Anatolia Cafe & Restaurant @ Istanbul

ottoman cuisine 

The husband had a different logic of how we should eat around tourist attractions - by going to the farthest lanes. And we did, which landed us at the front doors of Anatolia Cafe and Restaurant that specialises in Ottoman Empire Cuisine.

interior

I love brick walls, especially when they are red and rustic looking with all the rough edges.

pita bread

Warm toasty pita bread.

olives

Olives are a must try in Greece and Turkey, I consider them local produce and these were really tasty.

lentil soup

Soup Of The Day (6 TL)

Lentil soup with a dash of lemon was watered down.

watch it burn

Then came the Ottoman dish that we were both looking forward to. Meat cooked in a clay pot and heated over fire.

crack the pot


In swift moves, the waiter slices it open. It was theatrical and somekind of a show.

for two

Testi Kebap (65 TL)
Choice of cubed lamb, beef or chicken with mushrooms, tomato, pepper, onion, basil, garlic and red wine sauce, served in an earthen jug

All in just tomato stewed chicken and vegetables served with pilaf rice. More theatrics than substance.

The meal somehow killed my interest in the cuisine a fair bit, or maybe the husband's hypothesis of delving further into the lanes and hoping to find a gem did not work.

Anatolia Cafe
Divanyolu Cad. Ticarethane Sok. No 21/A Sultanahmet, Istanbul 34000

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