TRY: Saray Muhallebicisi

Why stop at one dessert item?

Ever since I first tried kunefe (Turkish wiry cheese pastry) three years ago in Selcuk, a small town in Western Turkey that's near the ancient city of Ephesus, I've fallen in love with it. Of course, my sister knows where to get a nice one in Istanbul. Off we went to Saray Muhallebicisi somewhere along the bustling Istiklal Street.

My sister said that while she hardly tried the savoury food at the restaurant to give a comment, she was sure that I'd love the sweet stuff.

Bread

I didn't eat the bread, but according to my sister, it was a bit hard and not served warm.

Tavuk Suyu Corba ₺8.00 (~S$2.60)

Taste: 8/10

I ordered a bowl of clear chicken soup to share with my sister and BFF. It was great to have such hot soup in winter. While there wasn't a lot of chicken meat, the broth was full of the goodness of it. Additionally, there were vermicelli pasta strands broken into small pieces.

Kofte Izgara ₺20.00 (~S$6.50)

Taste: 7.5/10

The grilled Turkish meatballs looked truly mouth-watering. They turned out to be pretty tasty, but not as juicy as I thought they'd be. Nevertheless, they went well with the addictive flavoured rice, but the portion was just too was small. The fries weren't crispy, but not soggy. 

Iskender Kebap ₺30.00 (~S$9.75)

Taste: 8/10

Not that I've had many opportunities to savour this particular Turkish dish, but that was the best I've had till date. The thinly sliced lamb was grilled well, doused with tomato sauce that was adequately sweet and buttery. It was made richer with the blocky plain yogurt.

Su Muhallebisi ₺12.00 (~S$3.90)

Taste: 8.5/10

What's a trip to Saray Muhallebicisi without trying its milky rice flour pudding? It was creamy without being cloying at all. To make it fragrant, it was drizzled with rose water. The pudding itself wasn't that sweet, but it was topped with quite a significant amount of icing sugar. It was certainly a delight to have with tea.

Kunefe ₺12.00 (~S$3.90)

Taste: 8.5/10

At last, I was reunited with the cheese pastry soaked in simple syrup and decorated with pistachio crumbs for a nice colour contrast. Served warm, it was enjoyably stringy and crispy. I trust my sister's taste buds, and you should trust mine too. Pika's advice: Fancy having it with cream? I don't, but you can get it for an additional ₺5.00 (~S$1.65).

Melon's Rating

Taste: 8/10

Ambience: 7/10

Service: 5.5/10

Overall: 7/10

Service was a tad slow. Besides that, there was a mini accident that happened that evening. A waiter dropped a glass of drink that shattered into pieces, but luckily no one was hurt.

Saray Muhallebicisi

107 Istiklal Street

Istanbul

Turkey

(Daily: 6.00am - 4.00am)

http://www.saraymuhallebicisi.com/

*Prices quoted are nett prices.

Have a nice meal,

Cliff(y)