Anyone who\u2019s visited Istanbul knows the city is full of delicious food. But sometimes finding fare that\u2019s not Turkish can be a challenge. Those longing for the delectable tastes of perfectly spiced khinkali, melt-in-your-mouth khachapuri, and the fresh-grape goodness of a genuine chacha shot, won\u2019t regret going a little off the beaten path to a neighborhood bustling with visitors, traders, and \u00e9migr\u00e9s from the former Soviet Union.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Trilling-6696.jpg\" "\\"Trilling-6696\\"")
Caf\u00e9 Euro, opened six years ago, serves up Georgian cuisine, one of the tastiest culinary traditions known in the Russian-speaking world. There is no menu per se. Proprietor Eka Pruidze will tell you what\u2019s available, and whatever you order, she\u2019ll say it won\u2019t possibly be enough to sate you.<\/p>\n
One specialty you\u2019re likely to find is khachapuri, a flat bread baked with fresh, slightly salty Georgian cheese and brought to your table piping hot. Khachapuri comes in different varieties. The default at Caf\u00e9 Euro is imeruli, hailing from Eka\u2019s native region of Imeretia. It is round and sliced into wedges that can easily be folded around fresh parsley or scallions. But you can also order the canoe-shaped adjaruli variety, which comes with an egg (or several, Eka will offer) cooked sunny-side-up atop the cheese filling. Few eating experiences are as gratifying as breaking off a dangerously hot piece of the crisp, doughy crust and dipping it into the khachapuri\u2019s steaming, golden middle.<\/p>\n
Another favorite, which goes particularly well with beer, is the khinkali, giant soup dumplings that Eka, her husband and their two staff make by hand. For those new to khinkali, the proper eating procedure to ensure you relish every drop of their meaty goodness is as follows: Restrain yourself long enough to allow them to cool slightly; otherwise you risk burning the tips of your fingers. Then, grab a plump, white khinkali by its \u201cnipple\u201d\u2014the convenient protrusion used to hold the dumpling. Take a small bite on one side and immediately slurp in the deliciously seasoned broth. After this, you can take your time nibbling away at the tender pasta pouch and the peppery, minced meat inside.<\/p>\n
If any of this is unclear, you may be able to turn for help to the other patrons, for example a group of gregarious drivers from Georgia. They might even share some of their young, homemade red wine, stowed away in a plastic jug under their table. Eka herself serves Georgian wine, when her supplies haven\u2019t been swept away by a massive party the night before. She also has fresh Efes beer on tap and fine Georgian chacha, a grappa-like drink, served here in the tulip-shaped tea glasses ubiquitous in Turkey.<\/p>\n
The caf\u00e9 sits on the fringes of a busy cargo hub full of buses and trucks shuttling goods between Istanbul and former Soviet republics in the Caucasus, as well as the Balkans. Signs advertise rides to cities like Eka\u2019s native Kutaisi in Georgia, and Ganja and Baku in Azerbaijan, as well as freight deliveries to Ermenistan (Armenia) and Dagestan.<\/p>\n
Eka, who is 36 and spent three years as a shuttle trader before opening the cafe, imports nearly everything, including her meat and cheese, from Georgia. Nowadays, her supplies arrive on Sunday mornings, on a weekly bus from Kutaisi. So head to Caf\u00e9 Euro on a Sunday or shortly thereafter. That\u2019s when you\u2019re more likely to find Tarkhun, the bright green soda made from tarragon and cherished throughout the former Soviet Union, or tkemali, the tangy plum sauce that goes so well with any Georgian meat dish, or Nabeghlavi, a slightly sulfurous-tasting mineral water. But be warned, Caf\u00e9 Euro is a tavern in every sense of the word: The crowd can get a little rough and rowdy some evenings. (As Eka tactfully put it, \u201cnot all my customers are like you.\u201d)<\/p>\n
If you have the chance, be sure to try Caf\u00e9 Euro soon. Within a couple of years the city plans to complete a new subway station in the area, which is likely to sweep away the privately run parking lot the caf\u00e9 is attached to. We hope it doesn\u2019t spell the end of Eka\u2019s khinkali in Istanbul.<\/p>\n
We here at EurasiaNet.org aren\u2019t the first to appreciate Eka\u2019s fine cooking. Caf\u00e9 Euro was reviewed last year by Delicious Istanbul author Olga Tikhonova at Istanbul Eats.<\/p>\n
Directions: Come out of Yusufpa\u015fa tram station in the Aksaray neighborhood and<\/p>\n
walk, in a direction perpendicular to the tracks, over the hill, towards the Sea of Marmara (if you see lots of discos and small hotels, you\u2019re in the right area). When you hit K\u00fc\u00e7\u00fck Langa Caddesi, a relatively large street running parallel to the water, make a right and walk west for about five minutes until you hit the \u20acuropa Bazaar on your left. Caf\u00e9 Euro is at the gate, down a few steps.<\/p>\n
via Istanbul\u2019s True Georgian Tavern | EurasiaNet.org.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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