If you know Stoke Newington and Dalston you’ll know they’re not short of Turkish supermarkets and bakeries. If you want a quick borek for breakfast or some rahat lokum (Turkish delight) for after dinner, your every wish can be supplied.

But the greatest selection of Turkish comestibles comes from the great grandaddy of Turkish supermarkets, the Turkish Food Centre in Ridley Road, Dalston. It has Greek food as well as Turkish and Cypriot specialities.

Not just feta, but eleven or twelve different kinds of feta.  Not just olives, but olive mixes with different herbs and spices. Not just pita, but all kinds of bread from an in-store baker – my favourite, the loaf studded with sesame seeds.  And wicked, syrup-drenched pastries for eating with thick, bitter Turkish coffee.

There’s a fresh food section where you can get meat, veg and fruit. And the usual pulses and dry goods are available, naturally.

There are ten branches of the Turkish Food Centre now across London – but this is the original one.
Where: 89 Ridley Road, E8 (Dalston Kingsland tube)

Photo credit: Michael Edwards on flickr

Post from: The London Traveler

Most of us think of Turkish food as the doner kebab. Fast, cheap, and far too often not very good.

But Turkey created a great empire. In the seventeenth century the Turks even laid siege to Vienna. And the sultan’s court enjoyed marvellous food, with recipes of great refinement and delicacy.

Kazan devotes itself to this Ottoman tradition. While some of the dishes, like the smoked aubergine puree and borek, are recognisable to anyone who knows their Turkish oooking , others add a little spin to the recipe – melon with feta cheese, for instance, or squid cooked in vodka.You’re definitely encouraged to try the mezze – small dishes, both hot and cold – to get a feeling for the variety of the cuisine.

Kazan has been operating in Wilton Road, Victoria, for six years. Its owners, Levent and Bulent Hassan, are now opening a new restaurant in the City, at Houndsditch (close to Liverpool Street Station). It will open in May – and should be worth a visit. With this place and the Damascu Bite in Shoreditch, the City fringe is developing a nice Levantine vibe.

Kazan Victoria is at 93-4 Wilton Road, SW1; Kazan City, 34-6 Houndsditch EC3.

Post from: The London Traveler

First of all you need to work. (Or, if you’re on holiday, there’s always something to see – somewhere to go – and you’re not finished till nearly six.) Then, you’re going out in the evening, to the theatre or to a gig, and you have to get there. So you end up occupying all the time between six and seven-thirty just getting yourself there. Or changing out of your work gear. And then you get to the gig, and then you get out of it and it’s nearly eleven and wouldn’t you know it, everywhere you could get a bite to eat is closed!

Not if you have the sense to make your way to Hackney. The Istanbul Iskembecisi is open at least till two in the morning, and some of my friends have said it can be 5am before it shuts (though I wouldn’t necessarily take that on trust).

It doesn’t look that appetising. I suspect last time it got a through redecoration was about 1950. Or at least, it looks that way.

But you’re not here for the decor. You’re here to eat. And even if you’re not brave enough to go for the tripe soup (I’m not) there are plenty of other appetising dishes to go for, including a wide range of grilled meat and fish. If you’re indecisive – just go for the meze, a fantastic way to sample Turkish cuisine.

The prices are reasonable too – two of you can get out of the restaurant for less than thirty quid all told.

Istanbul Iskembecisi is at 9, Stoke Newington Road – a number 149 bus from Liverpool Street will get you there, or ‘overground’ train to Dalston Kingsland.

Post from: The London Traveler