Used during a gathering with a friend from college days. It’s a store located on the first basement floor of a multi-purpose building behind Shibuya Marktown. We arrived at the store around the time when the year-end celebration season was in full swing, and the store was packed with customers. Everyone had already finished their orders, and the atmosphere was one of chaos and noise. Most of our gathering members were there, so we wanted to start the party right away. However, the staff were clearly not enough to handle the customers. There was only one person in the kitchen and three people on the floor, running around here and there. It was difficult to get anyone’s attention. We finally managed to get someone to take our orders.
Today is a special banquet menu. It includes 2.5 hours of free drinks, and the famous kebab is served together in a very affordable package. The drink menu is also luxurious, featuring beer, Turkish wine, distilled spirits like Lako, as well as soft drinks made from Turkish fruits like azukus and apricots. Additionally, since today is a Friday, the regular belly dance show will also be held. It sounds like a great opportunity for those who love Turkish cuisine.
First, I ordered a drink. Only one bottle of Turkish beer, "Efeş," was available per person, so that became my choice. It's a lager, but it has a very rich taste.
The first item of the course was a variety of appetizers. There were various colorful pasta sauces served together with the pita bread cooked in the restaurant. I tried to guess what the colors represented: yellow might be hummus (pasta made from chickpeas), bavaraguju (pasta made from eggplant)? White might be haidirli (herb-infused yogurt). In the end, I didn’t really understand all of it, but each of these five flavors was delicious. The red-pricking sauce with a spicy taste (made with tomatoes) was my favorite.
The second item is lentil and tomato soup. Each of these dishes was served on a separate plate. They had a spicy flavor, and they were extremely delicious. It was so tasty that the plates were emptied quickly.
Here, the beer ran out, so I switched to wine. It seems to be Turkish-made wine. Both red and white varieties are light and easy to drink.
The third item is a choban salad. It's a salad made with tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers. The dressing consists of lemon juice and olive oil, giving it a very refreshing flavor.
The fourth dish is a chicken stew. It features a tomato-based sauce in which chicken, mushrooms, and onions are cooked together. There seems to be some cumin or paprika added, giving it an incredibly spicy flavor.
Here, the owner announced the news of the Beli Dance show. He apologized for the noise that would be caused by music starting soon. Since we were already ready, it didn’t bother us at all. As time passed, the lights dimmed, and dancers appeared on stage. It was my first time seeing Beli Dance in person. The dancers moved with extreme poses, fixing their bodies in awkward positions. In some of the faster parts, their abdominal muscles were shaken so strongly that it seemed like they might suffer from intestinal torsion. It was clearly a dance that put a lot of strain on the body. I couldn’t help but admire the dancers’ skills and physical strength. They performed five songs with smiles on their faces.
The dance performance ended, and the fifth dish was served. Today’s highlight is a mixed platter of kebab. There are four types of meat: chicken, beef, lamb, and minced meat. Rice is served alongside the tomato paste. The chicken is simply seasoned with salt; it has a soft texture due to its fatty nature. The beef is cooked to medium doneness. The lamb is sliced thinly, resembling dineres kebab. There’s little sheep smell, and the preparation is well done. The minced meat is shaped into sticks and grilled on skewers—this is what we call shish kebab. It’s a delicacy, with plenty of spices mixed into the minced meat. There’s quite a lot to eat, so it takes effort to finish everything.
To accompany the kebab platter, I ordered a drink called “airan” – a salt-based liquid similar to a lassi. The reaction among those who tried it was one of saltiness, but the mild saltiness combined with the sourness of yogurt made it a perfect pairing with fatty meat dishes. The refreshing yogurt helped to wash away the rich taste of the meat, providing a very pleasant experience.
Finally, the dessert. It's a soft cake similar to pudding. It was cold and smooth, and extremely delicious. The plain tea served with it was a great way to freshen up after the meal.
After spending nearly 3 hours drinking, eating, and having a great time, we truly enjoyed ourselves at this Turkish restaurant. We even got to experience the rare phenomenon of belly dance, making for a highly satisfying dinner.
