Category:

Food-Drink

Where to eat in Belgrade

by gezielciniz December 28, 2016

What to eat in Belgrade is easy to answer, where to eat in Belgrade is not so easy because unless you have a capacity of hungry hippos you have to make a choice between nice places. Don’t worry though; I have answers for both questions 🙂

Belgrade is an amazing place: food is delicious and good priced. You should definitely try red meat here but it is a place where you can find anything from sushi to Italian. So let me introduce you to some of mention worthy places in Belgrade for eating out and later what to eat.

My first recommendation will be for meat lovers. You can find meat in various forms in Belgrade, used in most of the local dishes or as pure T-bone steak or many dried versions sold in markets. (Actually many people chose to get some dried meat from here when they return as a souvenir but if you do so it might be better to put in your luggage not hand-luggage).

So for steak lovers my recommendation on where to eat in Belgrade is ` Toro Steakhouse`.

And as for the local dish/place recommendations on where to eat in Belgrade actually I have 3 places to recommend:

4 main dish (meat) + 3 salad +3 beer +1 cola= 4500 dinar so it is like 36 euro –>9 euro per person!

First one is where one of my local friend took us ` Cuburska Lipa`

Cuburska Lipa has classic decor and has a `your friendly neighborhood` place feeling. Actually if it wasn’t for our local friend we probably wouldn’t find this place. Portions of meals were big as usual of Belgrade and cheap as usual to our surprise because when we first came in and see the service and place we thought it might be expensive than normal Belgrade standards. It wasn’t.

Second one is a place we saw it on Trip Advisor and heard from friends so we wanted to try ourselves: Gradska

Gradska also had an interesting location, we could only find thanks to offline maps and navigation. If it weren’t for the comments we read and heard I wouldn’t bother finding! But good thing we bothered as it was a very cosy and friendly place with good food. Our waitress was really friendly and later she offered us free drinks `rakija`. (My God, what a drink! I mean I’m not a weakling for alcohol but it was really high alcohol and spicy and really not for everyone!). Food was once again really good and cheap.

I just ate salad for the dinner, so I’m keeping my diet, nevermind the half kilo cheese on top of it!

And last of my where to eat in Belgrade local food place recommendation is a place I heard a lot from my traveler friends: Şeşir Moj. It is on famous Skadarlija Street (a place you will hear a lot on what to do in Belgrade). Actually I would say that most places in this street are a good choice to experience local food and dinner time –Balkan tavern entertainment. But if I have to give another name it would be Dva Jelana where you can find hunt animal meats such as deer. Fun fact, Şeşir Moj means my hat and Dva Jelana means two reindeers so it is also interesting to learn what the names of restaurants in this area meant 🙂

So far we talked mostly about meat and local places let’s see what else is there.

Lorenzo Kakalamba is one of the places to answer where to eat in Belgrade. This place is famous for its really interesting interior and a kitchen which is a combination of Italian and Serbian food.

For sushi lovers they should look for W Sushi.

And if you want a bit more high end places you can check Manufactura or Dorian Gray. Though compared to Belgrade standards these places would be expensive they will still be reasonably priced compared to most of the Europe.

Sol baştaki Sırp kahvaltı tabağı, sağdaki başka kahvaltı, ortadaki de hızımızı alamadık yumurtaları…

For breakfast my suggestion is La Petit again in Skadarlija Street. Well to be honest there is just many places to try in this street and they all are nice, but I suggested this place because they have a plate called `Serbian breakfast plate` and it has cheese, special Serbian butter, ajvar, dried meat, borek in it which is a good combination for a super breakfast time! And you can order other plates and extra eggs too like we did for an extra super-duper breakfast time!

Eggs and bacon is one usual way to start the day and another popular option for Serbians are getting some pastries for breakfast from bakery shops called `Pekera`. So if you see a place named `… Pekera` , there you can find many fresh made and delicious pastries including sandwiches, little pizza, and sweets too. You can sit also but most of them only have places to stand and eat and it will be really cheapest and delicious option for breakfast. If you want to go a somewhat famous pekera then try Pekera Toma.

So we covered where to eat in Belgrade now let’s focus on what to eat in Belgrade!

Here are some local foods you should try while you are in Belgrade:

Cevapcici – made from red meat this is flag dish for Balkans, basically they are like meatballs in short finger shape and always ask for `kaymak` with it.

And you must definitely have Karadordeva/Karajorjeva! Actually if I am to suggest you just one thing to try it would be this Karajorjeva! It is again a meat dish but I’ll say no further just try it!

I love breakfast in new places the most where my camera and map also shares the table!

`I can eat a lot more tell me more people` should save some place for Pljeskavica – another version of Balkan meat ball this time shaped in one big flat piece and don’t forget to ask for salad with every meal!

They have this salad called Sopska and Serbian of which you should try both. Actually they almost have same ingredients like tomatoes, cucumber etc and but one has onions in it. My favorite is Sopska though because it comes with plenty of cheese on top of it!

(Side note Cevapcici and Sopska are also local food in Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Before ordering though, be aware that portions came really big so if you are not travelling alone you might want to consider sharing your plate.

As for the desserts, there is this local dessert called Krempita, but not expect too much as it is just plain cream between milfoy dough but you might want to try it from one of the pekeras for around 150 Serbian dinar.

And as for the local drink you can ask for sljivovica or rakija but let me warn you it is pretty strong alcoholic drink! Don’t assume you are used to alcohol as it contains really high alcohol and very spices. But guaranteed to make you feel hotter!

Also I saw lots of pizza places around Belgrade, really much to notice. And yes they were nice as well. (Ok at this point I should probably admit that I was a hungry hippo while in Belgrade!)

Bu da rakija dedikleri içkileri, buzlu bardak içinde beher tüpü gibi geliyor, daha kötü çekilmiş ve hiç belli olmayan fotom yoktu, olsaydı ona koyacaktım, şimdilik bunla idare edin!

This is a bad, if not worst, picture of rakija, served in a tube inside a glass full of ice, next time I promise I’ll bring my lighting systems to dinner!

PS: Only minus point to mention for where to eat in Belgrade is that they allow smoking inside so if you are visiting in cold season and sit inside and have at the same time heavy smoking customers it may not be as nice as it would normally be!

So I hope I was able to answer what to eat in Belgrade and where to eat in Belgrade ! Let me know if you have questions or suggestions in the comments!

By the way speaking of Belgrade, you might be interested in below articles as well:

Belgrade Guide

What to do in Belgrade

Belgrade Night Life

December 28, 2016 0 comment

Food-Drink

LeDu Dim Sum Restaurant Munich

by gezielciniz December 25, 2016

written by gezielciniz

LeDu dim sum restaurant was one of my first nice evening experiences in Munich. It was actually also first of Ladies Night out plan from work colleagues. I was already hooked when they said it is a dim sum place and told me had high ratings.

Previously before I went to Hong Kong, I thought Dim sum was just a specific type of dish. But as I learned later it is actually what small portions of various dishes are called in general. (Like Turkish meze, meze is general word to define something to eat along with your drink or main food but it can be hot-cold, meat, vegetarian etc any kind of small dish). The word Dim sum had its origins from Chinese and long long time ago it was used to call snack foods that are brought along with tea in road side traveler resting places.

In modern days, dim sum became so popular that it is preferred as the meal itself not just side dish. Of course plus side you can order multiple dim sums and get to try different tastes. Actually in Hong Kong you can find dim sum starting very early hours of day as a breakfast too.

Also another thing about dim sum culture is that most of the dishes, such as dumplings, come in bamboo plates with covers and when finished you can stack them so it is fun in a way 😀

So let’s talk about the LeDu dim sum restaurant itself. LeDu Dim Sum restaurant has oriental Asian decor however music that played was easy to listen western music so you didn’t get into too much Asian mood. It is not a big place and you should definitely have reservation if you plan to go at dinner time. It gives the vibe to go there after work or maybe as a romantic date place.

As for the menu, like I said it is not enough if you just order just one portion so you are supposed to order multiple and this is really nice because you can order more than one without any guilt and explore different dishes in one evening. They have this fix menu where you can chose 4 dishes for 21,9 euro and if you want to make addition you add it for 4,9 euro a piece. Menu comes as a paper with check boxes next to dishes and you mark which ones you want like a common Chinese restaurant style ordering.

Towering the plates is fun!

LeDu dim sum restaurant have really many types of dim sum, from soup to meat skewers, salad to desserts and of course a must have dim sum dish which is various types of steamed or fried dumplings. They have vegetarian, fish, chicken, meat options. Some dishes are really bite sizes while others where like a full portion so it really depends on what you choose.

I really loved dumplings and one of my dumpling orders were in a spicey soup and my God it was just the right amount of spicey where it makes you cry tears of “joy” and you can’t stop drinking.

http://www.ledu-dimsum.de/

Klenzestraße 62 | 80469 München | 089 72 63 79 28 | info@ledu-dimsum.de

December 25, 2016 0 comment

Food-Drink

The Bosnjak Mutfak

by gezielciniz April 29, 2016

written by gezielciniz

Balkan kitchen is one of the traveller’s choice kitchens because portions are big, delicious and cheap! So technically İstanbul is also part of Balkans, and assuming you had the itch to try Balkanian food in İstanbul, here is where you should go: The Bosnjak Mutfak.

“Mutfak” means kitchen in Turkish, so you immediately understand what kind of food you can find here!

Opened its door almost 2 years ago in 2014, The Bosnjak Kitchen conveniently located in Etiler, one of the luxurious neighborhood of İstanbul offers many varieties of Balkanian food.

Of course when you think of Balkan kitchen, first thing coming to mind is Cevapcici and Borek! Here of course you can find these and many more specialties such as Begova soup, Sopska salad, dried meats and ajvar sauce and of course queen of desserts Trileçe and many more!

All food are prepared according to original recipes, they even use kaymak when making borek! And I was also told chefs were Bosnian women!

Decoration is cozy with nice color combinations, many small Balkan household items used as if you were in a Bosnia house! Music played is also Balkan music. I found all in all atmosphere very cozy.

Menu was very interesting! It came rolled up into rolling pin! Menu of The Bosnjak Mutfak has it all; from beginnings to soups, salads to main courses, special foods to desserts. It includes all the traditional dishes you can name.

Also if you are lucky or don’t leave it to luck and made a reservation for it first, you can also come across “tandır” which is a special meat dish which needs to be cooked more than 4-5 hours so it is not always available upon request. But it is better to order this if you are more than 2-3 people because portions is not for one!

Like I said The Bosnjak Mutfak is located in one of the rich neighborhoods of İstanbul so prices are not cheapest. But I found quality/price value high. You see if you have ordered these foods in Sarejevo or Belgrade it would probably cost at least %50 cheaper! But that’s because Balkans are very cheap!

As of April 2016, you can find Begova soup priced at 14 TL while Cevapcici (meatballs) is around 29 TL. Salads and boreks were around 14-18 TL as well.

Let me remind you that in İstanbul, in a good quality restaurant you can’t find meatball dishes cheaper than 25 TL, so considering location and quality I don’t think prices are too high for İstanbul.

They also bring bread, kaymak and ajvar pre meal. But I think later on a small fee is included in the bill for this.

By the way, owner Mr Mithat, (Mithat Erdem) is also founder of one of the most known and loved meat restaurant chains of Turkey, Nusr ‘et’.

Address:

Etiler, Nisbetiye Cd No:104, 34337 Beşiktaş/İstanbul

Phone: 0212 287 07 23

April 29, 2016 0 comment

Food-Drink

Can Oba Restaurant Gourmet Experience

by gezielciniz March 4, 2016

written by gezielciniz

Can Oba restaurant is one of the interesting points in İstanbul to experience a gourmet dish with reasonable prices but in a completely unexpected neighborhood!

Seriously does it look like a gourmet place?

Owner and chef Can has longed worked with Michelin starred chefs abroad and finally opened his place in a side street of sirkeci among your usual cheap kebab houses. Also you are likely to see him since it is a small place and he likes to take care of each table!

So Can Oba restaurant, despite looking like your average kebab house both on the outside and inside, you will be surprised when you see the menu! Because you will find a menu with orange flavored fish, duck with cherry sauce, risotto with walnuts and octopus, tiramisu with grapefruit! and so on… Yeah that’s right. Actually menu is not that long and changes occasionally but you will always find special soups, main dishes with pasta, fish, chicken and so on. And of course dessert alternatives.

Menu is quite a shock for visitors compared to inside and outside decor that previously tourists wandering here were asked if they have come knowingly and they are shown the menu only if they say yes 🙂

I tried a dish namely lasagne with sweet tomato sause and with spinach and cheese inside and a dessert because Chef said not to miss it and you know when Chef says it you gotta try it 😀

Prices are around 45-60 TL per main dish in Can Oba restaurant which is a good price for such gourmet food. But it has very few tables so you might wanna make a reservation or go before afternoon, and also there is no alcohol so just you know 🙂

Additional info: Can Oba lovers can expect a “sweet” surprise soon to be opened in Kanyon!

Telefon:

0212 5221215

ADRES:

Sirkeci–> Hocapaşa Mahallesi, Hocapaşa Sokak, No 10, Fatih, İstanbul

March 4, 2016 0 comment

Food-Drink

10 Cocktails to try in Istanbul!

by gezielciniz February 26, 2016

written by gezielciniz

I heard that this year gonna be year of cocktails but between you and me every year is “year of cocktails” to me 😀 In any case I want to introduce you to 10 finalists of DBC Masters which is short for Diageo Barmen Club Masters, the highly esteemed platform for professional bartenders’ competition to decide on Turkey’s best bartender.

Only 50 bartenders can enter first phase of DBC Masters competition and out of 50, ten chosen to be finalists. Full finalist list is at the end, and I suggest you visit them because they are the new generation of bartenders with unique cocktails. Although most of them are from Istanbul, you can also find names from İzmir and Muğla, popular seaside destinations of Turkey. By the way winner gets one week training in London.

I’m going to introduce you to “The Secret Garden”, which is one of the finalist cocktails made by Anılcan Safa. This cocktail was born from “now create a cocktail in 15 minutes from whatever random materials we gave to you” part of the competition. So it’s amazing how come a 15 minute creation tastes this good! But I guess that’s where bartender skills show 🙂

The Secret Garden is a vodka based cocktail with a garden mix of lime, lemons, oranges, mandarin and so on. Last week I get to try it in a workshop with Anılcan himself, and even though it was first time I’m doing a cocktail the mix was so fail proof that I enjoyed even my version 🙂 Of course I may not have finished with all the decorations so I’m also putting a “legit” photo of it 😀 You may have realized hash tags accompanying the photo because supporting your favorite cocktail in social media is a thing and creating a trending cocktail is also part of the competition 🙂

Price for this cocktail is 30 TL (around 10 dollars) as of February 2016.

By the way in the same workshop we also made 3 different cocktails too and all were good. I especially liked “zombie”s glass. Though same glasses are not in sale Turkey you can find similar ones in Paşabahçe (a brand in Turkey) stores.

And here is the list you have been waiting for…

Names of the bartenders are in bold and in capitals, next to them you can find the pubs/clubs/restaurant where you can find them and try their special cocktails!

Diageo Barmen Club Masters Finalists (2015)

SERHAT İLERİ – 5 Cocktails & More – İstanbul

OKAN GÜNEY – İndigo – İstanbul

ÖZHAN ZENGİN – Joker NO 19 – İstanbul

BERAN TUNCAY – Lacivert – İstanbul

ONUR BALK – BiBuçuk – İstanbul

MEHMET KEMAL AKŞAN – 1888/İzmir

ALİ RIZA KETENCİ – Marriot Hotel Şişli/İstanbul

ANILCAN SEFA – Hyatt Regency Hotel Ataköy/İstanbul

BAHATTİN AYDIN – Kepler Social House – İzmir

ÇAĞATAY ERCAN – Geyik Muhabbeti – Muğla

February 26, 2016 0 comment

Food-Drink

Santral Cafe – 3rd Wave Coffee House

by gezielciniz February 4, 2016

written by gezielciniz

Previously I already declared my relationship status with coffee and mentioned how things were getting even more serious (aka Famous Coffee Cities). Today I’m gonna introduce you to my new favorite café house – Santral Cafe – in the city of İstanbul! Though some part of me wants to keep this place as a secret so it’s all for me, as a blogger I feel the calling to write about it 😀

At first sight, this café gave me vibes of the cute cozy café houses I saw in San Francisco, and that’s probably one of the best things I can say about a coffee shop décor! Luckily coffee taste matched décor so I immediately knew I’ll be a regular here.

For owner Ebru, coffee is a passion, so much that she left her plaza 9to5 job and opened this place. But she didn’t opened here immediately, first she wanted to learn from scratch and she applied to Starbucks. Alas with a CV like hers, people in Starbucks didn’t really think she was serious about working there so they refused her. She didn’t give up and thanks to smooth talking of her friends she got the job. After a while, she left there and started working in a Third Wave coffee house in Nişantaşı neighborhood. And finally she got her own café house.

First thing you will notice when you enter here is the giant wall paint that shows a voltmeter for soft to strong coffee. Obviously with an energizing name like Santral, connection between volts and coffee beans are obvious J. You can select how strong you want your coffee with this image, yet you should really have a look at the menu.

Along with classical choices, Santral café offers Third Wave coffees and house specialties. For instance, one of the most demanded coffee is their house specialty Santral coffee, which is also known as winter coffee since it has honey and cinnamon flavors. Another thing to point out is that they blend their own espresso with 5 different coffee, though they say formula is secret! Also check out how cute some of their cold coffee packaging, it reminded me elixir potion bottles!

You can also find fresh sandwiches and cakes to go with your coffee. But I have to mention their breakfast special, 3 cheese casserole! It is a good alternative, especially for us 9to5 workers to eat something good for weekday breakfast! They put three types of cheese into a pan along with olives, tomatoes and peppers, after 10-15 minutes you are served this beauty in the picture!

Another cozy place indicator, small library is also a tick for Santral coffee and a very important criteria for modern days café houses which is having plugs conveniently all over the place is also a big tick for this place! Also for those who want to sit outside in cold weather there are heaters on the outside.

So, since most of third wave coffee houses in İstanbul are located in European side posh neighborhoods like Karaköy and Nişantaşı, I found this place a good café house in Anatolian side.

In case you are in the area, do drop by…

Address: Atatürk Caddesi 72A , 19 Mayıs Mh (It is located in the very beginning of famous Atatürk Street, Near a bank named Akbank, just across a Starbucks!

February 4, 2016 0 comment

Food-Drink

Dervish Father Cafe

by gezielciniz February 2, 2016

written by gezielciniz

This weekend I went to Anemas Cafe for Turkey’s Traveller’s Club board meeting and on my way to return I heard about an interesting place nearby. Of course I went to check out and had a coffee there. And yes, it was clearly my fault to not know this place before! Here’s what you should know about Dervish Father Cafe aka Derviş Baba Kahvehanesi.

Maybe some of you already heard Derviş Baba Kahvehanesi but I will tell you like you have no idea 🙂 By the way full name goes like Derviş Baba, Deliler, Abdallar, Meczuplar ve Aşıklar Kahvehanesi which you can roughly translate to Dervish Father, Mads, wandering dervishes, Sufism dervishes (who has been completely carried away by a mystical experience) and lovers (though in this sense it is used for love as universal not romantic way to another person).

I’m sure some people come here for the interesting decor, god knows how many types of herbal teas, special Turkish coffee made on ember, or house specialty “Tekke soup”, but this place is much more than an ordinary cafe.

Opened in 2009 in Balat neighborhood of İstanbul, now a popular place many tourists came by, this place priority guest are literally mad people of neighbourhood and poor people! I’ll explain in a bit. In this cafe, on certain days you can join spiritual conversations, enjoy “ney” (reed flute) music and if you are looking for a place to start helping people, this is the address you should visit. Charity organized here has already helped hundreds of families that cannot afford to pay rent , fed many hungry people, helped students on their school necessities, sick people’s operation costs are covered and volunteer teachers give lessons from violin to Spanish to students here…

Founders of this place are journalist Musa Dede from one of the leading newspapers in Turkey;Hürriyet, and architect Ali Denizci. With Musa Dede’s words “This place is like Noah’s arc, every living soul can be a guest. You can see a big company CEO talking to a crook, a communist talking to a priest, a nationalist talking to a foreigner, a wise man talking to a mad man…”

The story of these two coming together to open this place is also interesting. In a dinner Musa Dede asks everyone to make a wish and he wishes to open a place where he can help people. 10 days later in another conversation he meet Ali Denizci who speaks passionately about mad people on the streets of Balat, mistreated by neighborhood, chased with sticks, and people who lost their place to stay in winter time thanks to neighborhood reconstruction project. And Ali Denizci says “I wish we have a place where we can help these people”. And the Derviş Baba (Dervish Father), who is like a master in their spiritual sufism conversations at the time, tells them to go open a place like that together. Although their personalities greatly differs, Musa and Ali start to work together and with help in less than a month they open this place like it has been there for thousand years. A place to help poor and the mad, a place to drop by for conversation, a place to calm down…

Of course you are likely to meet some of the famous mad guests of the place if you happen to drop by, Yaşar for example is the poster boy for the place, his smile is contagious! Even though he has the intelligence of a 5 years old, he will share his food and clothes with anyone in need, so his heart is also as pure as a 5 years old.

In any case even if you are not in the area, do drop by to experience this place…You may be surprised where it will lead you…

PS: Dervish Father Cafes are in some other locations too, like Cihangir and Kadıkoy, but this Balat location is the place the idea borned, so this is the original place.

Derviş Baba Kahvehanesi Address: Sultan Çeşmesi Cd. No:79, Balat, 34087 İstanbul

Tlf: 0538 264 7204

E-Mail : balat@dervisbabacafe.com

Website: http://www.dervisbabacafe.com/#

February 2, 2016 0 comment

Food-Drink

Anemas Cafe

by gezielciniz February 2, 2016

written by gezielciniz

I met Anemas Café last weekend thanks to their invite for us to make our board meeting of Turkey’s Traveller’s Club in their location. And what a good decision that was as I learned so much good things about this place and want to share it with you immediately!

Located in Ayvansaray, an area where you can find many historical places close to each other, Anemas café is just near the Anemas dungeons its name came from. From terrace you have a great view of southern shore of Golden Horn and much more!

The view includes freshly restored Ayvansaray Kazaasker Ivaz Efendi Camii built in 1585, which is one of the first works of famous architect Mimar Sinan, Anemas Dungeons – though their restoration continues so it will be a while until you can visit, and many historical wall remains which are used in old Turkish historical movies and of course Golden Horn shores…Need I say more 🙂

First I will talk about the café part then I’ll mention the boutique hotel part!

Place has both large interior and outside area so even on cold days you can still enjoy your food or drink. Owner Mr Seçkin and kitchen manager Mr Giray are both multi skilled people, and they are doing this café/hotel as their hobby. Owner Prof.Dr. Seçkin Dindar is a dentist and academician in İstanbul University. He has always been a people loving, cares to give person and his service to people continues out of hospitals. Few years ago he bought and saved a soon to be ruined building and start restoring it and surroundings. He is determined to make this area more presentable. Kitchen is trusted to Giray Karanlık, who is known for his author, journalist, TV program manager, editor and so on works and who has also worked in the editorial board of Gastro 2000 magazine (kitchen culture) for some time. His passion for food and food culture is coming alive in this café. Olive oil dishes have a special place for him and he shows extra care for the olive oil used in his dishes. He only buys them in places he knows and trust and sometimes even go to witness oil extract process himself. By the way, he covers not only Turkish olive oil dishes, for example I tried a zucchini with rice dish there which belongs to Kavala district of Greece. (I should have asked the origins of celery with orange!). He also tries to make dishes in accordance to the season products and try to use as much as local and organic products as possible. Another thing to keep in my about the café part is that, if you will be visiting as a group you can contact to arrange a menu special to your group. Usual menu varies all the time, like I said depending on season products but to get an idea of their classic menu here’s a link to their website.

Alright, let’s talk about hotel part! Actually original plan was to make it for tourists but right now mostly Erasmus students stay here. And why shouldn’t they! For example last summer in the interior garden which is open till night, an international singing contest with over 150 people held, there is a separate kitchen area for people staying to cook their own food with all equipments and that area is also used as a gallery for paintings and statues! Of course there is laundry and I already mentioned terrace area view! Also all these, including water, gas, electricity, internet bills prices start as cheap as 650 TL a month! Like I said, they don’t manage this place for profits 🙂 Place is really popular between Erasmus students and it becomes an international chatter place!By the way they even have honeymoon suites (for a higher price obviously).

So if you are planning a visit to this area, you can combine many sightseeing with a good café as a break location! I will include some of the nearby worth to visit places soon in the blog 😉

Tel: +90 532 276 5060

Email: info@anemascafe.com

Address: Ayvansaray Mh. Ahmet Rufai Sk,
No:4 34200 Fatih İstanbul Turkey

February 2, 2016 0 comment

Food-Drink Travel Guides

9 Famous Coffee Cities – I dare you to read it without coffee!

by gezielciniz January 11, 2016

written by gezielciniz

Coffee is love, coffee is life! In some cities more than usual! I gathered 9 famous coffee cities for you and described their coffees. So get a cup of coffee yourself if not already and enjoy 🙂

I’ll argue that we, Turkish people, has a special place for coffee. I mean we even have a proverb saying “One cup of coffee is worth 40 years of remembrance”! But clearly it is not just Turkish people, everywhere it is part of daily routine. Whether you are starting your day or ending it, when chatting with friends or taking a break, the first thing that pops into our heads is coffee! Also it is widely preferred among us, travelers, as well, because when you are wandering in a city, one of the best options is to take a coffee break to refresh and feel the vibe of the city. Add to that a delicious dessert and there you are not tired anymore and can continue exploring!

However, as I mentioned there are some special countries / cities, where getting to know the local coffee is a part of feeling their culture. I have made a list of these cultural coffee capitals of the world for coffee-lovers and travelers. There are so many therefore I could not include all the coffee producers and special coffee having cities but I believe I have made a good list for at least a good portion of famous coffee cities.

Please note the order of the cities is random. The taste? All delicious!

Brasilia (Brazil):

Alright lets start famous coffee cities listing with Brazil. Why? Because for the past 150 years, Brazil has always been the producer of one third of the world’s total coffee production! Unlike most of the other producer countries, the consumption within the country borders is also high. Most Brazilians like the black hot coffee, called cafezinho, served in tiny (really tiny) cups the most. Normally, they like to drink this coffee very sweet but recently, you can also find less sweet versions as well. For Brazilians, cafezinho has become what tea is to Turkish people. It is served as a sign of hospitality as well as a treat after you have lunch or dinner at places, just as Turkish people serve tea for free at restaurants once you have done eating. Brazilians like their coffee simple and of quality. In this context, their coffee is rather plain and there are only some basic variety to it, meaning they do not have pumpkin blend cream coffee but they will have good black coffee. 🙂

Bogota (Colombia):

Of course capital of Colombia will be in famous coffee cities list! Because it is not a coincidence that Colombia is seen as the best coffee producer. There wasn’t a single coffee that I didn’t like drinking at this place and it actually took my “casual relationship” with coffee to a serious level 😀 The different types of coffee are plenty and all affordable. I especially suggest that you build a stock of the locals’ favorite brand Juan Valdez and bring it back home with you. The variety is wide, with different filtered and flavored types, which are all really tasty. However, pay attention to those on the menu that say “fuerte”… Normally, Colombian coffee is soft and balanced but “fuerte” means strong. Your heart might start skipping faster even if you are a veteran caffeine addict! I’m just saying… 😉

Rome (Italy):

evet canım bardan hızlıca kahvelerimiz içiyoruz ve ayrılıyoruz...

yes sweetheart, no waiting, drink it and hit it…

Obviously we are gonna add Italian coffee to the famous coffee cities list, but it is hard to pick just one Italian city so if I have to I’ll say Rome. But in general Italian coffee culture really surprised me as it contradicts with how Italians usually enjoy their food. Most of the time, people stop by at the counters of the coffee places and drink espresso or cappuccino in the blink of an eye and go on on their ways! It is strange to me that these people treat eating a meal as an art to be consumed slowly and yet enjoy their coffee in such a short period of time. Still, the coffee there is a true example of success. They mostly prefer espresso and cappuccino but they drink it less hot then you probably used to. Especially, if you do not mention that you want your milk coffee with warm milk, you may drink something extremely cooler that what you’d desire, just as I did! 🙂 In addition to local coffee shops, you will see plenty of the famous Italian coffee shops, illy and Lavazza, instead of Starbucks.

Vienna (Austria):

One of the first cities to recall when the subject is coffee. Vienna’s coffee is such a part of the Austrian culture is that it was listed among the intangible cultural heritage list of UNESCO in 2011. In cafes, you will find plenty of classical coffee types, with cappuccino and espresso being the most preferred ones. For those seeking to try a local taste, I suggest Wiener Melange. It tastes a bit like cappuccino but as the famous coffee maker of Vienna, Julius Meinl put it: “An addition of a shot of espresso to milk foam in a large cup.”

Seattle (the USA):

This is where Starbucks was born, so it is not surprising that there is a special coffee culture in Seattle. Besides Starbucks, there are plenty of coffee tastes and cafes in this city, where people see coffee as “liquid sun.” By the way, the biggest Starbucks store (Area: 1400 square meters) is also located here.

Havana (Cuba):

The characteristic of Cuban coffee is its being strong. Plus, if you try the one named Cubana, you are in for a strong and sweetened espresso. Sometimes, this coffee is served without sugar, but with a sugar candy stick. This way, you take a sip from the coffee and enjoy the candy simultaneously. 🙂

Hanoi (Vietnam):

Vietnamese coffee is also among the strong ones. You can separate it from the others thanks to its texture and color. They mix components that you wouldn’t think would mix with coffee, so it is safe to say that they add their own touch to what was once a French colonials’ influence. And as for the component I mean unusual like yoghurt, eggs and fruits! As odd as it may sound, they do mix harmoniously. It is possible to find many local and old coffee shops on the Coffee Street in Hai Ba Trung district of Hanoi. You can order yoghurt coffee (sua chua ca phe), egg white coffee (ca phe trung), coffee smoothies (sinh to ca phe). The cold-served coffee, Ca Phe, is among the local tastes, as well.

Nairobi (Kenya):

Africa is one of the places where coffee is produced in high amounts and Kenya is the top trader in this regard. The number of people who go there just to taste the coffee at its origin is a lot! It can argued if it would be enjoyable to go to an always-hot climate and consume hot coffee. I don,t know about you guys but I can always enjoy a good coffee 🙂 Of course, as you may guess, the prices are quite affordable and the variety is plenty, so Nairobi has a place in famous coffee cities list.

Istanbul (Turkey):

It would be unfair to skip Istanbul in famous coffee cities list. Istanbul is one of the places where the oldest coffee shops in the world first opened. (The first one in the world opened around 1530 in Damascus). In 1555, the first registered coffee shop opened in Tahtakale area. Coffee started to appear in Europe years later, by 17th century. For the past two years, Istanbul has been the host of popular attractions such as Coffee Festival. There is a constantly developing coffee culture, latest development being the opening of 3rd wave coffee shops. Of course, Turkish coffee will always be at the center of the big picture! 🙂

So what are you waiting for, if you haven’t already while reading this, go grab a cup of coffee now 🙂 Also please let me know if you know different coffee cultures to be featured next in the comments!

January 11, 2016 0 comment

Food-Drink

Stockholm Indian Food

by gezielciniz December 17, 2015

written by gezielciniz

What? Indian Food in Stockholm, what am I talking about right?

Well I was looking for a different food experience in Stockholm, tired of countless burger and Italian restaurants, and had already tried Swedish Meatballs. So when I got a reduced price offer for the Holy Cow via some app, and a quick search on the internet gave me positive comments on food served here I said why not.

I arrived around 6 pm, so I was the only customer! Neighborhood seemed like a really quiet residential area and decoration of the place doesn’t look very high spirited so I was a bit hesitant at first. Yet I told myself “good thing since you were able to have a sneak peek on daily lives of Stockholmers” and entered the shop anyway.

Their menu did cover many choices. I opted for a combined plate to taste more of different Indian food. I liked the food and service, and prices were good for Stockholm. (Please note that good for Stockholm doesn’t necessarily mean it is cheap since dining out, actually almost everything has a higher cost here than a usual European city)

Only thing I wished was different was that my food was in a metal plate. Plate had different areas to hold the food, probably a normal thing for my combined food choices to be served, because other food pictures looked served from normal plates. I got what I came for, tried different foods in reasonable prices but if you are not in a desperate “I need to eat Indian food right now” mood or already in the area, or haven’t tried other local delicacies yet you should opt for other places.

December 17, 2015 0 comment

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