dining out in Istanbul at Matbah

When planning my trip to Istanbul, I knew I wanted to have a nice Turkish dinner. So I, of course, went on the Michelin website and looked at their Istanbul restaurant guide. I sifted through quite a lot of choices, looking for spots in the old historic district. I settled on two that looked (and were) amazing. One of these was Matbah. Their menu is a curation of recipes from multiple centuries of the Ottoman empire, all found in historic texts of the Topkapi Palace kitchens. Their tagline is “Eat like a Sultan.” I travelled with my dad, who’s a big history buff (which he’s passed down to me) and this restaurant excited us both.

It’s located just outside the walls of the Hagia Sophia and has a gorgeous view overlooking a mosque and parts of the city. We were lucky enough to eat right around sunset, having booked our reservation according to what time google told us the Turks tend to take dinner.

We were sure to order multiple dishes, wanting to experience as much as we could of the historic Turkish cuisine. They were also kind enough to bring out a few complimentary dishes for us to try. Starting with a pomegranate juice as an aperitif. Apparently pomegranate juice has a long history in Turkey, mainly for it’s health benefits.

For appetizers we ordered one from their cold menu and one from their hot. "Zeytinyagh Enginar/Stuffed Artichokes in Olive Oil" from the 17th Century, and "Ball Gemici Böregi/Sailor's Roll With Honey" from the 15th century. If you were to pick one or the other, I would choose the Böregi. Both were good but the Böregi was so special. They also brought us an eggplant and yogurt dip along with an olive tapenade and deliciously baked flat bread.

For main courses we had the "Bostan Patlicaninda Reyhanli Bildircin/Quail in Garden Eggplant with Basil Sauce" from the 17th Century, and the "Kirde Kebabi/Kirde Kebab" from the 18th century. Both were delicious.

For dessert we split the "Bal Helvasi/Honey Halva" from the 15th Century. This dessert was incredible and, in my opinion, rich enough to be shared. At the end of our meal they brought us two complimentary Turkish Teas, which we enjoyed while we watched the city cats jump along the roof and attempt to sneak into the restaurant.

This was an experience I’m really glad I didn’t miss. If you’re a foodie, or a historian, (or both) this one’s for you!