Istanbul: The Spice Market, and Two Restaurant Recommendations

I had the opportunity to travel to Turkey this spring with one of my best friends, Lauren, and her mom. They really showed me a great time, and it's a trip I won't forget.


(mmm Turkish Delight!)

While we were in Istanbul, we stopped in the spice market. It's definitely worth visiting the spice market. There are all kinds of Turkish sweets, spices from Turkey and all over the world, and of course, Turkish specialties like baklava and pastrami. Please enjoy some of the photos I took a little farther down in this post.



Above the spice market is a famous restaurant named Pandeli. A couple of people had recommended it to me before my trip, so Lauren, her mom and I made sure to make Pandeli our lunch stop that day. Pandeli is most famous for it's sea bass en papillote (sea bass cooked in a parcel, photo below). That's what I had, and it was truly delicious.



I must mention one other restaurant I went to in Istanbul; Balikci Sabahattin. This restaurant is a seafood place, and every single thing we had there was excellent. Unfortunately I didn't take any photos, but it would be the first restaurant I would head to if I was back for another visit to Istanbul.

Please enjoy the photos of the market; it was a lot of fun to visit, and a great place to pick up some Turkish Delight to bring home to friends and family!

Turkish Delight and other tasty treats...



Lots of spices...



Peppercorns...



Turkish Saffron...



Baklava...



Something else that looked tasty but I don't know the name of...



Dried vegetables including dried aubergine (eggplant) which I had never seen before...



A huge wheel of goat's cheese...



Pastrami, which was more cured and more spicy (but less peppery) than the American version...



Finally, pomegranate tea... so pretty!

POLENTY OF ROOM FOR TWO

There's polenty of room for two, but we'll make room for your cute friend.

What are you worrying about? We have plenty of room. So what if my place is small? I ain’t rich…yet. Besides, Cozy = Cosmic Connection. Our auras will be touching. Aura friction is just what you need to cheer up over the state of the economy. Just think of me as the spark to jolt you back into positivity. Now come on into my cramp little slice of heaven and make yourself comfy. Enjoy this little something I whipped up to show you, there is indeed Polenty of Room or Two. My bedroom is just down the hall.

Total time: approximately 15 minutes
Projected cost: $7
Drinking Buddy: White wine

Ingredients (serves 2):
1. 1 dash salt
2. 1 dash black pepper
3. 1 tbsp olive oil
4. 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
5. ½ polenta log cut in ½ inch rounds
6. 2 handfuls
7. 3 handfuls washed spinach
8. 2 green onions chopped coarsely
9. 2 garlic cloves chopped finely

Step 1
Sauté the garlic and green onions in the olive oil on medium heat (approx 2 min). Throw in the spinach and salt and pepper it.

Step 2
Spread out the polenta rounds, pour over the maple syrup and scatter the grapes. Cover with lid and cook until polenta and grapes soften (approx 10 min).

Serve the polenta rounds around the plate, crowning them with the veggies and grapes.