Eat Like Ushi

I didn't get a chance to have gelato at all during the trip. Turkey isn't really a place known for it (as far as I know) and on the night I wanted to go to Gelato Bianco in Oludeniz, I discovered they close at 7pm.

The young guy manning this station in Kas square didn't stand out from the other places offering the same thing, but I came across it this one and thought it was worth a try.

He mashed banana, strawberry and pineapple before pouring ladles of white liquid and nutella. Then proceeded to furiously chop and scrape for a good few minutes. The end product was pretty cylinders of brown icecream with little bits of fruit mixed in. It was topped with chocolate sauce and some wafers for texture.

It reminds me of Coldrock in Melbourne although with fruit rather than lollies. I still prefer pistachio gelato, but this will do fine.

The Turquoise Coast cooks meat better than seafood. It is probably a reflection on the Turkish way of cooking rather than the local ingredients themselves, but seafood tends to be more simple in its preparation here. Perhaps thats why my best memories of Turkish food are meat-based (and not only the 4am doner kebabs).

It was exciting to find a recommended fish restaurant (and also its sister mezze restaurant which I would liked to have had time to try too).

The setting at Bahce Balik is lovely and pleasant in the warm outdoors under lights, vegetation and English-cover music. There is a plethora of hungry street cats that do like to climb up the tablecloth or onto your lap to scavenge some bites. They are cute and harmless overall.

The cabinets of mezzes and fresh seafood catch allows you to choose what you like. The mezzes had a nice selection of many salads and small fish preparations that could be meals on their own. A pomegranate salad and local seaweed in garlic (15TL each) were chosen and served with some olives in excellent olive oil and oregano with fresh bread. A Turkish sweet white wine (16TL) was ordered also. A bottle of water was also opened upon arrival (5TL) which we didn't order - I think it they are going to automatically serve it, then it shouldn't be charged for. But it is 5TL only after all.

- Bahce Balik fish soup 15TL - an excellent soup, strong and fishy. The lemon drew out and contrasted the flavours well;
- Bahce Balik grilled octopus 50TL - I was surprised to find this was pre-cooked in the mezze cabinet. I'm unsure why - maybe for timesaving reasons. It was quite tender and charred. I do have to admit it was expensive for the dish and serving size;
- Grilled grouper 117TL (for 735g) - the staff recommended the best fish locally was the grouper and so it was an easy choice to make. It had been split in half and grilled separately to form two large portions. It was well charred, good seasoning and textured helped along by the lemon to balance out the char. Oddly it was served with one wedge of potato, peppery greens, and raw Spanish onion and a raw radish slice. A bit odd of an accompaniment.

It was the most expensive meal we had along the Turquoise Coast and I'd be keen to go back to try more mezze and the hot appetisers in particular.

It was difficult to choose between the largely identical seeming restaurants in Oludeniz all scattered along Carsi caddesi. They do seem to have identical menus serving Turkish mixed with UK-aimed spaghetti and chidren's fare. Sultan Ahmet had good TA ratings and the smell and view of the grill did work for me.

A very impressive large warm sesame bread arrived with some butter. It was a nice entry to the meal whilst waiting for the mains to arrive.

- Grilled trout 27TL - this was simply grilled with no seasoning. The lemon juice was needed to balance out the grill. The flesh was reasonable well cooked;
- Mixed grill 65TL - the piece-de-resistance arrived and it didn't disappoint. The kebab of mixed chicken and lamb was outstanding with flavours and tenderness beyond. Each of the lamb shish kebab, lamb chop and patty all had excellent flavour also. The chicken drumstick was reasonable but paled compared to the kebab chicken. Lastly the two lamb pieces at the front (perhaps the meat from lamb cutlets) was overcooked. Next time I'd ask for some sauce or mustard but even without it was great.

The service was disappointing in the end. It seemed that there were quite a few regular guests, both English and Turkish who garnered attention and discounts. It was therefore near impossible to get attention toward the end without wanting to specifically generate attention. They also had a sign advertising 10% off for the end of season, but they didn't apply it and I forgot to mention it at the end.

Both left a slightly more bitter taste, but the flavours of the grill have to outweigh that when I think about it.

Oyster was a place we casually came across along the beachfront walkway. It had a nice atmosphere and the menu read seafood but also without the added tourist-focused extras of spaghetti. 

- Braised stuffed calamari (with currants, peppers, carrot, onion, walnuts & chopped calamari) 35TL - a little chewy served on a creamy sauce with excess amounts of dill;
- Saganaki (shrimp & Turkish cheddar patty, battered & deepfried) 23TL - a different form to what I usually expect from saganaki. The patty seemed to be more fish than shrimp and the frying had been overdone slightly to the point of dark and a little charry;
- Swordfish kebab (chunks marinated with olive oil, lemon zest, bay leaves & grilled on a skewer) 44TL - a disappointing rendition of their claim of "the real thing" with overcooked and chewy fish chunks;
- Octopus casserole 35TL - after the prawn casserole at Inci, this sounded appealing. There was tender thin strips of octopus with tomatoes and onions.

The meal was a little disappointing as I hoped for a bit better quality from a seafood place. There are many other good sounding dishes on the menu so if I came back would need to try those instead - like the Sea Bass Wellington.

It's pretty difficult to find varied cuisine in the smaller regions of Turkey as they all seem to have a very similar menu. Inci was a name I saw creep up and it's clear the mention on Culture Trip has brought it regular UK business (or maybe it had that before anyway?). There was an older English male who seemed to be an owner of sorts. The reputed homestyle cooking made it a good choice for the first evening along the Turquiose Coast. After a 1.5hr drive in the dark from Dalaman airport, appetites were at a high and they were satiated.

Complimentary warm soft bread came with an excellent tomato and onion salsa loaded with strong raw garlic - it was fantastic.

- Stuffed vine leaves 14TL - simple flavoured rice dolma with a yoghurt dipping sauce;
- Chef's special lamb 39.5TL - quite tender lamb with a little redness to the meat stuffed with cheese and served on another strong garlic/onion/tomato sauce;
- Prawn casserole 27.5TL - on the menu as a starter but clearly a main. Bubbling cauldron of bouncy prawns incredibly well flavoured with cream, tomato and cheese sauce. Served with rice, mashed potato and fries for some added carbs.

We were full to the brim after this and happy to have been welcomed to Turkey this way.

After drinking on a canal boat for a 30th, the party wandered for Saturday afternoon drinks in the courtyard of the pub. I think they also had some kind of shoddy Eurovision style karaoke going on in the back, but we kept outselves to the modest sunshine and cool breeze in the front.

The veggie burger had a vegetable sausage cut up into portions to replace the patty. It was surprisingly tasty and worked perfectly as a meat substitute. The OG Kush £10 had a thin but deliciously seasoned beef patty with bacon, cheese, avocado, jalapeños and jalapeño/lime cream.

Fries with jalapeño mayo added to the salt and overall happiness.

Surprisingly good burgers. Would happily go back if in the area.

After trying a few of the local pubs with mixed results, I found another one this time on the western side of Mile End/Bow border. Actually I didn't realise it was a pub from my brief look online but it's pretty apparent when you see the outside. I went on a Wednesday and they had just started a burger + drink £10 deal.

This is great considering the burgers are normally £12 alone and add £2-3 for a cider/wine. Unfortunately teething issues with the computer systems meant there was a 75min wait even though I checked after 50mins (and it took them another 15mins to realise). The burgers were served with some alright fries and tiny amount of token baby gem lettuce salad.

- Old spot pork & chorizo burger, picked fennel - a nice juicy porky patty of medium thickness;
- Courgette & halloumi burger, tzatziki - a decent vegetarian patty that was heavily spiced with cumin.

It's an excellent deal for £10. The menu has a little more creativity than the standard pub fare and it's cheaper than Morgan Arms. I'll go back and try it again.

After taking the Eurostar back to St. Pancras, a heavily flavoured Chinese meal was beckoning. Szechuan is probably my favourite Chinese sub-cuisine and so it was time I tried one in London.

It's a dingy looking place very typical of Chinese cheap diners. Funnily enough there was a non-Chinese speaking English waitress too. She did seem a little left out whilst the others were gossiping.

- Mapo tofu with minced pork £7.5 - a thick hearty warming gelatinous (and probably MSG) version. Still good;
- Stirfried lamb with chilli & cumin £9.8 - lots of chillies but not too much heat. The salt flavouring was strong in this one with some cumin coming through;
- Aubergine with fresh chopped chilli £7.2 - braised in a vinegar sauce.

It's reasonably priced and a short walk from St. Pancras making it convenient for trips based around the area. Why not?

There's only so long you can go without Vietnamese food after living in multiple areas that serve it so easily, cheaply and tastily. The trio of Cay Tre, Mien Tay and Song Que are well known here and so it sounds like I'd eventually eat at them all anyway.

The menu is extensive of the staples and describes each dish well. They don't have che ba mau, so if you're reading this, add it to the menu!

- Shrimp & Jellyfish Green Mango Salad (with Vietnamese mint, perilla, garlic chips, vinaigrette, prawn crackers) £8.5 - a small serve but a delicious array of flavours and textures bound together by a mild nuoc mam dressing;
- Original Pho (with steak & brisket) £11 - this is my standard aka Pho Bo Tai Nam. Rare fillet slices are added to the hot broth to slightly cook and not-too-fatty brisket is a bit firmer and meatier. The broth has a nice spiced flavour, without being too strong and MSG. It's strange that despite the menu saying so, they don't give any sawtooth herb or Thai basil unless you ask for it. Maybe because it's expensive. So only the people that know will ask and get it;
- Bun Bo Hue (with beef & pork hock) £12 - a nice broth with good shrimp paste and lemongrass tones. Usually it needs to be a bit more fiery red (from either annatto seeds or chilli sate) but this simpler one allowed the flavours to come through nicely. It usually comes with lettuce and laksa leaves, but not so here.

Once I accept the prices, I'll probably enjoy it more and eat Vietnamese more frequently. Until then, it's an occasional necessity. I wonder how the others in the area compare?

Apparently Manchester has the 3rd largest Chinatown in Europe. London is probably 1st but I'm not sure which is 2nd. Nonetheless given there aren't really any typical local Manchester foods then any excuse for Asian was a good one. Funnily most of the well reputed ones are on the very expensive side which I wasn't really up for - although Tattu does look good if up for it - or Cantonese which I think is less exciting than other Chinese cuisines.

I wanted to go to Red Chilli for Szechuan but the Chinatown branch was closed so Hunan seemed somewhere else nearby and of regional cuisine. It tends to have more braises, stirfries and smoked meats. Apparently it can be fiery hot but not too much here. I tried to select what would be Hunanese dishes, as they do serve Cantonese and other bits of fare too (including for some reason pho...)

- Chairman Mao's Red Braised Pork £7.8 - not nearly as glowing red as the picture in the menu, a warming dish of savoury pork;
- Stirfried Hunan Smoked Bacon with Garlic shoots £9.8 - really delicious smoked salted meat with garlic shoots adding texture and differing flavour. It was marked as a spicy dish and the chillies added heat but not too much;
- Stirfried Cucumber with Salted Egg Yolk £8.8 - I like the salted duck egg added to deepfries and so it was good to see it with a vegetable dish. The cucumber was somewhat crunchy and not the soft squishy texture usually associated with cooked cucumber. The egg yolk coating wasn't very salty but still fine;
- Steamed & Deepfried Northern Buns £6 - I reminisce about the deepfried mantou buns from a now-closed restaurant in Melbourne who served the delicious things with crisp coats and layers of mantou bread slivered underneath. These were much less flavoursome and exciting and next time I'd probably just get rice instead.

It was a decent meal other than the bread. I do still prefer the heat of Szechuan or the cumin of the north.