Hakkımızda/About Us
Liseli iki yakin arkadas Lara ve Revna uc senedir kesintisiz olarak Istanbul kesiflerine devam eder iken Lara AFS Degisim Programini kazanir, bir seneligine Amerika'nin Charleston sehrinde yasayacaktir.Ancak bu ayrilik maceralarinin ve dostluklarinin bir sonu degil, aksine bir baslangicidir. Revna İstanbul sokaklarinda tirim tirim dolanmayi surdururken, Lara yepyeni bir hayata adim attigi Charleston'daki kesifleriyle Revna'ya meydan okur. Boylece bu iki kafadarin blog uzerinden surdurecekleri kitalar arasi gulunc bir mucadele baslar. Simdi ise aradan iki sene daha gecmis ve bu sefer Lara Fransa'nin Toulose sehrine okumaya gitmistir. Bu yolculuk yeni bir maceranin kapisini daha aralar ve simdi de bu iki arkadasin gerek İstanbul gerek Fransa'daki kesiflerine tanik olup, dostluklarinin renkli anilarini onlarla paylasacaksiniz.
Two high school teens, who are best friends, Lara and Revna were continually exploring the beautiful city Istanbul for three years, until Lara had the opportunity to experience a whole one year in Charleston in the USA by AFS Exchange program. But this separation was not the end of their friendship and explorations, unlike it was a beginning. While Revna was continuing to get around in Istanbul's elegant streets, Lara was challenging her with her discoveries in Charleston. And now, after about two years Lara is going to study in the beautiful city Toulouse in France. This is again another beginning of an adventure for these friends after their funny 'intercontinental' competition. Now their page is dedicated to share the colorful memories of their friendship and their new discoveries both in Turkey and France, especially in İstanbul and Toulouse!
Two high school teens, who are best friends, Lara and Revna were continually exploring the beautiful city Istanbul for three years, until Lara had the opportunity to experience a whole one year in Charleston in the USA by AFS Exchange program. But this separation was not the end of their friendship and explorations, unlike it was a beginning. While Revna was continuing to get around in Istanbul's elegant streets, Lara was challenging her with her discoveries in Charleston. And now, after about two years Lara is going to study in the beautiful city Toulouse in France. This is again another beginning of an adventure for these friends after their funny 'intercontinental' competition. Now their page is dedicated to share the colorful memories of their friendship and their new discoveries both in Turkey and France, especially in İstanbul and Toulouse!
Showing posts with label homemade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homemade. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
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.
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
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)
Friday, October 24, 2014
Kitchen Discovery: PASTA with CARAMELIZED ONIONS
It is time to share some kitchen discoveries again!
Here comes an easy pasta recipe which I actually took from a film called 'Chef' . By the way I definitely recommend this film which is totally amusing BUT BE CAREFUL: YOU WILL GET CRAZY HUNGRY while you watch the film as you constantly see crazy delicious looking dishes!
And this recipe I am gonna share is a dish I saw in one of the scenes , where the man cooked a yummy pasta dish: Actually the only thing I saw was that he caramelized onions! And then he added these on the pasta and added some fresh parsley on top. That was it! But this totally took my mind , cause I adore CARAMELIZED ONIONS. And I just said to myself : Caramelized onions with pasta?? Why haven't I never thought of it?! I should try to do this as soon as possible!
So yesterday I gave it a try and as I did not have any recipe I just followed what I saw in the film and added a little bit my own creativity.
So here is the Pasta Dish I created by getting inspired from the scene:
PASTA WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS AND FRESH PARSLEY
Actually all you need to do is to slice TWO LARGE ONIONS and start to cook them on high heat with some OLIVE OIL. After a few minutes , as they become soft , (just before they start to get burned) take the pan and put it on the lowest heat and let the onions get slowly cooked on low heat. This should take at least 20-25 minutes. The more the onions rest on low heat , the more delicious they get: They get perfectly caramelized!
BUT at this point I prefered to add some seasonings: I put some pepper, salt, just a little bit sugar, garlic powder and finally two tablespoons of BALSAMIC VINEGAR which gives a perfect taste to the onions. And then I put the onions on low heat.
While your onions get caramelized all you have to do is to chop the fresh parsley and cook the pasta, drain, set aside. Besides, save a half cup of the water in which you cooked the pasta.
When both the pasta and onions seem ready just combine them, BUT DO NOT FORGET TO ADD SOME BUTTER AND PARMESAN CHEESE. (If you want you can also add some cream and turn it into a cream-sauce but I just wanted that the onions become the star of the dish- so did not add extra cream) Finally add a little bit of the the pasta water ( I did this so that the pasta does not taste too dry) and the fresh parsley. Stir the pasta for a last time until everthing gets combined well.
BON APPETIT!
Thursday, October 16, 2014
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:
Labels:
Authentic Food,
Beyoglu,
culture,
Dinner,
Food,
Galata,
Healthy food,
homemade,
Istanbul,
İstiklal,
Pera,
Restaurant,
Taksim,
Tunel,
Vegetarian
Friday, September 26, 2014
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
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 )
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/
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.
Labels:
Beyoglu,
Cafe,
Cocktail,
Coffee,
Dessert,
Dinner,
Fine Dining,
Food,
Galata,
Healthy food,
homemade,
Istanbul,
IstanbulGUIDE,
Restaurant,
Taksim,
touristic,
Travel,
Turkey,
Wine
Friday, September 12, 2014
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/
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Here is the most EASY but also the MOST DELICIOUS DESSERT:
THE CLASSIC ITALIAN TIRAMISU with original italian MASCARPONE CHEESE
To make this delicious dessert the ingredients are just a few things:
500 gr Mascarpone cheese6 eggs
150 gr sugar
300 gr italian ladyfingers(savoiardi)
2-3 cups of black coffee (I used filter coffee-way better then these ready nescafes!)
cocoa powder
It is actually really surprising that you can create a fascinating dessert with just a few ingredients. And PLUS WHAT TO DO is soooo SIMPLE:JUST SIX STEPS AND ITS READY:
2.Add the Mascarpone cheese and whisk until smooth(You'd better use an electric mixer)
3.Beat the egg whites(a lot!-be patient!-until they look like a kind of foam) Add this into the other egg-sugar mixture
4.Make the coffee: Wait until its not too hot! Soak the lady fingers and line them on the bottom of a baking dish
5. Spread the half of the mascarpone mixture on the lady fingers
6.Begin with the second layer! Do the same: Dip ladyfinders in coffee,line and spread with other half of mascarpone
Cover the tiramisu with plastic wrap and refrigrate for at least 2 hours to 12 hours
BEFORE SERVING: SPRINKLE WITH COCOA POWDER
Labels:
Cooking,
Dessert,
Easy Recipe,
Food,
homemade,
Kitchen,
Recipe,
Vegetarian
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Kitchen Discovery: Baked Eggplant Sticks!
Here is a super quick and tasty appetizer recipe:
a little bit olive oil
salt and pepper for seasoning
2-3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg white
For the marinara sauce:
2 cups crushed tomatoes (you can use 2-3 fresh tomatoes and blend them in a food processor)
2-3 cloves garlic (smashed)
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt,pepper to season
1 tablespoon tomato paste (gives a great taste and color)
chopped fresh basil or dried basil
It is not necessary but you can also add one onion
Cut ends off the eggplant. Slice eggplant in half, then into 1/4 inch thick slices. Cut each slice into 1/4 inch strips. Now you have your finger shaped eggplants. Don't forget to put the eggplant sticks into a bowl full with cold water and some salt and let them wait about 7-8 minutes. Drain them with paper towel and put them this time in another bowl, season with olive oil, salt and pepper. Set aside.
In another bowl combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese.
Dip the eggplant sticks into egg whites, then into the breadcrumbs. Place the sticks on the baking sheets. Sprinkle a little bit more olive oil on the sticks and bake for about 10 minutes. Turn over and bake an additional 10 minutes.
That is how easy it is ! A great appetizer which is delicious and totally healthy as you don't fry them but bake.
BUT you definitely need your marinara sauce to dip these yummy sticks. And this is how you make your marinara sauce:
In a medium pot heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until golden, being careful not to burn. I also added one cup of chopped onions. Add crushed tomatoes, salt and pepper,tomato paste. Stir and reduce heat to low. Cover and let simmer about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add fresh basil. I did not have fresh basil so I added 3 tablespoons of dried basil in the very last minute and then removed from heat.
BAKED EGGPLANT STICKS served with a quick MARINARA SAUCE
All you need is:
1-2 eggplantsa little bit olive oil
salt and pepper for seasoning
2-3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg white
For the marinara sauce:
2 cups crushed tomatoes (you can use 2-3 fresh tomatoes and blend them in a food processor)
2-3 cloves garlic (smashed)
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt,pepper to season
1 tablespoon tomato paste (gives a great taste and color)
chopped fresh basil or dried basil
It is not necessary but you can also add one onion
All you need to do:
Preheat the oven. Line baking sheets on a baking tray-so that the eggplants don't stick on the tray!Cut ends off the eggplant. Slice eggplant in half, then into 1/4 inch thick slices. Cut each slice into 1/4 inch strips. Now you have your finger shaped eggplants. Don't forget to put the eggplant sticks into a bowl full with cold water and some salt and let them wait about 7-8 minutes. Drain them with paper towel and put them this time in another bowl, season with olive oil, salt and pepper. Set aside.
In another bowl combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese.
Dip the eggplant sticks into egg whites, then into the breadcrumbs. Place the sticks on the baking sheets. Sprinkle a little bit more olive oil on the sticks and bake for about 10 minutes. Turn over and bake an additional 10 minutes.
That is how easy it is ! A great appetizer which is delicious and totally healthy as you don't fry them but bake.
BUT you definitely need your marinara sauce to dip these yummy sticks. And this is how you make your marinara sauce:
In a medium pot heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until golden, being careful not to burn. I also added one cup of chopped onions. Add crushed tomatoes, salt and pepper,tomato paste. Stir and reduce heat to low. Cover and let simmer about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add fresh basil. I did not have fresh basil so I added 3 tablespoons of dried basil in the very last minute and then removed from heat.
Labels:
Appetizer,
baking,
Cooking,
Dinner,
Easy Recipe,
Healthy food,
homemade,
Kitchen,
Recipe
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