Article by James Heywood:
Istanbul's best and tastiest kebab restaurant
Istiklal Avenue’s Konak Kebab is the real Turkish deal
For those who prefer a sit-down dining experience to eating on the hop, the best quality selection of the Turkish staple is easily accessible in the heart of Istanbul.
Kebab is not a food that needs any introduction and, while it’s more than likely the visitor will have already sampled the dish back home, a doner kebab on the go with a paper napkin is hardly representative of the kebab genre as a whole.
In Turkey, kebab simply refers to a style of cooking, that of grilled lamb or beef cooked and served with a variety of different ingredients. Each region of the country has at least one kebab specialty and when a conversation occurs with a Turk regarding the tastiest, most tender kebab to be found in Anatolia, it’s sure his region will undoubtedly possess the most desirable of all.
The take-away, bite-size chunks of meat encased in bread and stuffed with lettuce, tomato, hummus and onion and a variety of optional sauces are sensational and convenient, but doner kebabs are certainly not the height of kebab cuisine. The real deal is to be savoured at the Konak Restaurant.
Konak Kepab Salonu
Konak Kebap Salonu has been operating for forty years and serves the authentic Turkish staple in comfortable surroundings. The restaurant is easy to locate, even on one of the world’s busiest pedestrian thoroughfares.
Istiklal Caddesi is the three kilometre (1.8 mile) stretch of paving that slowly ascends a gentle incline from Galata to Taksim Square. At almost the half-way point it is impossible to miss the enormously impressive gates of the Galatasaray High School. Just another twenty metres up on the same side of the street, Istanbul’s best array of kebabs awaits.
Iskender, Beyti or Kanat?
While the menu is logically centred on meat and - notably - grilled meat, the diner is not restricted to pulling off hunks of flesh from skewers. The waiters deliver menus with decent photos of a variety of dishes and every self-conscious, non-Turkish speaking tourist can simply point and smile, knowing confidently that the correct meal will arrive.
Which one to choose? Iskender Kebab is more popular the closer you are to Istanbul. Though its home is supposedly in Bursa, it’s one of the more popular varieties because it’s incredibly flavoursome. Which is because it’s also full of fat. And bread with which to soak up the tomato sauce. Not the healthy option, but salivatingly savoury.
Beyti Kebab is meat wrapped in bread and served sliced and topped with a salsa and yoghurt. The dish comes with salad, bulgur, grilled green “biber” peppers and onion.
Kanat Kebab is barbecued chicken wings. At least eight of them will cover the plate, leaving just enough room for accompanying salad and bulgur. If spice is an essential, then the Urfa or Adana Kebab is an appropriate choice.
Konak has more than kebab
In winter, the red lentil “mercimek corbasi” soup with loads of bread is recommended.
There’s also a select variety of Turkish pizza too, though there are plenty of other establishments selling “pide” and meat is really what it’s all about here. Konak has dishes of tasty lamb cutlets, “kofte” meatballs, and groups can share a “spesyal” mixed grill.
The sweet Turkish desserts of baklava, kadayif, kunefe are for anyone who still has room after devouring a main course and really feels the need to digest the same amount of sugar as fat. Tea is complimentary.
Cihangir for a drink
A fifteen minute stroll up Istiklal may assuage any guilt from partaking of so much delicious food.
Taksim Square opens up and on the right, Siraselviler Avenue. Behold the neighbourhood of Cihangir, a good option for for a post-kebab constitiional beverage.
Taxis from Taksim Square return to Sultanahmet in about twenty minutes provided it’s neither Friday nor Saturday night. Weekend evenings, it’s simpler to descend into Cihangir, have a drink and hail a passing cab that avoids the crowds by taking the Bosphorus foreshore road back to Sultanahmet.
This article was first published on Suite 101 on 22 November 2009.