KIYI

From meat we move to fish, or Balik, on our second evening. KiYi is one of my all time favorites, having visited the restaurant twice before and fell madly in love with it. Like Kasibeyez it is along the shores of the Bosphorus as well, in the village of Tarabya. The promotion pamphlet says 'Akdeniz ve Karadeniz Baliklari' or loosely translated 'Fish from the Mediterranean and The Black Sea'.

We were very lucky as the catch of the season 'Homsies' & 'Lufers' are plentiful. Homies are baby anchovies which are deep fried, and Lufers are like sea bass in texture but much sweeter. KiYi can live up to the Catch of the Day claim as only in the morning we saw fishing vessels trawling just off the shore. What they caught was our dinner.  I learned from our Turkish friends to only order what is in season, on a mixed plate, as shown ... Red Mullets as dividers, Lufers with grill marks that look like veal, and Homsies lined up in the middle.  Our Mezze starters were melons .. yes fruits do come first .. soft white cheese, broad beans cooked in tomato sauce, aubergine puree, garlic olives, all yummy treats with hot crispy flat bread. Before I forget, on the KiYi menu there is an odd appetizer you must order, sauteed lamb liver slivers in a buttered dill sauce. You will thank me for this, alone.

Do brave the Istanbul traffic and drive out to KiYi, you will be royally rewarded, I guarantee.

KIYI @ www.kiyi.com.tr
Haydar Aliyev Caddesi 186/A
34457 Tarabya Istanbul
(90) 212 262 00 02