Nicola Prentis

The description I had to go on from the people that recommended this lokanta to me was “thin bread with meat”. Er… so it's döner kebab then? Or pide? My excitement managed to contain itself even when I found that Turkish food critics heap praise on it and I set out sceptically. How different could it be?
There are 9 different types of pide which is a wider than normal range, as well as döner, iskender and oven-baked lamb - all ingredients shipped in from Konya. The staff, flanked by blown up newspaper reviews decorating the walls, had an air of assurance that suggested this was more than a bog standard lokanta. I chose carefully, not wanting to miss the dish that might show me what everyone was raving about.
Hedging my bets with a half potato and white cheese, half Etli Ekmek pide I became a new disciple. The meat part was the best, very fresh finely chopped green peppers adding spice and flavor while melted butter finished off the cheese section perfectly. The thinness of the bread is what really made this stand out . Only the price was moderate: under 10 YTL per person. Another trek out to the Asian side for this Taksim-centric Istanbul resident but, this time, without the scenery. Despite enjoying feeling I was in a less frenetic, greener part of the city and that I really need to stop seeing Istanbul as only existing within the maps provided in guide books, it will doubtless be a while before I find myself undertaking the trip again – over an hour for thin bread with meat! Try it once and take a bus or minibus from Kadiköy towards Bostanci and get off at Kazasker.