Editor’s note: This is a golden oldie that we wrote about a while back but still enjoy. Sadly, the Arnavutköy location is no longer open. There are several other locations around Istanbul, though, which can be found here.
From Western China all the way to Istanbul, Turkic people roll out dough, fold it into small pouches, boil it and call it mantı. When it comes to dumplings, Turkish tradition dictates that the tortellini-like mantı be no larger than peanut-sized. With its unusually large (and sometimes fried) dumplings, Bodrum Mantı & Café has taken traditional Turkish mantı to soaring new heights, of which we strongly approve.
Don’t be put off by the modish décor or the high street address; this is the real article. This 24-hour Arnavutköy staple with a Bosphorus view never fails to serve it up hot, fast, good and cheap.
Think of what they serve here as Supermantı.
The içli köfte – boiled or fried bulgur and ground meat football-shaped patties – is always made to order, unlike many oil-soaked renditions found around town. Stick a fork in the çiğ börek and watch – or, better yet, smell – the hot, airy pocket pastry deflate in an aromatic whoosh, revealing a light filling of ground meat. Like the mantı, these appetizers come jumbo, so be forewarned.
The mantı is offered in a few varieties: whole wheat or white dough, boiled or fried. When it was fried, we couldn’t discern the wheat from the white dough, but in boiled form the whole wheat offered a pleasant change. Ordering half portions allowed us to try many combinations of fillings and toppings.
The pièce de résistance – temel’in bihteri – is fried just enough for the thin shell to crisp up and the stuffing of spinach, onions and cheese to meld nicely without being greasy. This mantı even holds up well under a generous topping of garlic yogurt sauce. Supermantı, indeed.
February 14, 2014 Zübeyir
Finding a kebab restaurant in Istanbul is not hard. There must be thousands of them. But […] Posted in Istanbul
December 15, 2022 Best Bites 2022: New Orleans
We savor things a little differently in New Orleans. The city itself has been in a […] Posted in New Orleans
December 23, 2021 Best Bites 2021
After a year like the one we are about to leave behind, the feeling of a good bite has a […] Posted in Barcelona
Published on August 08, 2017
Related stories
February 14, 2014
IstanbulFinding a kebab restaurant in Istanbul is not hard. There must be thousands of them. But finding the right kind of place, especially if you want to make it a bit more of a meal, can be surprisingly difficult. Most kebab joints tend to be no-frills, in-and-out places. Some are very good (and we will…
December 15, 2022
New Orleans | By James Cullen
New OrleansWe savor things a little differently in New Orleans. The city itself has been in a constant existential crisis from its inception. Tattered by hurricanes, floods, and land loss due to climate change, we realize how precarious and precious life is. Our famous joie de vivre is rooted in this – we know it can…
December 23, 2021
BarcelonaAfter a year like the one we are about to leave behind, the feeling of a good bite has a double meaning and a double feeling: it combines a great dish with the happy return of sitting down for a restaurant meal. It was a year of lockdowns, restrictions and uncertainty but, somehow, we also…
