I previously wrote an article about Çiya restaurant and the conclusion was that you should only go there if you want to try some authentic Anatolian cuisine, at the expense of your budget and patience. Well, now even that is no longer necessary, because Tarhun has come out swinging and, at least for me, won in the first round with a K.O.
I decided to eat at this restaurant because they had a list of foods out front, and I had never even heard of about half of them. This is terribly uncommon in Istanbul, where the monotony of Köftekebapdöner can make even the staunchest Turkophile ready for a change of pace.
At Tarhun, which as the place mat told me means tarragon, asking for a menu is useless because they don’t have one. The daily dishes are written on a chalkboard outside, but I advise going in and taking a gander at the selections or, even better, ask the waiter which one is the tastiest.
Asking for soup got a recommendation of borani, which as it turns out, is a warm yogurt soup with chick peas, assorted herbs, and olive oil which goes superbly with the dark bread served in a basket at the table. I ordered the soğan kebap because I love onions and meat, and this is a dish I have never seen before in Istanbul. It consisted of small meatballs stuffed inside whole onions and baked that way, which infuses tons of onion-y goodness into the meatballs and vice versa.
Next, again at the waiter’s suggestions, a plate of stuffed grape leaves and stuffed dried eggplants arrived smothered in yogurt. These yaprak sarma were a whole new experience for me, as they were very sour and slightly pickled in what seemed to be vinegar. The stuffed eggplant was savory, chewy, and clearly something no one should miss in this world. Life is short, eat more dolma.
ADDRESS: Pavlonya Sokağı 15B Kadıköy, Istanbul
PHONE: 0216 351 80 80
Louis Herman is a contributor for Yabangee. He keeps a blog about the restaurants and food culture of Sirkeci, Istanbul, at www.sirkecirestaurants.com.
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This one is out of business 🙁