Cihangir'de saklanıvermiş: KAHVE6

 Cihangir'in ara sokaklarına adeta saklanmıs bir cafe daha! Sokagın icine girip de aczık ilerlemeden bu mekanı görmek neredeyse imkansız! Böyle saklı köşede kalması iyi olmuş ama, gelen gecen görmüyor burayı, sadece bileni gidiyor ;) icerideki müsteri kalitesi de bir baska güzel oluyor tabii. Mekan kücük bir oda misali, birkac masa dısında bir de soyle iyicene yayılalım diye genis koltuklar var. İster masa basında lezzetli yemeklerinden tadın, ister yayılın söyle koltuga saatlerce, cayınızı kahvenizi yudumlayın. Her iki secenek icin de mükemmel burası. Ve arkada meger bizi yine bir süpriz bekliyormus: minik şirin bir bahce, ortasındaki süs havuzu ile de adeta büyüleyici! Yemeklere gelince, bir kere dısarıda kahvaltı etmek isterseniz direk buraya yönelebilirsiniz! Kocaman kahvaltı tabagından tut, daha mütevazi kahvaltılıklara kadar bir sürü secenek var. Bir de böyle "can simidi" gibi tatlı tatlı adları var! Ay su bazlama ekmeginde yaptıkları tostun tadı da hala damagımda! Gel gelelim önemli olan kahvaltı tabagının zenginliginden cok malzemelerin kalitesinde! İste tam bu noktada bu mekan on numara bes yıldız! Gidip gidip duruyorum ama hala cözemedim, mekanın bir yerlerle bir baglantısı var, otantik secenekler menude cok, kahvaltıda verdikleri acukadan diyorum ki bir cerkezlik var, sonra menude bazlama ekmekleriyle, falafel köfteleriyle karsılasıyorum. Ardından ana yemeklerde hünkar begendi bir yandan, tabule salatası öbür yandan. Vallahi kafam iyicene karıstı! Ama tek anladıgım o ki, bu malzemeler özel bir yerlerden geliyor, e ziyadesiyle saydıgım tüm bu lezzetlerin tadı sahane! Gerisi bahane! Haydi arkadaslar Kahve6ya , ister öglen bir salataya, ister nefis bir kahvaltıya.

Watching the amazing Galata Tower from a roofbar: ROBIN'S

And finally we are together in Istanbul again! Lara has just came back from Toulouse , only for 10 days unfortunately... But still, it is super nice to spend some time together in this beautiful city just like in the old days. And here is our first discovery since Lara came: ROBIN'S

ROBIN'S is a great ROOFBAR in this popular district GALATA. It is located on the hill between Galata Tower and Tunel(The second end of Istıklal Street). As you pass the Galata Tower and climb up the hill , you will see the HOTEL DUO on your left side, which is also a restaurant. Go inside this restaurant and ask immediately where the ELEVATOR is ! Because the surprise is waiting for you upstairs! Fourth Floor and you are kindly welcomed to the roof bar ROBIN'S !

 

It is actually a small terrace (much smaller than we expected) but it doesn't even matter after you see that amazing view of the Galata Tower. Much more than the view of the Bosphorus, this roofbar amazes you by the fact that its located just next to the Galata Tower. While you enjoy your cocktail , you feel so close as you can seriously reach and touch the Galata Tower.

 

Furthermore, this place is not crowded, maybe because it is actually hidden in a hotel. We actually loved the idea that this place is not so easy to see and discover! As it is not so crowded, this bar is a super option to spend some hours before a dinner and having a drink while enjoying the view. And that was what we did the other day! We went to this place about 19.00 pm and enjoyed our conversation with a glass of wine. Of course there was a lot to talk about!

After all , Robin's is a perfect place with its
AMAZING VIEW
GOOD QUALITY OF SERVICE
NICE, EASY LISTENING MUSIC
GOOD SELECTION OF WINE ( They have a couple of wine options which you can order as a glass - a glass of wine is about 20-25 Turkish Lira)
TASTY COCKTAILS ( We tried a cocktail which was similar to Gin Tonic- but they added cucumber in it! I have never thought before that cucumber would go so great with a drink! - It was so fresh! )

Easy Listening Tracks and some Fresh Filter Coffee: CHERRY BEANS COFFEE

 

















The fact that this place was right beside my high school was a big chance for me! We used to leave the school with our dead brains after spending almost ten hours in the lessons and run to this place to have a small break and feel alive again! This cafe is just the perfect place to have a break and relax: firstly you get amazed by this wonderful smell of fresh coffee. You smell this even from outside while you are walking around this place and you already get hypnotized on your way: So there is no other option but to get immediately inside! As soon as you are in, this time you get amazed by the cute decoration and the relaxing songs playing in the cafe. All these details, the smell of the coffee, the music, the books and magazines which are put all around on the tables take you away: Somewhere peaceful. Oh and if you are lucky you can suddenly notice another amazing smell: The smell of a fresh yummy homemade cake which has just been baked in their tiny oven! If you catch this smell , you should definitely try a piece of cake!
Another thing I love about this place is the playlist they have: They usually play easy listening classical tracks and in my opinion this kind of music goes perfect with this peaceful atmosphere in the cafe. Cherry Bean Coffees is definitely one of my favorite spots where I feel totally relaxed and joyful !
 

 WHERE IS IT?
You walk down from the famous GALATA TOWER towards the seaside (Karakoy)

Yine minik şirin bir Cafe, arkasında ise Gizli Bahce!

Yokus asagı oyle kaptırmıs giderken ben de neredeyse atlıyordum bu mekanı ! Öyle yokus üstünde sol kaldırımda saklanıvermiş. Icerisi de pek kalabalık degil, anlasılan o ki henüz pek kesfedilmemiş! O zaman hemen sizi bu şirin Cafe ile tanıstırayım! Cihangir Firuzaga Camii nin ordan Cukurcuma ya girdiginiz de soldan asagı inen bir yokus vardır hemen. İste o yokusun sol tarafına saklanmıs Cafe Lumiere meger. İlk soyle bir bakınca hakkaten de bakıp geciyor insan, 'aa buraya da bir cafe acmıslar' diyip yola devam ediyor. Ama dikkatli bakıslara sahipseniz eger Cafenin onunde yer alan minik tabela gözünüzden kacmamalı işte! Cunku orada sizi cezbedecek bir sey yazılı : Secret Garden ! Meger bu kutu gibi mekanın arkasında kendisiniden daha büyük bir bahcesi varmıs! Hem de rengarenk şirin mi şirin bir bahce. Evet, iceride oturmak ne kadar keyifli olur bilemicem cunku daha ben de hic deneyimlemedim! Buraya her geldigimde kendimi direk arkadaki her renkten sandalye ve masaların serpiştirildigi o gizli bahceye atıyor, bir kahvemi soyleyip huzuru buluyorum. Hava şansınıza güzel ise bu bahceye siz de bir ugrayın derim.

  








 Burası da sehrin yogunlugundan bunaldıgınız zaman sıgınabileceginiz harika bir alternatif. İster elinize bir kitap alın gidin, ister kolunuza bir arkadas takın, saatlerce bu sakin bahcede muhabbet edin. Yemeklere gelince, daha cok kahveden gittim , o da klasik : filtre kahve. Boyut büyük fiyat kücük, tam istedigim gibi! 

 Ohh miss gibi taze kahve ve kitap okuma keyfi: 5 Lira !


Bir kere de salata denemişligim var, ucmadım ama memnun kaldım: doyurucu, taze , lezzeti yerinde. Yanımdan gelip gecen yemeklerin de bende bıraktıgı izlenim genel olarak bu oldu. Hani öyle tadlarından kendinizden gececeginiz bir durum yok- gastronomik bir beklentiyle gitmeyiniz. Ama uygun fiyata sohbetin yanına bir şeyler de yiyelim diyorsanız mekan sizi bu konuda da memnun eder.

Döner, İskender nereye kadar? Biraz da yurdumun sebzelerinden söz edelim: HELVETIA

Türk Yemeği dendi mi illa da Döner, Kebap, İskender demiyoruz ki kardeşim!
Tencerelerde pişen güzelim sebze yemeklerimiz, zeytinyaglılarımız, bakliyatlarımızı unutmak olur mu hiç? Alın benden size bu yemekleri bulabileceginiz muhtesem bir mekan:

HELVETIA

 

Sıcacık leziz mi leziz ev yemeklerinin mükemmel adresi burası ! Bir de fiyatlar acayip uygun olunca müdavimi oluyor tabi insan. Minnacık mutfaklarında hepsi birbirinden lezzetli türk yemekleri yapıyorlar bir de güzel vitrine diziyorlar ki sormayın! Hepsinde gözüm kalıyor, her gittigimde hangisini sececegime karar veremiyorum. Bir yandan tadı damagımda kalmıs olan yemekler bir defa daha beni cagırıyor, bir yandan yeni lezzetler sec beni diyor! Ay karar vermek cok zor! Burada klasik şu: Vitrinden sec begen al, ister bir tanesiyle doldur tabagını ister beş.

Çeşit sayısını ne sen sor ne ben anlatayım! İçeride piştikçe pişiyor. Hepsi de bir ayrı güzel gözüküyor,kokuyor ve aynı gözüktükleri gibi de güzel tadıyor. Sen seciyorsun, onlar tabagını dolduruyor, ısıtıyor ve masana sıcacık getiriyor. Sen de afiyetle yiyorsun , alnına kadar doyuyorsun, bir de komik bir para ödüyorsun: 13-15 lira civarı. Bu kadar saglıklı, taze yemegi yemek, bu kadar secenek, bu paraya İstanbul'da vallahi saka gibi. Ben tabii ki her defasında beş çeşit secip dolduruyorum tabagımı. Bir cok sebzesini denemis bulunmaktayım ve bir tane bile begenmedigim olmadı. Burada ne yediysem acayip lezzetliydi. Hem karnımın nefis doydugundan hem de oh ne saglıklı yedim diyebildigimden dolayı her defasında yüzümde kocaman bir gülümsemeyle ayrıldıgım mekan burası. Ne sececeginiz tamamen o anki keyfinize, zevkinize baglı, hicbiri sizi hayal kırıklıgına ugratmaz ama ben yine de tabagınızdan TAVUK GRATEN ve FIRINDA MAKARNA yı eksik etmeyin derim!



Mekan nerede?
Cok kolay! İstiklalin bir ucu olan Tünelde: Alın arkanıza Tüneli, yani nostaljik finiküleri, direk Asmalımescid'in girişini göreceksiniz zaten. Asmalımescid'in icine daldıktan sonra dümdüz yürüyor, House Cafeyi geciyorsunuz: Helvetia hemen karsınızda. Kösede kalan minik sevimli restoran!

Klasik Müzik Esintileri ve Nefis Kahve : Cherry Beans Coffee

Bu tatlı mekanın okulumun yanı basında olması büyük bir şanstı benim icin! 10 saat süren beyin ütülemelerinden sonra arkadaslarla solugu bu şirin cafe de alıp kendimize geliyorduk. Söyle sakin sakin kafa dinlemek icin ideal bir yer burası , önce buram buram nefis kahve cekirdegi kokusu kalbinize işliyor , zaten kokuyu takip ederek mekanı buluyor ve hipnotize olmuş bir şekilde iceri atılıyorsunuz. Ardından da içeride calan hafif müzik ve bu minnacık mekana nazikce sıgdırılmıs süslemeler, fotograflar, dergiler, tablolar , kısaca tüm tatlı ayrıntılar alıp götürüyor sizi. İste tam da okuldan sonra ihtiyacım olan sey ! Hele bir de cam kenarındaki masayı kapmışsam, ne mutlu bana. Alıyorum en az kokusu kadar lezzetli olan kahvemi, kulagımda klasik müzik esintileri, izliyorum gelip geceni. Cogu zaman hafif klasik müzik calındıgına denk geldim ve bu tercihleri özellikle cok hosuma gitti. Bu sıcak mekana, nefis kahve kokusuna, bir de her yarım saatte bir yayılan bastan cıkarıcı nefis sıcacık taze keklerin kokusuna, klasik müzik dalgaları esligi on numara olmuş. Tüm bu ince zevkleri ile Cherry Bean Coffees'in ayrı bir yeri var bende.

Mekan nerede? Meshur Galata Kulesi'nden asagıya ( Karakoye) dogru inen yolun üstünde. Buyrunuz bakınız:

Turkish Food is not only about ISKENDER !!!

If you ever come to Istanbul , of course you should not be leaving this city without trying our authentic traditional cuisine! But I should tell you this: Turkish cuisine is not only about KEBAP and ISKENDER ! It is much more ! People always think about heavy food when it comes to Turkish Food . But actually we have lots and lots of traditional dishes which are totally HEALTHY such as our crock pot dishes we make with lots of vegetables and legumes.
And here is a great spot where you can find an enormous selection of these kind of fresh, healthy and EXTREMELY DELICIOUS turkish dishes: HELVETIA

 In this tiny restaurant the tradition sounds like this: They cook in their tiny kitchen, put the dishes on a big table, you go inside , check out these yummy dishes on the table which all look and smell and taste yummy and pick whatever you like. You can either full your plate with just one dish or you can pick five different dishes ( which I always prefer ) . There are lots of different dishes , some are vegetarian some include meat or chicken. Just pick what you would like to try: You won't get dissappointed about any of them! I have been to these place dozens of times and I loved every dish I tried. Because they cook with love , they cook with fresh ingredients. And the best thing about this place: It is so CHEAP !
You get a full plate with so healthy and delicious dishes and they charge you only about 13-15 Turkish Lira for this big plate !

You pay a little + you get totally full + you are totally happy about the fact that you tasted so delicious food = Isn't it just a dream??
So when you are in Istanbul , PLEASE make a stop in this place and give a chance to our authentic vegetable and crock pot dishes !
And I remind you again : Of course you have to try our famous DÖNER and ISKENDER and whatever but if you like vegetables , you will be once again amazed by our vegetable dishes which are only cooked in a way that is only found in turkish cuisine.

WHERE IS THIS PLACE??
It is located in this famous districh called Asmalımescid which is located on Tünel. Tünel is the second end of the Istiklal Street. ( The fisrt end is the Taksim Square )
Here is the map:

Honest Istanbul Guide Vol1: GALATA

LETS GET STARTED WITH MY HONEST ISTANBUL GUIDE

I am a fan of this city and I go out almost every weekend to discover some nice places, because to be honest, although there are like thousands of cafes and bars around in this huge city, just a few of them have a really good quality. Yeah I know, what a shame! But unfortunately, after searching and tasting and discovering like crazy I have to admit that most of the spots we see around have just spent the money on the decoration but have no idea about the quality of service and food!
And thats why I am writing to you right now! So that you won’t get dissappointed and just pick the right places with my help . İstanbul is such a great city but to see its real great beauty, you have to know the city pretty well, cause its way too big and complicated!!!

Thats why I am here to share my best discoveries, to share the most wonderful local spots that I personally enjoy ! So here are some tips from me:

We start with one of my favorite districts in İstanbul at the European side: GALATA 

Galata is full of little cafes, which are located in little tiny streets rather than the main street. So it is a little hard to find them , I am gonna try to describe where they are but I suggest you to check this internet site foursquare.com  , where you can find all the cafes and their exact locations I am gonna suggest you. You  just need to enter the name of the cafe or restaurant and it opens you directly its location on google map!

BUT I AM ALSO GONNA MAKE SOME SCREENSHOTS FROM GOOGLE MAP AND PUT IT HERE. 

Okay, lets take this famous GALATA TOWER as the center. Firstly I suggest you going up on this tower as the view is fantastic! This is of course a MUST DO thing in Istanbul! But be careful about the timing cause the line gets too big, especially in the afternoon after the dreadful sun gets less effective. So you better visit there in the morning for example. I know, the sunset view will be awesome too but dont worry, I will tell you another place very soon where you can not only enjoy the sunset but also maybe a beer or cocktail! So Galata Tower is just in the middle and there are lots of streets around it. At the towers right side, right at the corner there is a hotel ( ANEMON GALATA ) and there is a street going down right near it. When you go that street down, you will find a great wine bar on your right side: SENSUS WINE .

 Its a great place for the evening to taste some wine ( especially the turkish products are suprisingly good! ) but sometimes you need a reservation, but you will probably find place on the bar. The prices are fair. Normally in the restaurants if you order just one glass of wine they dont have many options and they charge you pretty much for a tiny glass of wine ( they usally fill the glass just a little ! I HATE THAT! ) 

BUT this Wine House, as they sell their own products, offer you about 15 different wines that you can order just as a glass . And the prices change between 9 Turkish Lira to 25 Turkish Lira. So that means you do not have to open a bottle and stick to one type of wine- Get their special menu for Glass Wines and pick what you want, try some several different options-! That was what I exactly did- of course I prefered the cheaper ones and they honestly tasted all good ! So this place is PERFECT for a cheap but definitely quality WINE TASTING!

Anyways, if you pass this wine bar and continue to walk down, there is a super sweet cafe called CAFE VELVET: great place to drink a cup of coffee or something refreshing such as their homemade lemonade! By the way, if you wanna try something authentic: TRY THEIR YUMMY TURKISH DESERT: “KAYMAKLI UN HELVASI”. I mentioned more info about this place already on my blog! So check the special post about this place !

Now lets go back to Galata Tower. At the left corner there is an authentic turkish cafe where people generally have turkish tea for about 1.50 or 2 turkish lira and chat and watch around and this time there is again a street going down full of cafes. At the beginning of this street there is a shop which sells some authentic turkish products.So when you start going down this street, the streets automatically turns right. Follow it and you will see a coffee shop on the right side: CHERRY BEANS. 

Its one of the most peaceful places for a cup of coffee, its really tiny. The coffee is really good and their homemade cakes go great together. This spot is definitely one of my favorite spots for a COFFEE-BREAK. Inside smells awesome ( a lovely tasty combination of fresh coffee and warm homemade cookiieess and cakesss ) 

What I secondly adore in this place is always the music playing inside: sometimes they often play easy listening classical tracks and it goes perfect while sitting in this cute cafe, watching outside and drinking your fresh warm coffee.

 http://www.cherrybeancoffees.com/

If you skip this one and keep going down, you will see CAFE KONAK at the left side. This cafe is a standard patisserie but they have this terrace on the top of the building and it has an awesome view! You can drink maybe a turkish tea and enjoy the view: Galata Tower right on your back , which seems so close like you can even touch it, and the amazing bosphorus on your front. 

Cute Cafe with its SECRET GARDEN !

Before starting to post my travel guide, 
Here is another tiny spot for a small coffee break while hanging around in the city: CAFE LUMIERE

This place is one of my new discoveries and since I found this place it became one of my favorite spots for a little break- maybe a cup of coffee !

I generally prefer just to order a drink such as tea or coffee in such small cozy cafes but I just let you know: They have some pretty nice dishes too - I can tell this from what I saw. The dishes on the other tables looked pretty nice- especially I liked the salads. And when it comes to price: The dishes and the drinks are definitely cheaper than most of the restaurants and cafes around.

A generous cup of FRESH FILTER COFFEE: 5 Lira
That is fair enough!

What I loved about this place???
Definitely it's tiny sweet garden at the back!
From its front you can never understand that this tiny cafe has a cute garden at it's back which is definitely bigger than the cafe itself!

So I guess I should recommend you this place when the weather is nice :/
But actually I am gonna go and have a look in winter too and FIND OUT what they do with their cute garden in the winter ! Maybee they have already found a solution!

A small break at Cafe Velvet

Nowadays cute little cafes open up at every corner in the side streets. They are usually really really small but that is actually the sweet thing about them :) People decorate these little places so creatively and fill the inside with lots of stuff that there is only space for a few steps maybe :D  They are such like little museums and I love this fact about them!
And here is one of those cute little cafes : CAFE VELVET
This cafe is in a side street in Galata : When you stand in front of this famous Galata Tower, there is this hotel right at the corner on your right side and there is a small street going down . Go down that street and you are gonna see this little cafe on your left side.

It is cozy.
It is cheap.
The music is super good. (slow and relaxing)
The owners are very kind.
Their products are tasty.

You just feel at home! Both the atmosphere and the products make you feel home. Because what they prepare is all homemade. The menu is just simple: hot drinks,cold drinks and some breakfast dishes and a few homemade pastry stuff.
I sometimes adore these simple menus cause it is just easier to pick something as the menu does not get you confused. What I picked was a homemade Turkish dessert called HOMEMADE UN HELVASI and that tasted AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS!

You can also try their Breakfast options such as MENEMEN or HOMEMADE BOREK. For drinks I suggest you their yummy fresh homemade lemonade!

What I really liked was the way they serve the coffee: together with a little milk in a cute authentic glass and two homemade cookies.
Such little details are always important!

more info: http://velvetcafegalata.com/

FAST BUT NOT 'FAST FOOD': Cin Bufe

Here I got a super spot for you where you can get your stomach full really quick with some yummyy food. NO WORRIES! IT is definitely not a fast food spot but they serve EXTREMELY FAST !

But I recommend you this place only if you are a fan of Chinese food like I do : CIN BUFE
This spot is a super tiny restaurant in Beyoglu,Taksim. So easy to get there:
Is is at this famous İstiklal Street.
When you walk towards Taksim Square there is this Galatasaray Highschool right at the middle of the street.
Pass the highschool and turn into the second street on your right ! And there it is !

CIN BUFE with their yummy Chinese dishes! Prices are standard, but definitely CHEAPER than any other Chinese restaurant because the Chinese restaurants in İstanbul are usually so luxurious and expensive ( like eating chinese food is something luxurious! )

Service: EXTREMELY FAST
Atmosphere: very little but totally CUTE
Dishes: YUMMMMMYYYYYY

Here are our favorite dishes:
Appetizers: CITIR CIN MANTISI (dumplings) or CIN BOREGI or ORDEK DURUM (wrap with duck)
Main dishes: SEBZELI PILAV or MANTARLI BADEMLI PILAV (rice) or SEBZELI NOODLE (vegetable noodle) or TATLI EKSI SOSLU TAVUK or MANCURYA USULU TAVUK or ZENCEFIL SOSLU CITIR TAVUK (tavuk means chicken)

Here is their internet site for more info: http://www.cinbufe.com/#/home

OUR TIP: DO NOT ORDER ONLY ONE MAIN MEAL PER PERSON. IT IS MUCH BETTER IF YOU ORDER A FEW DISHES AND SHARE THEM. We think it is the best way to eat chinese food and YOU WILL TASTE LOTS OF STUFF+GET FULL+PAY LESS PER PERSON