My beloved composer, Mr. Kyōhei Tsutsumi's masterpiece. The representative song of Showa pop, "Flying to Istanbul," has been playing from my father's car stereo since I was a child. It left an impression on my young heart, wondering what kind of country Istanbul is. Turkey is often debated whether it is in Asia or Europe, but the common definition refers to regions outside of Europe on the Eurasian continent. Based on this definition, Turkey is on the western edge, spanning some parts of Europe but generally classified as Western Asia. That's Turkey for you. In fact, it is said to be one of the "world's three major cuisines"! From lamb skewers "Shish Kebab" to "Pilaf," "Stuffed Cabbage Rolls," and "Yogurt," all originate from Turkey. A mix of the deliciousness of both Europe and Asia, Turkish cuisine is known for its specialty restaurants in Kyoto. Istanbul Sarai is one such place. Located in a quiet alley off Kawaramachi Street in Kyoto, on the third floor of a mixed-use building. The interior of the restaurant is full of exotic charm, with blue Turkish tiles adorning the walls. Beautiful. The kitchen in the back is manned by chefs wearing Fez, a red cylindrical Turkish hat without a brim. First, we enjoy an Efes beer, Turkey's representative beer, while deciding on the menu. Shaksuka with tomato sauce, Adana Iskender Kebab with yogurt and tomato sauce, Ajur Ezme spicy vegetable paste, hot Turkish bread, crispy white cheese spring rolls, Dondurma Turkish ice cream, Sutlac oven-baked rice pudding, and Chai Turkish tea. The phrases may be unfamiliar, but the flavors are familiar and the spices are subtle. The vegetables and lamb are simmered in a tomato-based sauce, seasoned with sour yogurt, creating a rich and mellow taste. The slight acidity is irresistible. Turkish cuisine is so delicious! The hot Turkish bread with spicy paste is addictive. I thought cheese would go well with it, but my partner disagreed. Tomato, cheese, yogurt, the three main elements I love, come together in healthy and delicious Turkish cuisine. I want to try more varieties someday! I would love to try it in the original place. Flying to Istanbul~•*¨*•.¸¸♬︎ Thank you for the meal!

Visited Istanbul Saray, a famous Turkish restaurant for the first time. The lamb kebab was cooked perfectly, with no overpowering flavors and very tender. The seasoning was not too strong, making it very easy to eat, and the deep flavors of the spices were excellent. As for the yogurt dishes, the slightly sour taste may be a hit or miss for some people. The atmosphere of the restaurant was also great, and you can see why it's so popular. I'm thinking of trying the set menu next time.

Today, I had lunch at this restaurant. Located near Sanjo Kawaramachi, I was intrigued by the Turkish cuisine that I rarely eat and visited for the first time. I had the Chicken Kebab Lunch and the daily stew lunch. Not only the main dishes, but also the three appetizers and salad were very delicious. Next time, I would like to try the Shish Kebab. Thank you for the meal.

I visited a restaurant that I had been curious about for a while. I really like Eastern European to Middle Eastern cuisine, so my expectations were high. First, I tried a platter of 5 appetizers. I dipped different flavors of dips with bread, and they were all really delicious. I also tried Turkish bread, Ekimicki, which was fragrant and tasty. For drinks, I had a salty yogurt drink called Ayran, which was refreshing and delicious, perfect for summer. The grilled chicken main dish was also tasty with its flavorful spices. The interior of the restaurant was lovely, and the staff was very polite. It was a wonderful restaurant where I could feel like I was on a mini trip to Turkey. Thank you for the delicious meal.

First visit. "Istanbul Saray" near Kyoto City Hall. Sunday, June 25, 2023. Today's Kyoto exploration included another destination. A Turkish restaurant, "Istanbul Saray," located near Kyoto City Hall. The initial visit time was full, so we had to leave. After adjusting our schedule, we revisited and luckily managed to secure the last available seat. Excited to try it out. 12:42 Visit. The restaurant was full inside with a waiting line outside, so we couldn't get in. 13:46 Revisited. Managed to get a seat just in time. Ordered. 13:54 Soup arrived. 13:58 Appetizers. Bread arrived. 14:05 Chicken kebab arrived. 14:23 Dessert. Tea arrived. 14:30 Paid the bill and left. Chicken kebab lunch set for 1850 yen includes soup, 3 types of appetizers, bread, chicken kebab (served with salad and pilaf), dessert (Turkish pudding), and drink (tea). The two types of paste appetizers were delicious and paired well with the bread. The main chicken kebab had just the right amount of spices. The small portion of pilaf was a nice flavor variation. The Turkish pudding had a unique sweetness that went well with the tea. It was a delightful meal. There were quite a few inbound tourists, and the late lunchtime was bustling. It made me nostalgic for my trip to Turkey 25 years ago, and I felt like having Turkish cuisine again. #IstanbulSaray #istanbulsaray #KyotoCityHall

It was my first time trying Turkish cuisine. I had imagined the flavors to be more exotic, but other than the meat dishes, everything was light and not too bold, appealing to everyone! The meat dishes were well-seasoned with salt and spices, giving a sense of eating foreign cuisine, which was great! Every dish was delicious and satisfying. The tea was also delicious.

I went to a Turkish restaurant "Istanbul Saray" in Kyoto at night, which I had wanted to visit for a long time. I made a reservation and arrived at 6:00 pm with my son and his girlfriend for a dinner. I had visited once before, but the operating hours had changed due to the pandemic, so I couldn't enter. This time, it was a revenge visit (laughs). We decided not to go for a course menu this time and opted for a la carte. First, we ordered some drinks. I had Turkish distilled liquor, Yeni Raki (with an alcohol content of 45%!) and Turkish beer for a toast! Now, here's what we ordered: - Yeni Raki - Turkish beer - Assorted appetizers (¥1,950) - Water dumplings with yogurt sauce (¥1,250) - Shish Kebab (¥1,950) - Cheese Pide (¥1,300) - Turkish bread (¥300) - Turkish ice cream (¥550) - Turkish coffee (¥450) - Turkish tea (¥250) Everything was delicious! Truly living up to its reputation as one of the world's top 3 cuisines. The appetizers are paste-like, so you eat them with Turkish bread, which was incredibly tasty. The Shish Kebab was consistently delicious, and the water dumplings recommended by the staff were also excellent with the yogurt sauce. The Turkish pizza had no strong flavors and was surprisingly delicious. The Turkish ice cream didn't stretch much, unlike the ones you find at street stalls. Maybe it needs to be kneaded more? The coffee and tea after the meal were served in the cutest cups and glasses! I wish I could find Turkish cuisine of this quality in Nagoya. I will definitely visit again when I come back to Kyoto. Thank you for the wonderful meal! *Payment by card.

I was overwhelmed by the authentic Turkish cuisine!! The assorted appetizers were amazing and each dish paired perfectly with alcohol! The freshly baked homemade bread was so delicious that I had to get seconds. The Shish Kebab was full of flavor with a strong spice blend - truly one of the world's top dishes. The Efes beer, commonly enjoyed in Turkey, was light and easy to drink, becoming my favorite. I was curious about the Turkish distilled spirits, but with 45-50% alcohol content, I had to pass. There were many foreign customers seeking authentic flavors, making the restaurant quite busy with some having to wait for a table. The restaurant is on the third floor but there is an elevator for those who prefer not to take the stairs. On my way out, the chef even escorted me to the elevator with a lovely smile. I would love to visit again to see the chef's smiling face.

Turkey, known for Turkish ice cream and kebabs. Turkish ice cream is stretchy, while kebabs are slices of rotating meat. It's fun to watch them shave off the meat. You can also enjoy salty yogurt drinks there. I wonder if they really have those. They're not delicious, but they're refreshing. Rice pudding is recommended.

I had trouble finding the location of the restaurant, but managed to locate it and visit. The interior had a casual atmosphere. The overall volume of the course and the time between each dish being served helped to fill me up.

I was looking for a place to have lunch around Kawaramachi Sanjo, and this restaurant popped up on Tabelog. I visited Turkey about 15 years ago and the food was delicious, so one of the reasons I wanted to visit this place was to try their rice pudding. The restaurant opened at 12 o'clock, and when I entered about 5 minutes later, it was already about 80% full. I went with a friend, and we decided to order different dishes. I ordered the daily stew, and my friend ordered the chicken kebab. However, when the main dishes arrived, my friend wanted to switch and ended up having the chicken kebab. Here's what we had: - Soup: Lentil soup. The lentils were well-filtered, and the flavor was rich and well-seasoned. It was very delicious. - Appetizers & Pita bread: The appetizers included lentil salad, cheese spring rolls, and a mixture of tomatoes, garlic, minced meat, and sliced carrots. The pita bread was served warm, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. It went perfectly with the minced meat mixture. The lentil salad was in a paste form and spread on the pita bread, which was a unique and delicious combination. - Main dish: Chicken kebab. It looked dry at first, but when I tasted it, the cooking was perfect, and the seasoning was just right. It was not too spicy, making it easy to eat and the portion was generous. The pilaf was lightly seasoned and went really well with the chicken. - Dessert: Rice pudding with a hint of cinnamon and not too sweet. It was very delicious. - Drink: I chose chai, which was rich and tasted like the authentic Turkish chai. It was served in a Turkish-style glass. The restaurant was full by the time we finished our meal. The course was well-rounded, and for only 1650 yen, we were very satisfied with the rare Turkish cuisine in Kansai. I would love to visit again!

I have discovered some surprising Central and West Asian cuisine in Osaka, which has made me neglect my search for Halal cuisine in Kyoto. However, I ended up returning to Saray, a familiar restaurant. While I found that the kebabs were not as unique as I had hoped, I had no complaints or issues this time. The yogurt drink called Ayran was particularly delicious and complemented the kebabs well. The appetizers, including grilled eggplant and diced potato in olive oil, were excellent as always. There was also a pink salad with tuna and crushed walnuts mixed with yogurt that was the best I've had. The Adana kebab had a meaty texture that was the best I've experienced. I look forward to trying the Turkish dumplings and stuffed peppers with pilaf next time.

Long-awaited Turkish cuisine after a long time...! (tears) (Actually, it hasn't been three months yet) I finally tried the lentil soup that I've been wanting to eat for a while. The flavor of the spices may be a bit lacking, but there are many bean soups (Çorbası) in Turkish cuisine, and some of them are not very spicy at all. (If I mention it to the chef next time, I might be able to enjoy a more delicious and sparkly spicy soup.) The appetizer platter is amazing. The familiar dishes that I always enjoy, as follows: 1) Simple and delicious hummus; 2) Yogurt with garlic (similar to strained yogurt, not Ayran), which tastes like a spiced cheese. The taste of garlic is subtly blended and developed; 3) Probably called Acılı Ezme, a paste made from three types of peppers (cooked or roasted, doesn't matter) and onion. It is sweet, spicy, fragrant, and flavorful; 4) The only non-paste eggplant salad - diced eggplant fried in oil. The fried eggplant has a slightly strange aroma from the skin, and its bitterness transforms into a sweet sensation like dates (!). The freshly baked bread (not called Naan in Turkey, but you can call it Naan or Pita if you want) has a crispy crust and fluffy interior, perfect (^^)/. Moving on to the main course, the kebab and pilaf arrived. The portion is suitable for one person's meal, and the round salad looks very beautiful. The grilled chicken is very tender! Juicy with crispy skin, heavenly... The luxurious texture and flavor indicate that it was marinated well. I think it's the best grilled chicken. The lamb was okay. Since I eat lamb every week in my home country, I may feel a bit unsatisfied with the Japanese version, which is not surprising. However, it is at least normally delicious, and I can guarantee that there is no unpleasant smell. The salad was a bit too sharp with the onions. I often make salads by thinly slicing onions myself, and I am familiar with the seasoning called Sumac, but for some reason, I felt a strong bitter taste that day... Maybe I caught a cold. The pilaf was not the long-grain Basmati rice I was expecting, but plain rice with butter on top. I have the same impression as the soup. In other words, this is actually the authentic taste of Turkey (I've seen it a lot on YouTube), but if they had served something even more distinctive to meet expectations, I would have been more satisfied. As for the dessert, it was perfect (´∀｀) Sprinkling cinnamon was a rare but correct choice. Enjoying tea and dessert as an afternoon tea would be quite enjoyable.

Located just a short walk from Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto City Hall Station, this restaurant has been selected as one of the top 100 Asian and Ethnic restaurants in the West for 2022. I heard that their chicken kebab is delicious, so I decided to visit. Turkish cuisine is considered one of the world's top three cuisines alongside French and Chinese. I ordered the chicken kebab brunch (1,650 yen including tax). First, lentil soup was served, which had a gentle flavor with hints of tomato and herbs, making it very easy to eat. Next, chickpea hummus (white), spicy vegetable paste (red), cheese spring rolls (center), and bread were served. The cheese spring rolls had the expected taste, and I enjoyed the creamy and spicy chickpea hummus. However, the spicy vegetable paste didn't quite suit my taste. The main dish, the chicken kebab, was then served with sides of cabbage salad, onion salad, pilaf, grilled green peppers, and grilled tomatoes. The chicken kebab had a nice blend of spices and was indeed delicious. The salads and pilaf were all tangy in flavor. For dessert, I had rice pudding, which was surprisingly cold despite the appearance of being toasted on the surface. It was quite sweet with visible rice grains. I finished with Turkish coffee, took a breather, settled the bill, and left. The staff provided excellent and polite service.

At a Turkish restaurant in Istanbul called Istanbul Saray. The meze plate is so good that you can keep going back for more, with hummus leading the way along with vegetables, chicken, and yogurt paste. The Turkish distilled liquor called Raki was strong but I couldn't resist getting a refill. The real highlights were the delicious kebab and flavorful pilaf. The quality of the lamb, cooking method, and seasoning were all excellent. The salty pilaf cooked in what seemed like ghee was irresistible, and I ended up getting a second serving. Turkish cuisine is the best, and I've decided that this is a restaurant I want to visit again with a few friends. Thank you for the wonderful meal!

Visited before 6:00 PM. There were about 6 tables with plenty of space between them. All the customers seemed to be from Islamic countries, gathered in groups and enjoying themselves. Ordered a platter of 5 appetizers, grilled eggplant salad, lentil bread, and grilled minced beef and lamb. The appetizers were all paste-like, with a variety of flavors such as beans, vegetables, yogurt, and tuna that paired well with the bread. Some were spicy, some had a yogurt-like sourness, and others had a rich bean flavor. Just the appetizers and bread alone were satisfying. The grilled eggplant had a strong taste of olive oil, salt, and spices, making it a standout dish. The main dish was a sausage-like mix of beef and lamb, grilled and served with two types of vegetables and rice, providing a high level of satisfaction in one plate. The dishes were abundant in vegetables, with moderate use of salt but plenty of volume thanks to spices and olive oil. As most of the customers were locals, it felt like a foreign experience or a vacation mood. Since locals frequent the place, it must offer authentic and genuine flavors. Highly recommend this restaurant.

French and Chinese cuisine are familiar to me, but Turkish cuisine was a first for me. For lunch, I tried the chicken kebab and shish kebab course. The chicken kebab was delicious. The spices on the chicken were perfect, with a great aftertaste. Everything else was also delicious. The value for the price was great, and I will definitely come back again. Thank you for the meal.

I ate. I went. Just in case, I made a reservation. It was a relaxed atmosphere, they didn't ask for my phone number or anything. I had the kebab set. Soup. The acidity of the tomatoes was delicious. Appetizers. Various dips for the bread. The bread was like a mix between Japanese bread and naan. It's unique and good. And the kebab. Delicious. Moist and tender. The rice pudding dessert was also lovely.

The restaurant's name is Istanbul, so I knew they served Turkish cuisine, one of the world's top three cuisines. I imagined meaty kebabs and that's exactly what I got. The lamb was deliciously flavorful, and the rice pudding was too good.

Chicken kebab lunch ¥1,650 (tax included) Soup: Lentil soup 3 appetizers: Spicy vegetable, white cheese spring roll, chickpea paste Bread Chicken kebab with salad and pilaf Dessert: Rice pudding Chai (Turkish tea)