a detour into food

due to an unforeseen issue (husband with severe toothache) our day did not proceed exactly as originally planned.

Instead of heading over to one of the palaces, we found the German Hospital complex up near Taksim. The 0930 appointment actually turned out to be more like 1400. Wifi was free at a small cafe inside the front lobby so all was not lost.

Since someone was still completely painfree due to that miracle of modern dentistry (lidocaine) we stopped at what turned out to be a fabulous restaurant along one of the streets. The Dada Cafe is an
unpresupposing cafe/restaurant 1/2 a flight down from street level. We were simply looking to have a quick lunch at a time past when most locations were serving. Instead, we found a small gem of a place. Fabulous lentil soup thick and flavorful and the most amazing grain salad either of us have ever had. Besides the simple bar like interior, there was a back garden area for the ever present Turkish smokers. Meun subtitles in English were adequate to describe the food.

Feeling refueled and a bit refreshes, we walked through along one of the pedestrian areas in Taksim, visited a couple of book and map shops before hiking down one of the many hills to the water’s edge. The tram took us back across to the area in which we are staying.

Figuring that a second meal today might be in order, we walked over to the restaurant area that is located between our hotel and Hagia Sofia. On a whim, we entered The Cozy Garden (reviews since the restaurant website seems to be down at the present).

Excellent service, out of this world food and prices less than half of what I would expect to see from a comparable location in Germany or Switzerland. I had a lovely spinach and artichoke dish

with seminolina for desert

warm, with vanilla ice cream


while George had a chicken dish. Both came with grain salad sides.

His mouth pleasantly numb from the application of wine across the gum surfaces, the two of us strolled back to the hotel about 2130.

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One Response to a detour into food

  1. I love it when the food is beautiful as well as tasty. Those dishes all sound yummy.

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