the photos.

The best meal, hands down, was at Les Papilles, a recommendation from David Lebovitz which is number one on his list of 10 insanely delicious things you shouldn’t miss in Paris. I did actually start writing a review of this, so I will finish it off and post it soon.

In the meantime, here are the photos of all the lovely (and not so lovely) things I ate in Paris, along with details of the dishes and restaurants.

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Urban Angel

Finding good coffee in London is a difficult affair. There are several good places around Borough Market (notably Monmouth) and I have read guides which suggest a smattering of other places, but I do not want to have to go out of my way for a good coffee; there should be one on every corner. Growing up in Sydney, I was spoilt for choice. In London, I choose not to bother.

I assumed this was UK wide phenomenon; London is, after all, the UKs largest and most multicultural city and, arguably, the most cosmopolitan. So imagine my surprise when on my first morning in Edinburgh I was presented with this:

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