My spouse and I thought we would attempt to turn lemons into lemonade by making a lunch date out of our recent journey to Istanbul's Foreigner Bureau's headquarters in Fatih. The Fatih Emniyet Müdürlüğü Yabancılar şubesi is not a relaxing or enjoyable place by any stretch of the imagination. Every seat is full, the que is out the door and around the corner, and often the Permit Officers belittle foreigners in fast, colloquial Turkish. I was impressed to watch some foreigners keeping up with the pace and tone of these officers; they held their own.
We had already been to the Fatih headquarters twice prior for my partner's appointment, and today was my turn. I woke up nervous and jittery. But since we were taking the 45 minute bus ride to Fatih for my residence permit appointment, we thought we could capitalize on Fatih's concentration of spicy food with a Middle East twist.
Fatih is also one of the newfound homes in Istanbul for the many Syrian refugees living outside of the Turkish camps. While many of these refugees are struggling to make ends meet, there are equally as many who are resourceful and making the most of what they have (like opening a restaurant or bakery featuring the tastes of home). We were excited to try Syrian food, and found a location online, only to arrive and find that it was closed.
We had already been to the Fatih headquarters twice prior for my partner's appointment, and today was my turn. I woke up nervous and jittery. But since we were taking the 45 minute bus ride to Fatih for my residence permit appointment, we thought we could capitalize on Fatih's concentration of spicy food with a Middle East twist.
Fatih is also one of the newfound homes in Istanbul for the many Syrian refugees living outside of the Turkish camps. While many of these refugees are struggling to make ends meet, there are equally as many who are resourceful and making the most of what they have (like opening a restaurant or bakery featuring the tastes of home). We were excited to try Syrian food, and found a location online, only to arrive and find that it was closed.
This left us hungry and without a reputable place to sample Syrian food. Though we felt slightly defeated, we wondered the neighborhood between Aksaray Metro and Findikzade tramway stop in search of lunch. We stumbled upon a small Karadeniz (Black Sea) restaurant with only 5 tables and 2 men running the entire joint.
We promptly ordered two dishes to split: tavuk shish (roasted chicken kebab) and a kasarli pide (a Turkish cheese pizza). One of the men brought us freshly baked flat bread sprinkled with black sesame seeds, and we all too quickly gobbled it up while we waited for our entrees. No more than 10 minutes later our dishes arrived, smelling of grilled goodness. It was all delicious, satisfying and enjoyable. I would certainly recommend others who must make the same trek to try this little restaurant on Molla Gürani Caddesi.
*We still are hopeful to locate another delicious Syrian restaurant be it in Istanbul or on our adventures throughout Turkey! Stay tuned.
We promptly ordered two dishes to split: tavuk shish (roasted chicken kebab) and a kasarli pide (a Turkish cheese pizza). One of the men brought us freshly baked flat bread sprinkled with black sesame seeds, and we all too quickly gobbled it up while we waited for our entrees. No more than 10 minutes later our dishes arrived, smelling of grilled goodness. It was all delicious, satisfying and enjoyable. I would certainly recommend others who must make the same trek to try this little restaurant on Molla Gürani Caddesi.
*We still are hopeful to locate another delicious Syrian restaurant be it in Istanbul or on our adventures throughout Turkey! Stay tuned.