365 #23 Eating in Istanbul: Ciya Sofrasi at Kadikoy

Today, we'll take a little foodie trip to the Asian side of Istanbul. For those of you not in the know, Istanbul is the only metropolis in the world that is situated on two continents, with the Asian continent and the European continent divided by the Bosphorus.

image taken from here

I live on the European side, but the Asian side (Kadikoy) is easily accessible via ferries which run every half an hour, and it only takes 15 minutes to get from one continent to the other. I really love this ferry ride, because it's such a scenic and beautiful journey, and once you get to the Asian side, you feel you're really, really in Turkey.

Not many tourists venture to this part of Istanbul because this is quite a residential area and it doesn't have the 'sights' and popular tourist attractions that the European side boasts, but it does have a very rustic sort of charm that is so quintessentially Turkish. In fact, many Turkish people who work on the European side live on the Asian side and commute via ferry daily. Kadıköy's entertainment is generally not of the affluent type. It has a more working class ambience; therefore, it is easier to find food of the like of kebab, kokoreç and fried mussels than haute cuisine (Italicized because I feel the same but copied the sentence word for word from Wikipedia because it said what I felt, only much better).

I still haven't explored the Asian side enough yet to give you a proper tour around the area, but thought I'd share some dishes from one of my favourite restaurants that is situated there. Erm. Actually, it's the only restaurant that I've eaten at on Kadikoy. Twice. But it's also the only restaurant that my Turkish friends rave about over and over again.

Here's a look at what we ate and loved at Ciya Sofrasi

1. Complimentary bread and spicy (feta-like) Turkish cheese

 Warm, fluffy airy, soft, chewy naan-like bread. SO GOOD!

The olive oil that drenched the cheese was one of the most flavorful olive oils I have ever had here in Istanbul. And the cheese! I never did think that cheese and spiciness would work so well, but it does! It does!

2. An assortment of mixed cold dishes

They have an area where you can go and choose the different kinds of 'meze' you want which they pile up on a plate till you say 'stop'. I wasn't very impressed with my choices. You may want to give it a skip, or take very very very small portions of each.

3. Lentil soup with minted yoghurt and lamb meatballs.

Let's see. I love lentils, yoghurt, mint and lamb. Check. Check. Check and Check.

LOVED IT!

4. Hubby's obligatory meat dish. Adana kebap.

Gorgeously spicy meat. Beautiful bread. Flavorful pilav (rice). Spiced onions. SCORE!!!

5. And my favourite of all. LAHMACUN. Remember this name! LAHMACUN! 

Note: Lahmacun is found almost everywhere in Istanbul, and Ciya probably doesn't serve the best in town, but this was where I had my very first bite of it, and now's as good a time as any to introduce you to this wonderful invention.

 Step 1: Receive lahmacun (aka Turkish pizza).

Step 2: Pile up parsley on one side

Step 3: Squeeze some lemon juice on lahmacun

Step 4: Roll it all up

TAKE A BITE AND QUICKLY ORDER ANOTHER ONE!!!