Kimyon

Kimyon is the perfect place for ending your night. It is open 24 hours. The food comes fast and hot. The menu has a wide variety of traditional and mostly Southeastern dishes. The service is not as chaotic as one would think, considering the flow of people and the time of the day. And customised orders never fail.

Context: Having soup as a nightcap is not uncommon in Turkey. Especially for the late-night ravers, filling a belly full of lentil soup or a more meaty alternative is the perfect cheap and fast food that is nutritious as well as hydrating. It definitely helps with hangovers on a physical basis but also emotionally, the warm embrace of soup settles the body and mind, tricking us to believe we are “home”.

What to order: The kelle paça soup and a portion of içli köfte. This is my favorite combo. Kelle paça is a gelatinous, fatty soup with melt-in your mouth meat from around the trotters and head of lamb. If these parts are a bit out there for you, especially for a late-night escapade, then go for the beyran, which is of a very similar constitution but uses lamb neck instead of other limbs.
Both soups are heavy as they are thickened with rendered lamb fat. The spices are not very heavy, but you won’t miss them. To add a further kick, you could squeeze some lemon or sprinkle some garlic-vinegar on top (be mindful if you are sharing a bed with someone).

What to know: You can order your soups to be half-portion. This is especially helpful if you want to indulge in other dishes or if you think too much coming in could come out as fast.