Seven Kebap is not what you think. First of all, the name is not actually a number, it is a Turkish word for the “one who loves.” Though to be fair, it may be a reference to the time in the evening before which you should plan to arrive if you intend to eat any döner, because after that it will be sold out. The place is not beautiful, it has those blue lights that gas stations used to keep heroin addicts from shooting up in the toilets, because the tint prevents you from seeing your veins. The outside tables are nestled on the road upon a patch of used-up AstroTurf. The grape vines overhead are infested with flocks of birds; they sound a lot like how I imagine a lactose intolerant parrot/guinea hen would sound after too much ayran.
So what does Seven do right? The food and the price. This neighborhood on Istanbul’s Asian side is rich with eat-treats for the working poor like myself, and these guys fit right into the “honest meal for an honest price” bracket. On a side note, it would seem the waiter and usta ought to eat more of their own cooking since they are both rail thin.
I ordered the beyti sarma which is like a big meat wrap sliced into sushi-pieces and doused with a tomato sauce. Arranged in the kebap nest was bulgur pilav, tomato chutney called ezme which was actually nice and spicy, purple cabbage, yogurt, and lettuce. All for just 10 lira? Nice!
My dinner buddy had a totally decent Iskender also for 10 lira. #unheardof. Though she didn’t “Seven” the pickles on top, it was still satisfying. Çoban salad was also good with spicy peppers and pomegranate syrup sauce. At this point we were presented with a huge puffy bread and some butter and cheese to eat with it. Cool! I would have enjoyed it more before eating my meal, it was still delicious, though I wonder if this is standard or a prize for bringing a DSLR to the table with me.
Louis Herman is a contributor for Yabangee. He keeps a blog about the restaurants and food culture of Sirkeci, Istanbul at www.sirkecirestaurants.com.
