Cirali - a Turkish gem

The unfortunate truth about a coastline of turquoise waters, beautiful beaches, historical sites and great dining is that you're more than likely going to be scrumming for space with hoards of others.  Especially in a country like Turkey, with a great tourist network and friendly locals.  That said, Turkey's southern coast is still worth a look.  It's a bit more affordable than the rest of 'The Med' and there are a few places that have managed to weather the tourism storm and hold onto a bit of real character.

The pebble beach looking towards the ruins of Olympos

One such spot is Cirali, around and hour and a half west of Antalya.  If you've got a car it's easy enough to reach.  Using public transport, like I did, makes it a bit more challenging.  My wife and I had caught one of the many, very comfortable, overnight buses from Cappadocia, arriving in Antalya early in the morning.  We hopped straight onto a knee-bruising Dolmus (local minibus) and headed west for a while, before being dropped off roadside, at the Cirali sign.  The village, and all the accommodation, is about 8km down the mountain side.  Taxi's wait in anticipation like circling vultures but the fare for the short trip down is ridiculous, and not something I was going to endorse.  We started walking and the first car to get to us, a construction vehicle, responded and gave us a lift.  So, easy if you're driving, a bit trickier otherwise, but the good thing is that places that are a bit more difficult to get to are often something special.  Cirali is just that.  There are a huge variety of accommodation options, from down to earth wooden huts to well polished lodges.  There is a picturesque pebble beach peered down upon by a towering mountain landscape.  The ruins of Olympos are a short walk away and if you're more serious about your hiking there are plenty of options along the Lycian Way.  We spent a great day exploring the mountains, making our way up to the village of Ulupinar with it's waterfall trout restaurants - you really have to see them to appreciate what I mean.  After lunch we headed back along a different route that took us down passed the eternal flames of Chimera, a hillside of natural gas and flame.  There are full-day boat trips that are without doubt the best and most leisurely way to take in the coast.  Food options are largely focused around the fresh seafood but I had the best Gozleme (Turkish pancake) at a little place here as well.  The savoury options are super but the banana and chocolate pancake is heavenly.  One of our favourite things to do was to walk the 1 hour loop around town that takes you through the real heart of the village. Kids playing in gardens, fruit and vegetable plantations and fisherman along the water.         

The ruins of Olympos

The outskirts of Ulupinar

One of the many beautiful coves of the coast

The local mosque

   

The Ultimate Adana Kebab

I had these little beauties all over Turkey.  My favourite was prepared by the chef at Hotel Villa Monte, in Cirali, on the South Coast.

Ingredients:

1. 400g lamb neck/steak with a little fat
2. 300g veal
3. a bit of olive oil
4. 2 Tbsp butter
5. 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
6. 1/2 Tbsp ground cumin
7. 1/2 Tbsp dried chilli flakes
8. 1/2 Tbsp ground coriander
9. 1 large red onion, finely chopped
10. 1 tsp lemon juice
11. salt and pepper

Method:

• cut both lamb and veal nice and fine to form a mince and add butter
• add onion and all spices and mix well
• cover and leave in the fridge overnight
• take some skewers and mould the mince along, so that you have a thickness of around 5cm
• grill them over a fire or on a griddle pan
• serve with rice, yoghurt, some grilled tomato and green chillies

Walking in Cappadoccia

One of Turkey's absolute must see attractions is the volcanic landscape of Cappadocia; a magnificent chunk of earth carved over time by wind and water into folds, chimneys, caves and clefts.  The most popular way to see this geological wonder is to pay for a fairly pricey spot on one of the many hot air balloons that fill the sky each morning.  This birds-eye view is certainly great, but to really embrace and understand the place one should don a pair of hiking boots and explore on foot. 

There are plenty of valleys and a great deal to discover if you're keen for an adventure and have the time.  My 2 favourites walks are centred around the town of Goreme, which in my opinion is also the place to base yourself when in the area.

The first walk begins at the Zelve Open Air Museum (ZOAM) and ends on the road above the Goreme Open Air Museum.  I takes anything from a few hours, if you rush, to a whole day, if you smell the roses.  Catch a dolmus (minibus) or taxi to ZOAM and then head back towards Goreme, along a dirt track on the left of the road.  This takes you to Pasabagi, or Monk's Valley, where you should explore a bit and then make your way up the hill where most of the tour groups stand and look down over the valley.  Once on top, do an about turn, so that Pasabagi is behind you, and find a path that leads down the hill.  Walk for around half an hour and you'll end up in the new part of Cavusin.  Follow your nose, or ask a local, and make your way up to the old and really interesting part of town that was literally cut into a rocky mountainside and inhabited until not so long ago.  Ask someone to point out the way to the red and rose valleys and head out of town.  If you need to refuel, stop at the little restaurant on the left and have a bite to eat.  Walk along the dirt trail away from Cavusin and take the second turning left, hopefully signposted 'Rose Valley'.  This path takes you up into the beautiful valley, which is second from the left if you stand facing the mountains ahead.  Continue for quite some time along this trail, through a few archways and finally the path will start taking a right turn up the side of the valley.  Continue up this fairly steep path and at the top enjoy a really spectacular view.  Head down into the Red Valley, stopping at the Hacli (White) Church on the way.  You end up on the valley floor where you can follow the path out.  At a main junction, with a larger dirt road cutting across in front and a few little stalls selling souvenirs and drinks, take a left turn.  You are now in the Meskender Valley, quite long, leading you back towards Goreme.  Follow the dry river bed, under arches and then up to a campsite and road.  Turn right on the road and walk down the hill to the Goreme Open Air Museum.   

 

The second walk takes in the famous Love (or Honey) Valley.  Walk out of Goreme into and through the Pigeon Valley, towards Uchisar.  In no time at all, you'll find yourself looking up at a few stalls and a viewpoint above.  Take any one of a number of tracks up to the road above.  Cross over this road, turn left and walk a few minutes towards Uchisar until you see a track down to the right.  Follow this into the little valley and then up the other side.  You'll now be up on a ridge and ahead of you will be a path that leads away from Uchisar and down into the Love Valley.  Here you will normally have someone point you in the right direction.  This sandy track is a bit steep, so take care, but soon you'll find yourself at the floor of the valley, and the dry river bed.  Make your way along this, through the wonderful scenery and huge fairy chimneys until you reach a little stall and a dirt road.  This road will take you to a tarred one which you should turn right onto and after 50m or so, you'll be at the main road connecting Avanos and Goreme (to your right).  Flag down a passing bus or walk along the road into Goreme.  

    

 

Istanbul's best restaurants

Istanbul is a massive, hyperacitve metropolis; sprawling out across the ends of both Europe and Asia.  It's a social and cultural melting pot that in places holds on tightly to it's traditions but seems at the same time to be modernising before your eyes.  A great way, in my opinion, to appreciate the tussle between old, new, east and west is to get stuck into the abundance of markets and variety of food available.

I found it to be a truly inspiring culinary destination but only if you're able to ignore the aggressive and pushy vendors that almost engage in a tug of war with opposing restaurants to get customers seated at their tables.  Below is a list of my favourite Istanbul establishments.

Namli Gurme, in Karakoy, was tops in my books.  It's a delicatessen that looks after locals and tourists alike and was a breath of fresh air when it comes to genuine service.  They have a counter where you order what you want, whether it be a bubbling stew, some freshly cooked meatballs or a mix of their excellent salad and veggie dishes.  This along with great coffee's and excellent desserts makes this place something very special.

 

Ciya Sofrasi, in Kadikoy, on the Asian side, does everything really well.  It's definitely a little touristy, because of numerous international reviews and a good Trip Advisor following, but it has original and pretty good food.  The butternut (or pumpkin) dessert is reason enough to make the trip. 

Kurufasilyeci Erzincanli Ali Baba, just outside the Suleymaniye Mosque, has been making the same mildly spicy tomato bean dish since 1924 and why change when you're onto something good.  They seemed to be seriously popular and their famous dish was wholesome and big on flavour. 

An absolute must, for any visitor is to sit at one of the multitude of restaurants on the lower level of the Galata Bridge.  They all seemed to do the same thing, and the food was decent enough, but the sight of fishermen dangling rods from the road above and the occasional fish being raised up, is really something worth seeing. 

Africa Cafe

Even though Cape Town has recently appeared on the world's most violent cities list it remains an incredibly popular tourist attraction. It's not surprising then, I suppose, that quite a few of its restaurants aim to pull in as many of the hoards of visitors as possible. Sadly a lot of these establishments fall short when it comes to great food and service; relying purely on the never-ending supply of passing feet and hungry mouths.

Africa Cafe, slap bang in the middle of Cape Town’s City Bowl, in Buitengracht Street, is an eatery that promises to promote the flavours of Africa. They certainly do this, with interesting and flavoursome dishes, but more than this they manage to turn an experience that could be horrendously cheesy into something that is fun, relaxed and full of the true soul of Africa.

They have an a’ la carte menu for the less adventurous but the way to really make the most of their fare is to order the communal feast, a selection of 13 delicious dishes. From the Grilled Mozambican Piri-Piri Sardines to the Ethiopian Springbok Sik Sik Wat, the food takes your tastebuds on a rollercoaster ride through the essence of African cuisine. If I wasn’t impressed enough at this stage, I found out that they even do a Raw Feast menu, again with 13 super dishes, for vegans and those with gluten or lactose intolerance. They currently have their summer menu with things like a Botswana Lamb Masala and an Algerian Sweet Potato and Apple Bake.

Certainly worth a stop for anyone visiting Cape Town.

The Whale Trail

The De Hoop Nature Reserve, located about 60km south of Swellendam in the Western Cape, has got to be one of most beautiful in the country. And that’s saying something! SA has a lot of very good ones.

I recently joined friends and family and took on a journey through the area using the recommended vehicle, ones feet. The Whale Trail is a 60km hike that takes you from hut to hut on a roughly circular route through the picture perfect landscape of the park. The accommodation along the way is not 5 star but is way more comfortable than I expected. There were always hot showers and most had indoor and outdoor braai (BBQ) areas. The kitchen had all the crockery and cutlery you’d need and the bunk beds were fine. The best thing about the walk is the way it’s organised. If you pay a little extra you can have your luggage transported for you, and this comes in very handy when you’re taking cooler boxes and wine. The huts are cleaned every day and at the end of the trail, at Koppie Aleen, there’s a shuttle bus that takes you back to your vehicle at Potberg, where the walk started.

After climbing the Potberg Mountain, first thing on day 1, you meander along a ridge dominated by the colour of fynbos and proteas, with views over the Breede River Valley and the ocean in the distance. By early afternoon on day 2, you finally reach the sea as you drop down into the rocky cove of Noetzie, to what was my favourite overnight stop of the trip. About half an hour later a whale drifted past and greeted us with a couple of fin flaps. Day 3, 4 and 5 are spent making your way back along the beach and rocky coastline and the geographical beauty would under normal circumstances be more than enough to keep one entertained. But The Whale Trail is certainly not normal, and if you get the season right, like we did, you’ll have the added bonus of whale shows the whole way to the end. There are tidal pools to wallow in, beaches to laze on and if you’re of the birding variety you will be in your element.

As I mentioned earlier the fact that you can get your cooler box transported for you on a magic carpet is very convenient. We took wine, braai stuff and plenty of other goodies, way more than we would have been able to take if we were carting it around ourselves. We braaied most evenings and one night, to give us a bit of an energy boost, I made an easy puttanesca.

My easy camping puttanesca

Ingredients:

- a blob of olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- chilli seasoning (to taste)
- 2 tsp dried origanum
- 2 packets of black olives
- 2 tins of capers wrapped in anchovies
- salt and pepper
- a packet of pasta
- 2 cans chopped tomatoes

Method:

- heat olive oil, add garlic and spices
- add tomato, olives and caper/anchovy mix
- season
- while this cooks slowly for around 15 mins cook the pasta
- mix all and serve hot with an extra glug of olive oil

I selected this post to be featured on Food Blogs. Please visit the site and vote for my blog!

Thank God for Creation (Wines)

The Hemel-en-Aarde valley, just inland from Hermanus, has made serious inroads in the South African wine industry. You can’t go wrong with the likes of Newton Johnson, Ataraxia and Bouchard Finlayson but there was only one estate that was going to cheer me up after the generally unfriendly Franschhoek folk. Creation makes great wine and after my recent and first visit to their estate I can tell you that it’s not just their wine that’s good. Their restaurant and tasting room has views over the vineyard and with a menu that offers pies, salads and some great platters, I was a happy boy. But the wines were the main attraction and I was thrilled to find out that you get to taste their entire range. Yes, are you listening Franschhoek, even their premium wines.

They have a new ‘Whale Pod’ label, which includes a white blend and an incredibly good Syrah/Malbec that I predict is not going to be that easy to get hold of fairly soon.

Creation has given me a recipe to enjoy with their Sauvignon Blanc.

Salmon cheese cake

Ingredients:

- 910g cream cheese
- 6 eggs
- 250ml cream
- ½ cup spring onions
- ½ tsp Tabasco sauce
- 1 tsp Worcester sauce
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- 450g smoked salmon, cut in small cubes

Base:

- 1 cup bread crumbs
- ¾ cup parmesan cheese
- 4 Tbsp melted butter

Vegetable mix:

- 1 cup chopped onions
- ½ cup chopped red peppers
- ½ cup chopped yellow peppers
- 2 Tbsp shallots
- 1 tsp garlic

Method:

- for the base, mix breadcrumbs, parmesan and butter
- line a 30cm glass pie dish with the above mix
- saute the veg mix in olive oil until soft
- allow it to cool on paper to remove moisture
- beat the cream cheese and add eggs, one at a time
- add the cream
- fold in the rest of the ingredients using a spatula
- add the veg mix
- fill up the pie dish with the cake mixture and bake at 180 C for 1½ hrs, until golden and almost set
- remove from oven and allow to cool down
- serve with a crisp green salad and Creation Sauvignon Blanc