On our first night in Istanbul, we took a boat ride on the bosphorus to dinner before heading out for the night. It was truly a storybook evening.
Iskele, the restaurant where we dined, had amazing food with a view to match.
Now that the scene has been set, I will get to the food part. Warning: don't read this on an empty stomach. It will be torture.
Our first dish was one the Turkish call lekarda balık. Balık meaning fish and lekarda being the type of fish. This is hands down my favorite seafood appetizer of my life thus far. It's sushi grade, similar to tuna, and melts in your mouth like butter. It doesn't need seasoning or sauce, just a bit of olive oil and the flavor is perfect.
Next we devoured perfectly fried mussels. Light batter, crispy on the outside and juicy in the middle. It was served with a horseradish-like sauce on the side.
Most meals in Turkey are served family style, and Iskele was no exception. The dishes just kept on coming. This is definitely my favorite way to enjoy food.
Another star of the table was the calamari grilled in a light brown butter sauce. The dish possessed the perfect amount of sweetness while maintaining a fresh light flavor.
A simple yet great addition to the table was a dish with two types of lightly fried whole fish - barbunya are the red-ish ones and istavrit are the silver. Beautiful presentation and oh so tasty!
With our bellies full of magnificent seafood, our story book evening continued with VIP access to the Pink Martini concert and the same breath-taking view of the bosphorus.
As the Turks say - çok güzel!
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