ISTANBUL

Before we kick things off...

Let me firstly say I’m quite the fan of Turkish food. Perhaps it’s because I rightly (or wrongly) make the assumption its healthier than the usual curry and rice. And also because I feel like Turgut Alp from Etrugrul. But, hey! I think Turkish food tastes awesome too!

Yeah, I know. The resemblance is uncanny!

Bit of background

Istanbul is perhaps one of Leicester’s most well-known Turkish restaurants in Leicester. I clearly recall driving past this place a number of times, gawking at the huge queues vying for entry into the large, high capacity restaurant, decorated well with a clear authentic feel and fronted with chefs behind the counter preparing what looked like an array of tender, succulent lamb and chicken, bread and vegetables. The opportunity to see the food being cooked as you wait for one of the waitresses to allocate you a table leaves you in suspense, and for me anyway, rather excited! As I sit here writing this whilst I’m fasting, my mouth begins to water as I remember often looking to the right of the restaurant where the food is being prepared. Perhaps writing this right now isn’t a good idea?

On to the visit

Anywhooooo! I finally gave in a while ago and thought, OK! Let’s give this a place a go, shall we? Zainab isn’t the biggest fan of Turkish food (thinks it’s too bland at times); however, I am! And whilst I was nervous that only I would enjoy myself, I just couldn’t resist taking her with me. Shockingly enough, we both really enjoyed ourselves. I suppose one of the things that really stands out are the portions. They’re massive! Our experience of dining there has led us to order from Istanbul a number of times and the amount of free stuff you get with your order even when you takeaway, is just amazing. From the bread, to the salad (their salad is so good, you can pretty much munch on it just by itself)…

Yeah. Bread is complementary. Thought I'd let you students know. Because it's you know... free

Synonymous with Turkish food is the very soft and very tasty rice. I often find myself wondering, why cant we Indians do rice like these guys! And Istanbul is no different. You can have the rice just by itself and be amazed at how well it just melts in your mouth.

We both really enjoy the Yogurtlu dishes. These are served either in the lamb or chicken variant. Tender pieces of either one, served on a bed of bread with creamy yoghurt and their own special tomato sauce. You get a lot of meat for your buck! And combined with the other ingredients, tastes phenomenal! It’s funny how I’m not usually a fan of yoghurt (or daaay) as my family would call it. But served with some meat, bread and Istanbul’s tomato sauce, I’m all in.