Delicious Dish, You're On the Air: Café Istanbul
1. I bought a hair straightener.
2. I met someone.
3. I ate at Café Istanbul.
The second thing is kinda huge and the first thing is hugely foolish. Only the third thing is relevant to this website at all, so I will shut up and run with it. And I'm in a listing sort of mood, so allow me to continue with a list of reasons why I heart Café Istanbul, and why I've added it to my, ahem, list of favourite dining spots in Halifax.
1. My chicken wrap with salad was so perfectly sized. There is nothing more off-putting to me then someone slapping a heaping platter down at my place. If I want a sickeningly huge pile of food I will go to a buffet. And I will go to a buffet if I want to experience gluttony and food poisoning.
2. My chicken was so perfectly cooked.
3. It had flavours that I couldn't identify but bloody loved. And a little ramekin of a tomato-based sauce. Aren't you loving all these descriptive details? Apparently I've been out of journalism school long enough to forget to take a pen and ask questions.
4. The owner/manager/friendly guy working the room was attentive and made you feel welcome without being slimy and irritating. Thank you for the free Turkish tea. If I had any journalistic integrity left I would have gotten your name.
5. The freshly-baked baklava was pistachio heaven on Spring Garden Road. My co-diner wanted to split. I almost agreed, but was coaxed ever so gently by owner/manager/friendly guy to get my own. He totally gets me.
6. It was good value! $14 for a main, dessert and tea. Not too shabby.
7. Being at the restaurant you can almost imagine you're in a different, more exotic city....until this illusion is shattered by a college student walking down the street in pajama pants.
Semi Solid Kind of Life
"Limit yourself to a semi-solid diet and avoid spicy and very hot food for one week."
That is one instruction of many on my post-periodontal surgery instruction sheet. Going into this thing I wondered what could possibly be worse than having someone slice bits of skin off the roof of your mouth and re-attach them to your gums.
Well, now I know.
Eating semi-solid food for seven days.
And don't let the word semi-solid fool you. It means pureed. You try eating anything semi-solid with a form-fitting rubber mouth guard. It's not pretty.
I'm hungry!! All I've had in the past few days are smoothies, soup, mashed potatoes and a DQ sundae. Well, I jumped the gun this morning by trying soggy french toast. Delicious, but I'm glad no one was around to witness this caveman-esque act.
I'm cranky and I just want to bite into something and chew it. My co-worker had a hamburger in the lunchroom on Thursday and I had to restrain myself from just licking it.
Did I mention I broke one of the rules and got some spicy Thai coconut soup? Yup, pretty sure it stained my mouth guard nicotine yellow.
That's hot.
4 more days. Celebratory dinner on Wednesday night.
That is one instruction of many on my post-periodontal surgery instruction sheet. Going into this thing I wondered what could possibly be worse than having someone slice bits of skin off the roof of your mouth and re-attach them to your gums.
Well, now I know.
Eating semi-solid food for seven days.
And don't let the word semi-solid fool you. It means pureed. You try eating anything semi-solid with a form-fitting rubber mouth guard. It's not pretty.
I'm hungry!! All I've had in the past few days are smoothies, soup, mashed potatoes and a DQ sundae. Well, I jumped the gun this morning by trying soggy french toast. Delicious, but I'm glad no one was around to witness this caveman-esque act.
I'm cranky and I just want to bite into something and chew it. My co-worker had a hamburger in the lunchroom on Thursday and I had to restrain myself from just licking it.
Did I mention I broke one of the rules and got some spicy Thai coconut soup? Yup, pretty sure it stained my mouth guard nicotine yellow.
That's hot.
4 more days. Celebratory dinner on Wednesday night.
24 hours of eating
Waking up on Sunday morning with a food hangover I realized I hadn't eaten anything out of my own kitchen since Friday at 6:55 a.m. when I wolfed down half a banana.I spent the better part of this weekend in restaurants and bars.
This is how it went down:
Friday noon: Sushi Nami Royale (Clayton Park)
I had...a spicy salmon maki.
It was...not enough food for a strapping young lass such as I.
In the future I would...order two.
The vibe there is...class in the middle of a strip mall.
Friday eve: The Fireside
I had...a lamb burger, caesar salad and as many rye and gingers as I could fit in whilst happy hour prices were still relevant.
It was...unfortunate that I didn't get there earlier to really get a bang for my buck.
In the future I would...strap a flask to my leg for when happy hour ends.
The vibe there is...oddly pretentious. Do you really need two snotty hosts at the door? I think not.
Saturday morn: Two If By Sea
I had...pain au chocolat, a coffee and a sweet tart from a germ-ridden communal valentine candy bowl that said, "bip moi" on it. Bip moi? Is that what the kids call it these days?
It was...a miracle that my arteries didn't immediately close over. Holy butter. And not so big on the chocolate in the croissant being melted chocolate chips. I think the French would probably faint from horror?
In the future I would...have a Montreal bagel instead. The coffee was delish.
The vibe there is...fantastic! I heart Dartmouth! Vive le darkness!
Saturday noon: Mexico Lindo
I had...a sinking feeling when my plate came and I saw my chicken burrito.
It was...less than ideal. An authentic Mexican restaurant should have corn tortillas.
In the future I would...probably not eat there again. Which disappoints me.
The vibe there is...really uncomfortable when the couple two tables over is arguing audibly.
Saturday eve: The Foggy Goggle
I had...fancy mac and cheese, St. Ambroise Apricot Wheat Ale and half a brownie with homemade butterscotch sauce
It was...a meal wracked with guilt when I thought about the rest of the food I had eaten already that day.
In the future I would...not eat carbs and 3 different kinds of cheese after 9 p.m.
(Who the hell am I kidding? Of course I would.)
The vibe there is...oddly quiet when the food is really good and it's cozy. Wtf?
So, 24,000 calories and 75 million grams of fat later...
This week I shall do nothing but butt clenches and eat cucumber slices.
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