I think… I think I’ve just about sobered up. Not just from alcohol, but from the senses. From the chaos and the lights and the sheer ratio of eatery-to-shopfront. From all the food, the boundless, alluring, transcendental food. It’s been 5 days since we arrived back to London from Istanbul. Try telling that to my bloated stomach carrying a bundle of love, made from the loins of lamb, the aroma of smoked aubergine, the adoration of real Baklava.
Long overdue, a work-related pilgrimage to the greatest city in the world. We always wanted to take key, long-term staff (friends, that’s actually who they are) out to Turkey for the purpose of highlighting our culture to better articulate what Mangal II means to us. The financial reality and the instability of staff turnover, however, laid to rest that pipe dream for almost 4 years. Every time we came close to locking it in, someone suddenly quit and we couldn’t commit to taking time away, which led to miscellaneous chefs coming and leaving, resulting in high expenditure on salaries or a general fear of leaving the restaurant unattended by 5 key pillars (Myself, Sertac + 3 colleagues). We just couldn’t do it. We felt bad and the priority has always been survival.
Today, we’re in a better place. The menu is stable, the team close and bonded and merry, the customer feedback great, and with very small but proficient financial breathing space. All these cogs turned to get the wheel in motion, and off we went – joined by Jordan, Jordan and Jack. Sadly, Jeremiah, Jess, Janice, Jebediah (Springfield) and Joffrey (Baratheon) were all unavailable. Jack as the incumbent head chef with Sertac leaving, Jordan M as senior sous, and Jordan as restaurant manager. None had been to Turkey before, either. It only made sense to bring our 3 pals and feed them to death so together they could continue the tradition of Mangal II in a voice which marries what came before, what we are today, and who we want to remain.
It was a 3 day trip, staying in the heart of Beyoğlu/Taksim (essentially the Shoreditch/Soho of Istanbul). We ate so many exceptional things, all seasonal and packed with flavour and thought. I could run by the bewilderment we felt at Zübehir seating ocakbaşı-side being served otherworldly kidneys and chops. We can bask in Asmali Mevcit with their life-affirming smoked cold aubergine meze and buttery pan-fried livers. Cağ Kebap at Şeyzahde tastes better than revenge. Menemen and sucuk with eggs at Lades can cure a blindingly drunk hangover whilst erupting your heart with joy. The tomato and red onion salad at Sur Balık is simplicity in its purest, most glorious form. Why does a tomato taste so much like a tomato in Turkey, you ask yourself?! Why can’t I find that here in London or elsewhere? I just want a fucking tomato to taste like a tomato, is this so much to ask? Well, Turkey answered. And then some.
Look, we ate a lot and we ate well. We ate so, so well, in fact that I came away here with one conclusion: Istanbul is about to blow up. It is the next San Sebastian – mark my words. Sunshine? Check. Culture? I won’t even indulge in that response because it is beyond debate. Hundreds of places each renowned for one dish only, where you go hopping from one spot to the next trying one single thing because it’s so damn good and incomparable to any other version of it you had anywhere? Check. A fun drinking culture where there’s one spirit that embodies the city like cider embodies our Basque counterpart? Raki, mate. Raki works so well with Turkish meze/meyhane spots. Check. Beautiful landscape, beautiful people full of flair and confidence and just, you know, cool energy? Check.
So, why is it not as revered as the ultimate food destination like the aforementioned, like Paris, or Tokyo, or Mexico City, or Lima, or even London?
Because it wasn’t always this good.
The impetus, the focus on seasonality, on craft and perfecting flavours has been greatly enhanced now compared to my parents’ day when they were living here in the 1980s. From what I’m informed, there were substantially fewer restaurants back then, and the overall quality was lacking. If you wanted the best food in Turkey you’d go to Gaziantep or Adana or Urfa – anywhere south-east near the Syrian border/Silk Route, basically. It seems these skilled individuals serving the finest, most-considered Turkish specialities have all relocated to the Bosporus, bringing their skills and expertise with them. The results are delicious and unquestionably heightened levels of flavour.
So, there we are, 5 hungry hospo kids out for an all-immersive spectrum of food, alcohol, energy and sensory overload. We were joined on many of our ventures by my pal, and all-round good egg, Nick Bramham of Quality Wines fame – who coincidentally had booked a solo trip to Istanbul. The 6 of us were then joined by Sertac’s colleague from his Copenhagen days at 108 restaurant, Sungur Altınöz, who by the way is the ultimate in-the-know food gospel of this brilliant city, and we were overjoyed by our experiences. And yes, we got a bit merry every night post-dinner because it would be rude not to.
Look, it was simply an amazing trip. I never want to write these newsletter with the purpose of showing off or rubbing things in people’s faces. I just feel immensely proud. My parents met in this city – without Istanbul there would be no Dirik family, no Mangal II (probably), and tragically, no indulgent newsletter. So, to be able to come here with my brother, and bring our friends who work with us, and to take them to many a food hotspot and wow them, it just completes me. And next year we’ll bring more with us. It will be an annual trip. We might not be a restaurant group with strong backers and a money pot that could put a deposit down on a 2-bed in North London, but with your continued patronship and our endless dedication to maintaining standards and improving, we can make this a reality for our team.
And make no doubt - this trip was not in vain. We return inspired, eager to replicate and enhance all which we consumed and return that to you, the dear customer. Expect nuanced simplicity packed with bulging flavours.
Hungry yet?
Istanbul? Istanfull.
Get going.