Balat Sahil Restoran

This is where chefs take chefs. While the name translates to Balat Shore, it’s not by the seaside. Balat Sahil (as goes the parlance) is cosy and makes the epitome of mezzes in town. It is the gold standard in most (I dined with Vedat Milor here, the top gastronomy lord of Turkey, and he concurred) and has many unique indie mezzes on the list. The onion dolma, variety of mushrooms and really anything else goes here, no place for mistakes, go wild. Only their famous turbot ovened and then boiled in its own fat and juices was dry, and its eggs served separately as a delicacy (again thanks to my man VM), were even drier. Fill your belly with mezes is what I’m getting at.

Clean and proper service with smiling middle aged men in white shirts, proper old school. Considering those parts were also the Byzantine Empire’s bar area, they sit on top of a 2300 year old drinking and eating culture, how can it be better.