İstanbul : Week #21: Healthy Choice

In the past 20 weeks, I have tried many different breakfast locations around (and beyond) Istanbul. Even tough breakfasts seem the same, they differ a lot. One of the most important things is the quality of ingredients used for breakfast. Organic olives, homemade jam and butter, homemade bread, special cheese and kaymak... all these 'details' make an important difference when it comes to the quality of breakfast. I know that some people care more about a good view and a good-priced breakfast, for me it's more important to enjoy the food, hence the quality of food and the way it's served is more important. Of course, if you search for a quality and organic food, you will pay at least 40 tl per person for a breakfast (in Istanbul).

One downside of a big Turkish breakfast is that you literally can go back to sleep after having it. I've noticed that especially the sweets and fried boreks or potatoes served with the breakfast make me sleepy. This is one of the reasons why I was searching for a less sweet and fried alternative. A few weeks ago I found a very cheesy breakfast place in Cihangir, which can be a good option if you want less sweet breakfast. Another option is a self-service type of breakfast at Plus Kitchen. This week I have tried a place in Karaköy which do serve a full Turkish breakfast, but the jams are far less sweet than usual and many things they serve are homemade, like homemade borek and gözleme, homemade pogaca, etc. Jams are sugarfree. Turkish breakfast for 2 people (or even for 3) costs 80tl, 2 çays/person are included in the price.

What differs this breakfast from other 'serpme' style breakfasts is that they don't serve everything at the time. Which makes things more exciting and you never know what kind of deliciousness will come from the kitchen. One of my favourite parts of the breakfast was yoghurt (they serve it first), a breakfast salad and home baked pastries.