Georgia – the land of the Caucasus Mountains, hospitality, wine, Stalin and dumplings. I love all kinds of dumplings. However, no dumpling that I have met can ever come close to attaining the sublime magnificence of the Georgian khinkali in its natural habitat. Its closest cousin is the pierogi, the pocket of dough stuffed with meat or vegetables endemic to Central and Eastern Europe. The khinkali, however, is more robust and hearty; it is very much a product of the vast and rugged Caucasus Mountains. The Georgian native dumpling is juicy, full of gravy and ground, spiced meat. Great care must be taken when they are eaten, as it is a great shame to waste any of the gravy they contain. Generally, you are not allowed to order this most delicious of comestibles in portions less than 10 and proper khinkali etiquette dictates that you do not eat the little bit of dough at the top that is used as a handle while consuming them.
Where can khinkali be found in Istanbul? At the Emniyet Otogarı international bus station in Aksaray. There is a ramshackle Georgian restaurant, perched atop a dingy Turkish cafe. Here you will find many Georgians, presumably waiting for their bus to Tbilisi or Batumi, eating, drinking and toasting. Since the menu is in Georgian, which uses an alphabet that is incomprehensible to most, it is a good idea to come armed with some food vocabulary.
After the khinkali, next thing that should be coming to your table is shashlik. It is cubes of marinated pork sautéed with onions. Normally, shashlik is made by cooking meat over a fire with skewers, much like Turkish kebab. However, presumably due to the fact that there are no barbeque facilities inside the restaurant, these are sautéed, but nothing is lost in this small deviation from tradition.
Khachapuri is comfort food defined, simply cheese and bread. Some may call it a “Georgian pizza,” much like the Turkish pide is called “Turkish pizza,” but this would be detracting from its unique and delicious attributes. The khachapuri that is served at the bus station restaurant is a circular piece of flat bread stuffed with cheese that tastes like it is from a farm in the distant Caucasus. There is also a rich stew on the menu, called chanahi. It is rich with coriander, onion and beef. There is also a bean version called lobio.
A trip to a Georgian restaurant is not complete without drinking. I think it is safe to generalise and say that Georgians love to drink. At the restaurant beer is sold, but the drink of choice at the restaurant is called chacha. It is a clear liquid, served in half-litre plastic soda bottles. This fiery drink with a funny name is basically Georgian moonshine, made from matter that is left over from making wine. I cannot say where the stuff you get in Istanbul comes from, but I have seen the plastic soda bottles being filled from a vessel that looks suspiciously like a petrol canister. This chacha varies greatly in quality from batch to batch and should definitely be drunk with caution.
The restaurant is situated in Istanbul’s international bus station, called the Emniyet Otogari in Aksary. In order to find it inside the station, walk into the bus station and turn left. There is a normal Turkish restaurant on the ground floor, but if you walk up the stairs, you will find yourself in little Georgia.
There are rumours that there are a number of other Georgian restaurants in the neighbourhood. If you fancy an adventure, go fourth into the wilds of Aksaray and walk into any place with the Georgian language written on the sign and ask for a big, steaming plate of kinkhali.
Ian Ackerman is a contributor to Yabangee
Emniyet Otogarı International Bus Station, Aksaray
[geo_mashup_map]
I agree with everything in this review except the advice to drink Chacha with “caution”
I’ve seen as many as three other Georgian places within a block of here but never eaten there. We stopped by one of them to drink some chacha after a Uighur meal (also in the area) but the woman’s blank-faced confusion and the smoke-filled dining room really put us off. The bus station place is the real deal– go there!
[…] Cafe Niko, located in the heart of Aksaray, is possibly the love of my life. It offers the kind of down home cooking that I am accustomed to in the heart of the deep South. Located in the international bus station, a short walk from the Mamaray stop in Yenikapı, Cafe Niko has a flavor that is uniquely its own. The hustle and bustle of life are seen through the microcosm of the bus station. Peeking through the window off the patio, you can watch the chef throw back beer to cool off on hot summer days while she creates Georgian culinary magic. Lobio, a bean dish reminiscent of southern Mississippi red beans and rice, will have you crawling back to Aksaray on your hands and knees. But the khinkali, the original pork soup dumplings as big as your fist, will have you doing the same trek but through broken glass and burning coals. I cannot extol the virtues of Cafe Niko enough. If the description hasn’t persuaded you, the price tag will. Nothing on the menu is over 8 TL. I’ve gone with parties of 6 people, ordered everything on the menu twice, chacha (Georgian grape moonshine), and wine and still not paid over 30 TL per person. If you’re into rustic culinary adventures, this is the spot for you. […]
[…] Georgian café: second floor terrace at Emniyet Otogar, Küçük Langa Caddesi, Aksaray, İstanbul […]
Thanks for this article! I look forward to trying this 🙂
Anyone has a phone number for them? Have been a few times in the last months around 20-21h but it was always closed 🙁
As far as I know, they close when they run out of food for the day… which can often be quite early.
[…] Niko is a Yabangee favorite and you can find previous articles about the food here andhere. It’s been open for four years and is a small space that caters mostly to the bus clientele that […]