What’s so great about this place?
“The food is local, but with a twist. I’ve
known Civan [Er, the chef] for a long
time – he used to have a column in the
daily newspaper
Hürriyet
, which I
followed for a long time before I knew
him. He sources all his ingredients
locally from independent producers
and it really shows.
“You can’t go wrong with the food.
I love the spicy
antep sucuk
, a beef
sausage from Gaziantep with walnuts
and lukewarm borlotti bean purée, or
the
kofte hellim
[grilled meatballs with
halloumi and warm potato salad], and
for dessert I can’t resist the custard
fritter in
kudayıfı
[dessert bread] with
smoked buffalo-milk ice cream.”
Who comes here?
“All sorts: local artists, Turkish
celebrities, high society, visitors to
Istanbul... I’ve been coming since it
opened in June 2013 and, as a friend,
I often ask Civan advice about cooking.”
Emel Kurhan’s guide, Emel Loves
Istanbul, is out now.
emelkurhan.blogspot.co.uk
Emel Kurhan
Artist, designer and author
AS TOLD TO
MALIKA BROWNE
PHOTO
TIM E WHITE
EATS AT
YENI LOKANTA
66 Kumbaracı Yokuşu
ISTANBUL
+90 212 292 2550
lokantayeni.com
“The food is local, but with a twist.
All the ingredients are sourced from
independent producers”
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T H E R E A L R E G U L A R S
