It is evening and time to find a good place to enjoy dinner. Beforehand we had decided not to eat at one of the common tourist restaurants with all the fairy lights, the well-known dishes and the pushy “where-are-you-from-my-friend” waiters.
It is evening and time to find a good place to enjoy dinner. Beforehand we had decided not to eat at one of the common tourist restaurants with all the fairy lights, the well-known dishes and the pushy “where-are-you-from-my-friend” waiters.The place we chose is below the level of the pavement with a cosy terrace which is covered with a vine. Decorated Calabash lamps are hanging from the green roof of vine leaves and all around are fig and orange trees.

Nothing suggests that this is actually one of the most written about restaurants in travel books about Alanya.

The first course consisted of different and truly wonderful meze dishes which are arranged on small plates and eaten with bread. Meze is the Turkish word for starters and it is said there are more than 101 different kinds.
For the main course this evening there is a choice of chicken or beef on a skewer. Every night the menu is different and although the menu is not extensive the culinary skills are great.
Making a reservation beforehand is recommended because food is prepared only for the number of reservations. However, in spite of our just “dropping in” we did not feel that anything was missing.

The owners name is Caglar and he is in charge of preparing all the delicious dishes which are served by his German wife, Beate. He knows how to amuse the guests with little stories about the area, Turkish culture and his big passion which is of course food and wine.
This passion is reflected in the cooking – the food is really Turkish not the common variant which has been created for tourists. The fact that the wine list has been prepared with loving care and precision only makes the culinary experience better.

It had been the perfect food experience but before we left Eski Ev behind us we had relaxed a little - maybe due to the wine – and we asked if we could get the recipes. This we could and we arranged that we would pick them up the next day – we were going into the centre anyway to do last minute shopping before we headed back to Denmark.
At home we look forward to seeing if we have what it takes to recreate Caglar’s art and please our family and friends with a culinary experience beyond the ordinary.

Cooking class
Place: Eski Ev (Old House)
Time: Fridays at 1 pm (November-February)
Reservation: +90 242 511 60 54
Price: About 15 YTL

In the winter time the restaurant offers a course in cooking Turkish food where you meet, cook and afterwards eat the food that you have cooked. There is a new theme each week. You prepare the dishes together and learn how the different ingredients are mixed in the right way. When the food is ready you sit down and eat together while chatting about this and that.
It all lasts about two-three hours and you pay each time you come. A Belgian TV station once made a broadcast about the cooking class from the restaurant.