Hamdi is one of the best restaurants in Istanbul, but if you are watching the budget (or are blind like me and walk straight past it) go next door to the café. You enter by the pastry shop downstairs.
A view of Istanbul from Eminonu Port
The large windows open onto the square below that looks along the Galata Bridge across the Golden Horn, with the Bosphorus glittering to the right on a sunny day. The square itself is bordered by two Istanbul icons. The Misir Carşişi or ‘Spice Bazaar’ is still filled with the aromas of cinnamon and other spices, even if souvenirs now take up most of the shelf space. The 400 hundred year old Yeni Cami or ‘New Mosque’ dominates the square and gives you a sense of how time is measured here.
Why had I come to Hamdi? The food is great and if you enjoy traditional Turkish Shish, then you have found a new home. Now comes the time to refresh the palate. Now is the time for raki!
As I sat sipping my raki it was the first day of Ramadan. The muezzin of the Yeni Cami gave the afternoon call to prayer so that all my senses were filled with the intoxicating beauty of this ancient city.
There was only one problem: the raki. Raki is a traditional anise-flavoured spirit and kind of the national drink of Turkey. It is mixed with chilled water, which turns this clear liquid to milky white as it dilutes.
Sipping raki, take 1; WOW! Take 2; Ah, now that's better.
Unfortunately, my waiter thought it better just to pour it over ice. It looked good, but the first sip was like swallowing fire. I am not talking about a martini-like hit here. I am talking about thinking my throat was melting. Luckily, so was the ice and it diluted the raki, the flavours started to emerge and the alcohol subsided. I removed the expression of panic from my face. I committed to the process, steeled myself and finished my medicine. Good times!
Seriously, if you want to experience a place it is not enough just to see, hear and touch. You have to smell and taste to discover the building blocks of a culture. Besides, raki is very nice…if you show a little patience
HAMDİ RESTAURANT
Tahmis Caddesi Kalçın Sokak No:17 Eminönü - İSTANBUL
Tel: (0533) 658 80 11
http://www.hamdirestorant.com.tr/
Oh, the sights, smells and tastes of Istanbul! All too familiar to a food writer. Just a note about raki- it may be the Turkish national alcoholic drink; however the national drink of Turks is unarguably tea, followed by "ayran", made by diluting yogurt with water and a touch of salt.
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