I had to make a quick stop in Istanbul for a night and because of the shortness of the stay I didn’t get to make it into the center of town, so settled for a nice meal near my hotel by the airport.

At the Galleria Mall there are a bunch of nice restaurants, but I chose Köşebaşı, which is a chain, but serves some nice food.

There is inside and outside dining, but with a little bit of rain, I sat inside. They have ovens inside where they make freshly baked breads, Turkish pizza, etc.  The baker is sort of wondering why he is in the picture. To start with I went with Lahmacun, which is a Turkish pizza.  Seasoned with Lamb and other herbs and spices.  This is a small one.  The size is deceiving, as this is really only about 4 inches in diameter. It’s really just a two-bite size starter.They also have a grill there, where they grill meats and vegetables. Grilling away. For the main, I went with Şaşlık Kebap, grilled beef and onions on a skewer.  Served with some grilled vegetables and a wrap, it was tender and fresh and well seasoned. Finally to top it all off, some Turkish Coffee.And of course, dessert.  Künefe, made right away on order. Kadayif, small strands of pastry, are wrapped around cheese, baked crisp and dunked in syrup and then a dollop of Kaymak on top.  Cut it open and you can see the deliciousness of it.  This was just a party in my mouth.  Absolutely gorgeous tasting.  I love the Kaymak, the creamy cheese on top, it’s a nice spread to compliment everything. A good introduction to Turkish food is this place.  Highly recommended as a starting point for Turkish cuisine.