Antler's Day Eight: Saturday 16th June

[antler]

It was over 30C on the patio when I did my blog this morning. It was 7.15am. Now, after a very well needed Water Hammock moment, the gauge has gone over 37. I think it will reach the 40's today, then.
Need to induce the newbies carefully. So the fridge is full of water bottles, to "take with", plus the water dispenser in the villa is dead handy.
Tonight, a large table is booked at Mussakka for 9pm - Dad's treat. After that, the young couples can float their own boat, and carve out their own Kalkan. Once they surface, I hope they enjoy the pool before somewhere cool and shady to have their first Kalkan Lunch. To me, that has Cafe Vita written all over it, and, as it is Hot! Hot! Hot! , it's going to be there and back by taxi.
The water hammock has my name written all over it for this afternoon, but I think there will be fight.
Meanwhile, coffee here under a tree by the patio, as the boats down below pull out of the harbour one more time as I recall yesterday and Zeynep telling me "no cauliflower, Steve, only pasta!".........
And so Chef plans his Father's Day bbq.....
Happy Saturday!
Steve


Linkback: https://www.enjoykalkan.com/forum/index.php?topic=9619.0

[antler]

I called in on Lovely Elite Neighbours around 11am, really to collect the Paella Pan from earlier in the week, and caught them about to pop up to ours with the same. Suggested they locked up and came on up whilst I "checked up" on Cafe Ev.
Ev guys knew the score; they poured a beer and agreed I had not been there. They then asked how many of us were up the hill at the villa. We are now six was the response and I knew they were up to something......
Moments later, as I enjoyed the dregs of a crisp and cool Efes, in 35C+, out came a plate full of borek, full of soft sauteed vegetables, not strong in cheese, plus a plate of fresh and still warm Baklava. On the house. What stars!
And so we had an impromtu pre-lunch party, while the Loving Couples enjoyed a long splash about in the pool.
It would have been good to keep going, enjoying the occasion - and the Lal - but by 1.45pm Cafe Vita beckoned and we called Hasan to come and pick us up.
Mustafa prepared a large table at Vita, switched the fountain on and a fan that wafted the moist air across our table. A round of water, plus a round of Efes (or 3) later and out came the prawn casseroles, salads and new for this year, the homemade pizza for Tom.
Loads of fotos, including some Team Shots, with the Cafe Vita Team, sporting our new Cafe Vita shirts (Mrs A suggested I needed XL, can you believe it?!). We settled our £44 for 6 people bill (such incredible value for  money at Vita) and we called Hasan to take us down to The Pirat. Nice idea, but in the +40C's it was a struggle, post lunch.
Anyway, we gave the Young Couples a flavour of the place, checked up on our Mussakka booking for later and quickly got the taxi back up to the villa pool to play with my water hammock.
After a dip, I walked along to Bim (and back, K4E pls note) to get a tub of ice cream and a box of mini Magnum copies to cool the Loving Couples, before walking in the other direction down (and back, K4E pls note) to the butchers next to Hunkar, where Yusuf did me proud.
Father's Day bbq was going to be based around a fillet, and Yusuf brought out this large, whole fillet and carefully stripped it every piece of unwanted fat. Perfectly sliced and wrapped in paper, this 1.5kg fillet was going to cost me TL65. Parcels of chicken breast, boneless thighs and Kofte took the bill to TL100 and was probably plenty for a bbq for six, 2 times over.
Cafe Ev were waiting with the chilled glass on the ay back up..............
The temperaure didn't seem to abate as we arrived at Mussakka at 21.30, but there was enough air from the huge fan to keep us perfectly cool. This was Dad's treat to introduce Tom & Bex to our favourite restaurant, then they would be left to judge others by themselves.
Oooooh's and Aaaaah's over the Fillets in Green Peppercorn sauce, Surf 'n' Turf, signature dish, Pasta Arrabiata (that all the Young Couples tasted and wanted to have next time - memories of Uni days?), with Mrs A saying she would definitely be having  the stuffed aubergine again. With a couple of bottles of House Rose and all the other drinks, Dad settled the £17.75 per head bill. In my local UK restaurant, that is six quid less than just the price of the fillet on their a la carte menu. Now I am getting boring, as I know I have posted that before.
Loving couples needed an ice cream opposite Mussakka (a well worn path between the two places) and a walk down below by the boats. Osman and  Zeynep had just come back in from a nightime bbq so we were able to introduce them to the wider family, with the charcoal still smouldering at the back of his boat.
The evening ended, of course, on the water hammock, the pool water feeling warmer than the night time air.

Steve

[kalkan4eva]

Ok, point taken, Steve

[Skunk]

Great blog again Steve, keep em coming, they are brightening up the dreary days over here big time.  Mind you having said that, the sky is trying to be a bit blue this morning.  Happy Father's Day

[antler]

Thank You, Skunk!

Father's Day lunch was at Cafe Ev -  and very nice that was too.

[Skunk]

Yum yum.  Enjoy the BBQ too - thqt fillet steak sounds brilliant and excellent VFM

[antler]

It is exceptional VFM, Skunk, if you know what you are doing. Mrs A has just returned from Bim, having spent TL11 (£4) and for that she purchased:

- a 2kg bag of charcoal
- a litre of milk
- 1 large tub of yogurt
- a litre of orange squash
- a tube of Party Sade (discos / pringles)

The patio is full of the aroma of Gratin Dauphinoise, to go with the fillet steak.........

Cheers

Steve

[Skunk]

Incredible value.  I can almost smell the potatoes wafting on the breeze up there. Enjoy it all.  SX