Black Sea Tastes at Anzer Sofrası

Anzer Sofrası serves the most delicious and abundant evening meals during Ramadan. Also by Bosporus and also at a reasonable price... Unless you had a chance to taste Black Sea cuisine until today, this is definitely the place you should come for discovery. Restaurant exists since 1975. For a few years, it has been at Sarıyer Kefeliköy, at the intersection point of Hacı Osman uphill road with the coast, at the right. You may eat inside toward the kitchen or outside airy terrace toward the sea. Unless it is your first time, owner of the place will probably recognize you and chat with you. He is a person from Black Sea with abundant positive energy and joy.

As a Ramadan classic, I come here 1-2 times for evening meal during Ramadan. I always incur indigestion due to very delicious dishes. You’ll understand why, when I tell now.  

As appetizer, date (hurma), braised pickled beans (fasulye turşu kavurması) and meat and rice wrapped in black cabbage leaves (kara lahana sarma) with yogurt. Despite, I am not a fan of pickled beans; I should admit that it was good. On the other hand, black cabbage, since it was not its season I guess, its leaves were hard.

Black cabbage soup (kara lahana çorbası) or filter lentil soup (süzme mercimek) was being served as soup. I preferred black cabbage since it is the back bone of Black Sea cuisine. It is composed of black cabbage, borlotti beans (barbunya fasulye), corn cutting (mısır yarması) and corn flour (mısır unu). Its spices leave a fine taste in the mouth. Perhaps it doesn’t have an attractive presentation, but it is very delicious :) One should try it.

After the soup, end of the beginning began for the stomach. Lots of delicious plates were served to the table successively. Another Black Sea classic: muhlama. It is made of corn flour (mısır unu), butter, cheese and water. And, it is served in copper plate while it is very hot. It is very cheery to dip into it with a piece of bread with lengthening cheese and eat it with hand. Take care your mouth! And, do not be full up! Place is mostly proud of its Trabzon casserole (güveç). It is composed of lamb and mixed vegetables. Vegetables dissolve in the mouth. It was a light meal although it was cooked with butter. As other meals… Also, White beans (kuru fasulye) didn’t disappoint me. Beans come from Erzurum İspir. It is marinated the night before in the milk, cooked in the casserole bowl in the oven after being mixed with the special sauce of the chef. Despite I do not like White beans with rice dish, I love its sweet taste. By the way, rice dish was average. This time they didn’t serve Trabzon braised lamb meat cubes browned in its own fat. (Kavurma) However, it is also included in the menu. Also, we had to reject very delicious Akçaabat Meatballs (Köfte) due to full stomach. In the meantime, I should say that it is very delicious. One time, I decided that it was the most delicious meatball I had ever tasted. (I guess they don’t cook it the same way every time or that time I was really hungry : )

Special desserts are Laz Böreği, Giresun Kadayıfı  and Hamsi köy Sütlacı. Unluckiness, this time there was no Laz Böreği. You may think it as Baklava with pudding in it. It is one of my favorite 3 desserts. Hamsi köy Sütlacı was also very delicious.

2 bottles of mineral water and 4 km walk were no good for my poor stomach. The best you visit here at noon. So you may burn your calories until the evening.

Web site of Anzer Sofrası: https://www.anzersofrasi.com/