ISTANBUL’UN EN SEVDIGIM 10 TATLI DURAGI/ MY TOP 10 DESSERT PLACES IN ISTANBUL

Ben kahvaltiya hep tatliyla baslayan, evde tatli yapilmissa yarin dunyanin sonu geliyormuscasina yiyen bir tiptim kucukken. Buyuyunce bu durum degisti demeyi cok isterdim ama heyhat! Yalnizca porsiyon konusunda daha vicdanli davranmaya calisiyorum kendime. Bu ilk yazimda da tatlidan baslamak geldi icimden. Daha cok da Istanbul’un kult tatlilarini, sadece “tatli” mekanlari olarak degil, tarihi, degeri, ozgunlugu olan mekanlari secmeye calistim. Elbette yeterli olmayacaktir bu ufak secki, belki bu bilim kurgudan firlama Korona gunlerinden sonra bir Istanbul ziyaretimde, cogaltirim ornekleri. Liste benden, Istanbul’a gidince ya da halihazirda oradaysaniz, kendinizi frenlemek sizden:)

I was type of a kid who used to eat something sweet as soon as I woke up. If there was any dessert at home, I would be the one to finish it without thinking twice. I would like to say “I’ve changed” since then but nope, I only became more careful with my portion size.

I wanted to share my top dessert places from my beautiful city Istanbul in this very first post. I especially wanted to choose Istanbul’s classic dessert places, which have historical background, original stories and meaningful memories. Only 10 of them will not be enough of course but I have a dream that I will go to Istanbul after these sci-fi like Covid days and learn more, take more pictures and continue to write about them. Please control yourself when you get there or if you are already lucky enough to live in Istanbul. I do not take any responsibility :)

Baylan Pastanesi (Patisserie)/ Kadikoy

Baylan disardan goruldugu anda iceride sizi bir zaman kapsulunun bekledigi izlenimi cabucak veriyor. Ilk subesi farkli bir isimle 1923 yilinda acilmis olsa da, yeni ve bugunku ismini edebiyatcilardan alan Baylan’in Kadikoy subesi 60’larin basindan beri ayni yerde, olabildigi kadar muhafaza edilmis her seyiyle sizi orada bekliyor. Icerisi muthis bir dunya, el yapimi cikolatalar, nostaljik tatlilar, cikolatali tatlilara bakarken hangisini deneyeceginiz konusunda kafaniz tatli tatli karisiyor. Bence hemen yukarida fotografini cektigim “kup griye” ilk secim olmali. Cunku imza lezzetleri. Kat kat karameli, vanilyali dondurma ve balli bademli krokani, kedi dili ve ogutulumus Antep fistigiyla kalbinize hemen girecek! Bana gore iki kisilik, ama paylasmak istemeyebilirsiniz de:)

Once you see Baylan from outside, it is not that hard to figure out that you are going to enter a time capsule! The Kadikoy branch has been there since the 1960’s and they’ve change almost nothing including the chairs you sit on! They produce handmade chocolates, chocolate desserts like mousse, nostalgic cakes and a lot more. You might get confused between those beauties, but do not worry I already picked for you their signature dessert: 

The dessert in the photo named “kup griye”. It has tasty layers made from an almond & honey croquant, caramel sauce, vanilla ice cream and fresh cream. They use savoiardi biscuits and pistachio on top. All hand made. It is probably for two but after you taste it, you might not want to share :)

Jadore Chocolatier/ Beyoglu

Ahh Jadoree! O minicik iki katli dukkan, giristeki cesit cesit cikolatalanin sasaasi, hic bitmeyen bir Noel-yilbasi havasi ve beni eriten o cikolata kokusu! Ancak ve ancak gercek cikolataseverlerin bildigi Istiklal’in sakli kosesi. Gidilince bir kere “Oh la la Beatrice” tatlisi denenecek hic suphesiz. O harika gercek cikolata tadi unutulmayacak. Bir kis gunu eller soguktan ovusturularak girilecek ve acili sicak cikolatasi keyifle icilecek. Cikarken de elbet cesit cesit cikolatadan bir paket (portakalli favorim) alinip, kalbin uzerinde gezdirilerek yenecek!

Oh Jadore!! That full of appetising, rich chocolate smell, never-ending Christmas/New Year atmosphere, this is one cozy place! It is one of Istanbul’s hidden gems that only real chocolate lovers know. In the heart of Istiklal Avenue/ Beyoglu, once you get there the “Oh la la Beatrice” dessert will be eaten no doubt! It is made from banana, strawberries, real melted chocolate and cream. Then on a cold winters day you stop by for their “chilli hot chocolate”. As you are leaving don’t forget to grab one of those handmade chocolates (I like orange chocolates) so you can always be close to the indulgence. 

Damla Dondurma-Boza (Ice Cream-Boza Drink)/ Kurtulus

Damla Boza benim senelerdir cok cok yakininda yasayip, gec kesfedip hayiflandigim harika bir dukkan. Tam o eskiye has dondurma tadini burada yakaliyorsunuz. Bozasi da guzel sevenleri icin, geleneksel olarak taze leblebiyle servis ediliyor. Ben karamelli dondurmasini cikolata sosuyla aldim ve beni alip taa cocuklugumun guzel yazlarina goturdu bu sirin dondurmaci.

Damla Boza (a traditional drink made with maize semolina, sugar and water, consumed during winter, served with roasted chickpeas) and Ice Cream is a small shop I discovered too late in my life, although I was living close by. The taste of the ice cream was exactly like the ice cream I ate in my childhood. I picked their famous caramel ice cream with chocolate sauce and it immediately took me back to my happy childhood summers.

Goreme Muhallebicisi/ Kurtulus

Iddia ediyorum dunyanin en iyi sutlu tatlilarini yapan yerlerden biridir Goreme. Cocukken pazar sabahlari buradan babamla taze kaymak alip, o meshur pazar kahvaltilarimizin tadina tat katardik. Bildigim kadariyla sutleri (Manda ve inek) ozel olarak belli bir mandiradan temin ediyorlar yillardir. Kazandibi, muhallebi, tavuk gogsu ve sutlac favorilerimden ayrica kahvalti ve yemek servisleri de var. Mutlaka mutlaka bir sutlu tatlisi yenmeli!

I assure you Goreme is making world’s best desserts made from milk! We used to come here to buy fresh clotted cream for breakfast with my dad on Sunday mornings and it is still there, it’s a quite rooted venue. Goreme purchases milk from a single farm which is unique as they have both regular cows milk & buffalo milk. I recommend you have any of these: Sutlac, kazandibi, muhallebi and tavuk gogsu. 

Remember all desserts are amazing! They also serve food, but whatever you order, make sure you try one of their amazing milky desserts!!

(Fotograf Goreme Muhallebicisi’nin internet sitesinden alinmistir.)

(The photo used as an image is taken from Goreme Muhallebicisi’s official website.)

Inci Pastanesi (Patisserie) / Beyoglu

Inci Pastanesi’ni saniyorum Istanbul’da hatta Turkiye’de yasayan hemen herkes biliyordur. Profiteroluyla meshur bu pastane 1940’lu yillarin basinda aciliyor ve ve tatli Luca Zgonidis tarafindan icat edilip Istanbullularin begenisine sunuluyor. O gunden bu gune de bu kucuk kremayla doldurulmus firinda pismis hamur toplarinin uzerine cikolata sosuyla servis ediliyor. Eger Beyoglu civarindaysaniz, Inci’de oturup o eski zaman havasini soluyarak en az bir porsiyon profiterolu yiyip, Istiklal’de guzel bir yuruyuse hayir demeyin!

I am guessing everyone who lives in Turkey would know or has at least heard of Inci Patisserie. This nostalgic patisserie is famous for its profiterol dessert since the early 40’s which was created by Luca Zgonidis. Since then, people who come to “Beyoglu”, take a long walk on the gorgeous Istiklal Street and have a break at “Inci'“. If you wander in Beyoglu, you should carry out this unwritten tradition.

Gulluoglu Baklava / Karakoy

Baklava bence ozel bir gunde mutlulukla yenilecek, iyisi ozlenilecek ozel bir tatli. Iyi yapilmis olani cok degerli. Bunu Sidney’de baklavanin bin cesidinin olmasi (nutellali, hindistan cevizli vs.) ve her an ortalama bir baklava bulunabilir olmasi, ya da sekli baklavaya benzeyen her seyin baklava olarak adlandirilmasi farketmemi sagladi aslinda. Yani konu baklavaysa yenilikcilige acik, kotusune ve kotusuyle kalori alimina fena halde karsiyim:) Istanbul’da Karakoy’de Gulluoglu’nun oldugunu bilmek bu anlamda icimi hep ferahlatmistir. Tabii ki onlarda da bircok cesidi var ama benim favorim Antep fistiklisi. Istanbul’a giden buradan gecmeden ayrilmasin. He Antep’e gidiyorum derseniz o baska:)

Baklava to me is such a festive dessert and once you had a good one you will always miss and crave for it. I actually found out that baklava is perceived as a pretty average and an everyday dessert in Sydney and sometimes made with a lot of different ingredients such as nutella! It’s OK I mean we can try experimenting with it, but when it comes to the point that it cannot be recognised as baklava, or not reminding you of it, then no, I won’t bother eating those calories:) In Istanbul, Karakoy Gulluoglu is the only place that I go and eat baklava when I am craving for it. I’m crazy for the pistachio baklava, but they have other delicious options and desserts too. If you are in Istanbul you have to visit Gulluoglu unless your next stop is Antep where the best of Turkeys baklavas are made:)

Haci Bekir Lokum- Sekerleme (Turkish Delight- Confectionary) / Eminonu

Turk lokumunun dogdudu, rengarenk sekerlerinin buyusune kapildiginiz yerdir Haci Bekir. Bir Istanbul klasigi olan bu kurum 1777 yilindan beri geliserek ama tadindan odun vermeyek bu gunlere kadar gelebilmis. Kurucusu Sekerci Haci Bekir Osmanli sarayi tarafindan nisana layik gorulup “sekercibasi’ unvanini sahip olmus. Benim Istanbul’a en yakistirdigim yerlerden birisi Haci Bekir, Eminonu subesi ise nostaljik havasiyla favorim. Gidince muhakkak annem icin tarcinli akide sekerinden alirim, donerken vapura da bindiysem cayla kendime de bir guzellik yaparim:). Sekerleri, lokumu veya aci badem kurabiyesini yerken elinizde koca bir tarihi tuttugunuzu hissediyorsunuz. Lezzetinden ayri, sirf bunun icin bile denemeye deger!

Hadji Bekir is the place where the Turkish delight was born along with many colourful confectionaries. It is such an Istanbul classic to have their delicious products while wandering in Istanbul streets since 1777. The founder Hadji Bekir was awarded with a medal by the Ottoman Sultan Mahmud the second and was accepted as one of the palace’s confectionary chefs. I personally love seeing Hadji Bekirs different shop locations in Istanbul but my favourite is the Eminonu branch. It has that nostalgic, old but beautiful atmosphere in there. When I go there I always grab some red cinnamon candy for mum and on the way back I keep few for myself to have with my Turkish tea on the ferry. Such a luxury! Whatever you buy, either Turkish delight or candy, you will feel that you are holding history between your fingers and that makes it so special.

Balkan Tulumbacisi / Alibeykoy

Ben tulumba seven biri asla degildim ta ki Balkan Tulumba’ninkileri tadana kadar. Normalde bildigimiz tulumbanin cok sert bir kabugu, agdali fazla sekerli bir serbeti ve sert bir ici olur. En azindan benim yediklerim oyledi ama Balkan Tulumba! Kabugu olmasi gerektigi kadar citir, isirdiginizda icinin yumusakligiyla oyle guzel bir uyumu var ki ve serbeti de tam kivaminda hic bogazinizi yakmiyor seker yuzunden. Ozledigim seylerden biri kesinlikle bu! Burasi kucuk bir dukkan ve yeri merkezi degil, bence asil degismez guzelligi oradan geliyor. Yonunuzu buraya cevirirseniz belki Turkiye’nin en iyi tulumbasini yiyeceksiniz, ustelik yanina dondurma secenegiyle!

To be honest I wasn’t that big a fan of tulumba until I tried Balkan’s tulumba. Tulumba is a Turkish traditional dessert prepared as dough, fried in vegetable oil and sweetened by syrup called “sherbet”. Normally you get a tough outside and an overcooked inside. A very dense sweet syrup would overpower your tastebuds so you wouldn’t be able have seconds. At least that is what I ate all my life until I found Balkan! Balkan’s tulumba is just so beautifully crunchy on the outside and the inside has just right amount of softness, when a really well-made syrup is added to it, it makes a perfect tulumba. Their place is not located in a central area of Istanbul and they only have one branch but I think this is what makes them so special. If you go around that area, just stop by and order tulumba for me with a choice of their tasty ice cream!

(Fotograf Balkan Tulumbaci’nin resmi Instagram hesabindan alinmistir.)

Ekol Hatay Kunefe/ Kadikoy

Ekol kunefe benim universite yillarinda arkadaslarimla beraber gittigim muthis bir kunefeciydi. Bazi kis aksamlari dersten ciktiktan sonra kendimizi taze ve sicacik Hatay kunefesiyle odullendirirdik. Serbeti, peyniri, fistigi ve citir kadayifla Istanbul’da eger disarda kunefe yiyeceksem ve Kadikoy’deysem muhakkak ugradigim tek yer.

Ekol kunefe (knafeh) is the place where I used to go with my classmates from university. We would reward ourselves by having kunefe after our lessons ended during some winter days. If I am going to eat kunefe out, I would definitely go there and have my perfect kunefe with its tasty cheese, pistachio, kadaif pastry and well balanced syrup!

(Fotograf Kemal Ekol Kunefe’nin resmi Instagram hesabindan alinmistir.)

(The photo used as an image is taken from the official Instagram account of Ekol Kunefe.)

Kemal Usta Waffle/ Kadikoy

Yine bir universite yillari tatlisi: Kemal Usta Waffle. Son yillarda Turkiye’de inanilmaz derecede artan Amerikan stili bol soslu meyveli tatlilar artasa da, Instagram’in eriyen cikolatali illuzyonlariyla gozlerimiz doysa da yillardir waffle isini yapan belki de Turkiye’nin ilk waffle dukkanlarindan birinin sahibi Kemal Usta Waffle. Benim favori dukkanim o zaman yalnizca bir tane ve Moda’da olan dukkandi. Simdilerde oradaki dukkanin kapandigini ve farkli yerlerde baska subeler ogrenince uzulmedim dersem yalan olur. Hamuru agir olmayan, soslari tam kivaminda bir dukkandi. Umarim bu kararla daha da iyi bir noktaya tasinirlar. Wafflelari Turkiye’ye gidince yeni yerlerinde denenecekler listemde!

Again one from my university years desserts: Kemal Usta Waffle. There are a lot of melting chocolate, fruits and different sauce desserts in Istanbul lately influenced by Instagram and American style eating. Kemal Usta was always there before these all those dessert came out. I learned while writing about it that they closed their main branch in Moda-Kadikoy and now have different ones around Kadikoy. To be honest I get a little sad when the original shop I visited closes. I love the fact that I am going to find my old happy places in the exact same location that I left them. I like Kemal Ustas light waffle base and sauces. I added visiting Kemal Usta’s new branches to my to-do list in Istanbul, but I am sure they are still doing an awesome job!

(Fotograf Kemal Usta Waffle’in resmi Instagram hesabindan alinmistir.)

(The photo used as an image is taken from the official Instagram account of Kemal Usta Waffle.)