Have you ever tried "Turkish Coffee" from Fazıl Bey ??

Ladies & Gentleman,

Today, I would like to share some information about a coffee shop in Kadıköy. This nice shop is located in Kadıköy's local bazaar.

In the photo you can see the entrance of the coffee shop. Turkish coffee is a beverage which consumes usually in the morning in order to feel yourself better. The coffe usually cooked on an over by using a coffee pot. You may drink it without sugar or with a little, medium or too much sugar. Actually, I prefered to have a coffee without sugar. -It tastes great =)) - One of the most important things while consuming coffee is bubbles on the beverage. Also it is served with a piece of Turkish Delight - However I ate it in the photo =)) You can also see a glass of still water on the left side of the coffee. If you want to taste coffee better in each shot you should drink a piece of water first than coffee for your own good. Fazıl bey provides you various types of coffee to drink. It consists coffee with lavors of mastic, ginger, chocolate, mint and so on. You may also have powdered coffee in order to cook it at your home.

Turkish coffee has also a symbol in Turkish culture. When a couple decides to marry, the candidate groom visits brides family and bride serves Turkish Coffee with salt. Please never try that at your home =))

For more information about Istanbul you can visit the official website =))

Have a nice day !!

A cosy cafe with a nice garden

Ladies & Gentleman,

In my last post I gave some information about a nice shopping street in Kadıköy. While I was explaining the details in that street I also mentioned about a cultural center. Now, I am going to share my experiences in this nice café. “Nazım Hikmet Kültür Merkezi” is one of the “secret” places in Kadıköy. While I was wandering in the shopping street, I realized that there is a huge door at my left side.  

When I entered in, I realized a huge building on my left side and a garden, covered with tall trees, was standing on my right side. Many tables are placed in the garden for entertaining yourself in a warm and silent area. In addition to this, if you continue walking through the garden, a winter garden is waiting you for bad weathers in winter. Fortunately the winter garden is covered with glass doors and servers open them during summer. While people are chatting or meeting with their friends, they may drink coffee or tea and they can also eat aperitifs or main dishes. Turkish cuisine mostly consist foods that are prepared from fresh ingredients. Moreover, most foods are cooked in a sauce. The daily menu is written on a white board at the entrance of the building. I preferred having an “Ayvalık tost.” This is a toasted bread which contains sausage, French fries, salami, ketchup and mayonnaise. That was delicious…


Have a nice day

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Hanedan Cafe

Yesterday me, my roommates, my boyfriend and her sister met up. Since we were itching to talk about the things going on in each others' lives, we wanted to sit in a place where we can hear each other. This time we chose to go to Beşiktaş, one of the most popular places of Istanbul.

Shore of Beşiktaş has an magnicifent view. Located at the beginning of the Bosphorus, days and nights are always offering quality time. Hanedan Cafe is located by the sea at the boulevard of Barbaros. It is a great place to get water-pipe and also traditional Turkish coffee. My suggestion for water-pipe can be Bahrain Apple water-pipe. Tobacco of Bahrain is coming from Arabia and I have to mention that it is not easily be found.

You have to come and feel the lovely atmosphere of this unique place :)

All in one "Wood"

I was looking forward to met my highschool friends to have a full night fun. This meeting was planned well before this day, so we were able to select ahead where we were going; "Wood" which is located in western part of Ataşehir. Ataşehir is a part of Istanbul which is newly renewed according to the urban renewal project. It is located at the center of Asian side of Istanbul which makes it so preferrable to live in it.

We arrived there around 6pm which was too early for a dinner so we chose to play one-two sets of bowling first :) Either I was playing too good or my rivals were a bit soft I don't know but it was an easy win ;)

The bar of the bowling saloon offers some snacks ofcourse but we needed some decent dinner after the game so we moved to upstairs where the restaurant part of the Wood is placed. I must admit that, the decoration of the restaurant exceeded my expectations. If you not stick with only my photos and check the website you will surely understand what I mean. The service also great; the waiters are always watching carefully for the needs of the guests. Unfortunetely I am not a meat person  however as far as my friends said the kebap is something else in here. If you visit Istanbul someday, right spot to eat Kebap is here.

I hid the most fun part to the last, karaoke!! The karaoke bar is openning at 10 pm at night and fun continues till morning. Different fun events are arranged for different days of the week; some nights are selected as only 80s, some nights everybody sings rock and etc. There is also one VIP room, which can be rented by making a reservation. We did not know that VIP-karaoke was so large and comfortable before coming to Wood but we were also lucky that there was an hour avaliable space for that night. With five girls sharing one microphone you can guess how the night ended at last :))

  Anyway, "Wood" is one of unique places that offers wide range of joy at same place. I strongly advice you to come and visit here if you happen to be passing by. Cheers,

Mercan Kokorec Kadıkoy

Adress:Caferağa mahallesi Yasa sokak No: 15 Kadıköy

When you come to Turkey , you should try kokorec ,one of the delicious food of Turkish cuisine. You need to try it in a proper place like Mercan. Mercan serves one of the best kokorec you will ever eat in İstanbul. It has a 4 floored shop in İstanbul. On the toppest floor you can eat your food with the beautiful view of İstanbul and also smoking is allowed on that floor. Mercan has an alcohol license so that you can drink when you eat. You can also taste traditional turkish drink which is called raki. It is called ‘lion milk’ in Turkish because it is a tough drink. There are another sea foods in the menu of the restaurant  like stuffed mussels which i recommend you to try. You can come mercan when there is a football match between the two rival clubs of İstanbul: Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray. You can watch the game while drinking and eating and you can feel the derby atmosphere with the locals, but you should reserve a table before you come because all tables are being booked on the match days.

A Hidden Street In a Shopping Boulevard

Ladies & Gentleman,

As you understood from my previous post, I have been searching for hidden "entertaining places" in Istanbul. Today I would like to inform you about a nice street.  

Just hours ago I had an opportunity to discover a nice street in Kadıköy. The area is called "Sanatkarlar Sokağı" -The photo shows the monument at the beginning of the street.- When you enter the street, at the left side there is a catholic church, which I will have an opportunity to visit on Sunday. Just opposite the church, there are cafes where you can eat some kind of street food, such as kumpir -baked potato.- Beyond these, there are small shops along the street. You can find souvenirs, which are handmade. These products are made from wool, glass or wooden. Moreover, you can find nice bars in which you can relax and make a route plan for a trip in Istanbul -Note:Having a Bosphorus trip is an indispensable idea.- Lastly, I would like to mention a cafe in the street. "Nazım Hikmet Kültür Merkezi" is a secret place, which serves for us. Actually, during winter, foods and beverages are served in the building; however, I had a chance to sit in the garden because of the warm weather. In the next time, I will mention about this "secret" place. Please wait for my next share. 

Have a nice day…

 @Istanbul

A Rainy Day in Emirgan

Today was a lovely day for me. My boy friend had the day off from work and we decided to visit Emirgan. It is located between Bebek and Sarıyer which is the ideal place if you want to be in the region of a big metropolitan like Istanbul and being away from fuss of the horde of people. The unique location of Emirgan, provides attraction from all other parts of the Istanbul. You can enjoy the marvellous scene of Bosphorus from here while having a walk with your beloved ones while feeling a nice breeze in your ears.
The weather was a little rainy and warm enough to have a romantic weekend. After having a nice breakfast, we went to shore of Emirgan. While walking by the sea with the accompany of seagulls, we come across to fishermen. There are several spots where you can rent fishing rod which is very good alternative activity for a day.

After a long walk, we decided to stop by a cafe to enjoy nargile with the scene of Bosphorus. There are many high quality cafes located by the shore in Emirgan. The waiters are very polite and the service you get is worth the price. The cafe we selected for this time was "Orga". Orga is located just by the shore so it has a magnicifent view. If you are travelling with your own private car, there is car parking service of Orga which makes life easier for you; else there is a bus stop right in front of the cafe so transportation is ultra easy. Wide range of oppourtunities included in the menu; so you can find something that suits your taste even if you are very picky. Orga in Emirgan is one of the chain restaurant which is specialized in the desserts mainly so without tasting one in the menu, I would definately not leave there :)) We order a wet cake which was perfect for me, why don't you come and find your own perfect one.