Kalkan Turkey Forum - EnjoyKalkan.com
Kalkan Discussion => Restaurants, Bars, Nightlife & Shopping => Topic started by: alantj on June 08, 2007, 11:15:07 PM
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We have been coming to kalkan on holiday for about 5-6 years and bought a villa 3 years ago. To help with costs we try to let it out when we are not there and one of the questions we are often asked is what restaurants do we recommend. We did try saying most are pretty good just explore yourselves, but after being repeatedly pressed for advice now leave a short page in the information pack with our recommendations.
I would be interested in what others think about our choice, last updated in Aug 2006. Are the any gems we should add or have we just got it all wrong.
Regards
Alan
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Restaurants
There are 100+ restaurants in Kalkan we have probably tried less than a quarter of them but here are a few of our favourites.
Cheap and cheerful – around £5.00 per head
Ali Babas, Belgins Kitchen – on the main road into the town centre. Genuine and excellent Turkish food at low prices.
The Tile Restaurant – sorry I don’t know it’s name. It’s located on the (hill) road next to the Servil supermarket on your left.
Pushing the boat out - £15 per head
Kaya – 0242 844 37 18 – located near to the Kalamar Road roundabout. In our opinion, of the restaurent we have tried the best in Kalkan. The restaurant is owned by a magician, who will entertain children and adults at the end of your meal.
Doy Doy Restaurant – Yali Boyu Mah No 5 (Near the harbour steps) – 0242 844 24 41
Korsan Fish Terrace – 0242 844 30 76
Boat trips
For large parties hiring a boat for the day is great value. Just go down to the harbour and you will see a number of boats advertising daily rental. For a party of up to 9 you can hire a large boat with crew and a good lunch for £90, for a full day and including a really good lunch.
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Well the trouble is - is that these postings are VERY personal and what one person likes - another one doesn't....however - the favs that I put in my guest's details are:
IBO - and FABBO toilets
Kosk - great ambience
Olive Garden
Meldi Hotel - fantastic steaks
All the above 4 - I would put in your middling bracket of expense
Aubergine - expensive though
New ones to try (from this forum and the TA forum) = Trio - Ilyada - Turguaz - Marsala Zone (Indian)
I'm sure there are more - but those are the ones that spring to mind..!!!
Tile restaurant - not sure about that one - is that one still around..?? ???
Cheers!
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hi Alan,
we have an apartment in Kalkan as well and are always being asked about restaurants - I suppose the problem with a recommended restaurant list is that at the start of every season there is always a lot of change - new restaurants opening and others closing. I was in Kalkan in May and was really impressed with Trio - a new restaurant near Yacht Point. Price wise similar to Doy Doy and Korsan. There is a bar there as well so nice just for sundowners. Hope this helps. Also if your guests are craving great home made cakes tell them to check out Tomato near the post office. Cheers Debbie :)
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Totally agree with the above post! We've just come back from a lovely sunny week in kalkan and also had a meal at the new restaurant 'Trio' on the harbour. Very nice atmosphere, friendly yet professional service and a very delicious meal. We didn't find it expensive compared with some of the other restaurants on the front. The staff can't do enough for you, take the time to chat and make a lovely fuss of the children (ask for a carnation or rose if they're not busy!) and other people from our villa booked to eat there and had lovely evenings too. The bar is also a nice place for a pre- or post-dinner drink. Highly recommended for adults-only meals too! We also love eating on the rooftops (although sitting on top of 'Coast' was a bit chilly last week still!) and Gironda and DoyDoy are also personal favourites. Can't beat the trout farms or meals out at lunchtime in Saklikent for genuine Turkish food. And we liked stepping off Kaputas beach onto the terrace at Adam's for a lovely lunchtime treat too. Happy days! Isn't it great to be home?! :(
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Oh i am missing being there! We go out on Friday and plan to try lots of new restaurants as well as our 'regulars'. This will be our 12th year and though we have seen many changes, I can honestly say that we still enjoy all that Kalkan has to offer. We have seen restaurants come and go, owners change hands, waiters that swing with the wind! .....yet, we have found that there is no anamosity amongst the owners when you stop by...tell them you are trying something new...and move on. I have yet to have a restaurant be negative about it's neighbour or competitor. It is a rare thing. So....I am plotting our route....I plan to have at least 3 romantic dinners on our roof terace. I have the table cloths, napkins, candles, recipes, music and the required magic view. I am watching the rain spill down out of our window tonight.....and can only dream of the cold iced coffee at the Kalamar beach club, after a cool swim and a frantic paddle in the canoes.......that is Kalkan.......
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Just so envy you being at Kalamar Beach Club - one of my favourite places. Have to wait until September - but the sea will be gorgeous - I LOVE :-* swimming in warm, deep water!
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I think the 'Tile' restaurant you mention is the Oz Adana, the pide restaurant. This changed hands the week we arrived and although the food is the same(hubby reckons it's even better) the staff understand very little english. So be prepared.
Next door to this is a new fish restaurant, Extinct. If you like fish, well worthwhile a visit. A lovely plate of Mezes for 2, a bargain at 4YTL and that included home made fish cakes. Sea bass was only 10.5YTL almost half the price of the restaurants by the harbour. The fish is lovely and fresh and kept on ice in a glass cabinet so you can see what you'd be getting.
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Thanks for the information, we will be giving the Seabass a try as soon as we arrive (next Saturday).
Regards
Alan
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HI ALL
Just back from kalkan . wanted to let you know place i always have fantastic food is
Zekis just be the mosque it is beautifull location right by the mosque is fantastic
also captains table overlooking the sea is great to also fab location
chris
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My favs are:
Ibo's Terrace - mid price range, but fab food
Masala Zone - Indian, new and again, food was fantastic. Its bring your own wine, so you can get it very cheap in the supermarket which makes the meal work out very cheap.
Ibo's Yacht Club for lunch
The local soup kitchen along by the post office is great for really cheap, good food.
Merkez Cafe - great for snacks/light meals
Utopia make the best iced coffee's - always stop there for one early evenings
A trip to any of the Fish Farms is a must
So many to choose from.......
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Ooooohhhh...so many new places to choose from this year!!
Our favourite for lunch has to be Kalamar beach club, specially as you only have to drag yourself up a flight of steps after swimming and sunning yourself!
Their fresh orange and fresh lemonade drinks are to die for!!
We tried the Lykian Terrace and had a fantastic meal there...all very lovely meals and attentive staff.
We also went to Istanbul on the road up from Moonlight bar...very good food, all freshly prepared so be prepared to wait, but its definately worth it!
We went to Coast and Olive Garden again, both as excellent as years gone by.
On the very hot evenings (we were there between 18th June and 2nd July when temps reached up to 45degrees with an african wind!) we sheltered indoors with the aircon on for a romantic evening of fresh bread, cheese, salad and a bag of Ruffles...boy do we like to spoil ourselves!!
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Would just like to add my bit about restaurants.
Coast aways as fantastic food, a lovely atmosphere and is run by a great bunch of guys, all friendly, entertaining but never pushy!
Ibo's is as good as ever and their calamari is still the best anywhere in Kalkan
Captains (above the beach) is a must lovely setting and great food - you have to run the gauntlet of Sunset and Korsan kebabs over zealous waiters to get there but its well worth it.
And last but not least, do any of you remember Tailor Restaurant which used to e situated in the little street where Coast is now but closed down 3 tears ago, well great news folks it has opened up again with a roof terrace just opposite coast and is now called MAYA. Although the setting is posher than the old Tailor restaurant the food is the same superb home cooking, The menu is small but changes everyday.
Definitely well worth a visit.
So happy eating to you all.......
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We trıed Extınct on Lıttlelın's recommendatıon last nıght. All of us thought the food was wonderful (soup. fısh cakes. sea bass. fısh casserole. salads and meze). Defınıtely the best fısh meal we have ever had ın Kalkan and great value at around half the prıce of the town centre restaurants.
The best bıt ıs we found ıt on the fırst day of our holıday.
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Could you add some directions on how to find the fish restaurant, Extinct please. I'd love to try it out, but am not sure where it is from Littleins directions. ???
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It is just up the street at the side of the Sevil supermarket, second restaurant up. The first one offers good value too.
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For a different experience with a local family try Paparazzi - Feliz, Zeki and their father will ensure you are treated like royalty. They are located just off the last street leading down to the harbour and look out for Feliz, one of the few women who work front-of-house. And don't forget to ask father to dance when he's finished cooking!
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Did they use to have a restaurant down the same street but on the other side?
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joanH - I'm sorry I don't know if they used to be somewhere else but they're in the same place as last year.
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Jon,
here comes another!
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Ill leave that there for now as it not the only post.... my eyes have spotted though ;)
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Almost 2 weeks after getting home I have managed to get our advice for guests updated. I would welcome any comments about great places we have missed out. I am very conscious of the fact we didn't have enough time to visit many of the recommendations we were given on this forum. All the ones we did try were good, even the probably dodgy one, so thanks to people for posting them.
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Restaurants
Kalkan is renowned for the number and quality of its restaurants; it is thought that there are now over 200 in the town. As a result competition is fierce and the quality goes up each year. We have tried only a fraction of them but here are a few of our favourites.
Cheap and very cheerful – around £5 per head plus drinks
Ali Babas – on the main road into the town centre. Genuine and excellent Turkish food at very low prices.
Extinct – fish restaurant opposite the Seville supermarket, not the prettiest location but fantastic value e.g. excellent Mezes, Salads, perfectly cooked Sea Bass/Bream and grapes, from the vine that forms a canopy over the restaurant, all for less than £5. They do a wonderful fish casserole, but you will need to be very hungry to finish it, also soups and fishcakes are delicious.
Mid Range real Turkish food - at around £10 per head plus drinks
Maya – small rooftop restaurant on one of the lanes leading to the harbour. Small daily menu of excellent, genuine and freshly cooked Turkish food. As it’s all freshly cooked service can be a bit slow, so don’t go if you are in a rush, but otherwise great.
Bezirgan’s Kitchen – authentic, rustic Turkish food with plenty of homemade stews, soups and goulash.
Turkuaz - another restaurant serving very good, genuine Turkish food at reasonable prices. The roof terrace has one of the best views over Kalkan bay.
Pushing the boat out - £15 per head plus drinks
Kaya – 0242 844 37 18 – located near to the Kalamar Road roundabout. Excellent good value organic food (only just over £15 for a 3 course meal), owned by a Magic Circle magician who will entertain children and adults at the end of your meal.
Trio – Harbour side restaurant serving a Turkish/International menu, including very good steaks, which given the quality and location are at very reasonable prices. Has a superb children’s/lunch menu, assuming your children like real food. Although one tip is to steer clear of cream sauces, as in many Kalkan restaurants they are made with UHT cream and not very nice.
Korsan Fish Terrace – 0242 844 30 76 – a bit of a Kalkan institution quite expensive but very good.
Boat trips (with food)
For large parties hiring a boat for the day is great value. Just go down to the harbour and you will see a number of boats advertising daily rental. For a party of up to 9 you can hire a large boat with crew and a good lunch for around £100 for a full day.
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Of the above I would encourage people to try Extinct and Maya both are run by very nice people, who really care about the quality of their food; but on the evidence we saw are finding it hard to attract custom, probably owing to their less than perfect locations.
Regards
Alan
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We tried Ramis for the first and last time this year. We have tried to avoid walk down this stretch in previous years due to the persistant and not very pleasant man from The Arena However, my husband was tempted by the "Special" on this evening. We went up, and were rather unceremoniously sat at the rear table, giving my husband the view of the blank and yucky brown painted wall (Restaurateurs, a mirror or picture on these is a good idea). Before we could say anything, a waiter shoved the menu's in our hands whilst another poured us unasked for and unwanted glasses of water, and ignored us when we tried to tell him. We ordered 2 G&T's whilst we looked at the menus. They arrived in whiskey tumblers with 2 inch thick glass bottoms, full of ice, a dash of gin and lots of tonic, no slice! When they came for the order my husband ordered the special and I asked if it was possible to have the seafood crepe as a main course with a small side salad? Yes, no problem. What I got was one small crepe with a salad garnish and the largest side salad I have ever seen. The waiters were perfunctory and the atmosphere only lightened when the greeter from downstairs came up and spoke to other diners. In fairness, my husband's lamb was very good and the single crepe I had was also very nice, although I have never received a starter portion when I have asked for it as a main course before. Maybe he did not understand what I wanted. It is not a restaurant we will go to again as we left feeling unimpressed, diddled, and I was still hungry!!
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Arena definitely has the pushiest outside menu waiters - don't they know we can read and don't they know when to back off and let us study the menu at leisure? ( In 5 visits, we've never eaten at the Arena because of this -we just double back to Zeki's where Metin and Paula wouldn't dream of giving you the hard sell)
PS They don't need to with their sticky toffee pudding, a great change from Baclava!
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Last year the outside waiter of Arena was Can (who now has Al Fresco) - who I feel has never pressurised me into visting the restaurant. Are we talking about the guy who is there this year?? Goes by the name of Mr Happy!! and who worked last year at Ilban (opposite the post office). Must confess I walked past him for 3 weeks and just smiled!
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I don't know his name, but on our visits to Kalkan he was the only "greeter" who was pushy and unsmiling. On several occasions, after we had politely declined, he muttered in Turkish under his breath and although we had no way of knowing what he said, his tone and body language led us to believe it was not complimentary!! Last October he was even more pushy, so much so that we avoided that stretch. It was a relief when we discovered he had gone and have now started to try the other restaurants and bars along that street. From the roof tops, we noted that whilst others were fairly busy, the Arena was empty, a pity because it does look like a nice restaurant.
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We have eaten in Arena several times and have always found it to be grand. We didn't this year as we wanted to try out some of the new ones. I always found all the waiters there to be as friendly as those in other places. There is one guy Mehmet who is a really lovely person. I did hear though that this year things have been very quiet for them. Their chef left with Can to open up Al Fresco. Reading your post though joanH, you haven't been very successful with that stretch. Do try Ozalp, Kosk and Lykia which are both down the same street, I don't think you'll be disappointed (not to mention Coast, Ibo, Ivy further on down).
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Yes we did have a meal at the Ozap, we have had a running joke with "Orlando" about going in, basically we rushed passed him to get past the Arena as quickly as possible, which he noticed and joked about with us. This year as we could stroll along we spied him talking to some people and decided to sneak in without him seeing us, and alerting the staff upstairs. We had a pleasant meal there. It was busy and there was no one next door in the Arena.
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I'm glad someone else had the same impression of Can at the Arena! We first met him three years ago on our first visit to Kalkan. Each evening he tried very aggressively to get us to go into the restaurant and one evening even chased us along the street! For this very reason we have never been into Arena. A friend of mine went there on her first evening in Kalkan and had such a lovely time that she went several times more and said it was the best restaurant there! We have eaten in Ozalp many times and twice this year from the rooftop we saw that Arena was very busy, we decided that next time we will really have to give it a try!
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Never had any problems with any of the front of house staff at arena or elsewhere in Kalkan. All quite happy to chat and take it in good heart if you decide to go elsewhere, often a pleasant chat with us on the way back up, it can take alonng time to get back to the Lizo some nights. :) :)
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Eljhem I agree totally, I have never felt pressurised to go into any restaurant in Kalkan.
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The man at the Arena and one who sometimes tries to get you in the Breeze are they only ones that we have had any problems with. We may even try the Arena next time.
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I now know where to put on a sprint when I'm walking through Kalkan, I hate being pressurised because you usually end up going in and finding that you don't actually fancy what's on the menu. We much prefer to be able to just hover around study the menu and decide if there is something for everyone.
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Joan you are right,breeze man is quite abrupt and pushy,he was the same when he was outside kosk,the smile soon turns to scowls ...my other half won't go anywhere he is working >:(
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I'm glad it is not just us, we walk pass at least twice a day and when they first opened we had a nice chat with one man, then next time it was a different man and he was very insistant, when we walked back later he blocked our path and said it would be his personal challenge to get us in!! (and not in a funny, jokey way). He really irritated my husband, so if he is greeting we either cross the road or nip across the car park. So different from the boys at the Atlantis who just point out their restaurant the first time they see you, and then smile and exchange pleasantries the next time, so much nicer.
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Don't be intimidated! See if he understands p... off in English! but on another thread, what is it in Turkish?
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He speaks very good English, but I wouldn't be so rude! We have to go past the Breeze on the way down to the village and don't have any problem. I don't think anyone has mentioned the other Ali Baba, opposite the Breeze. Very friendly, roof terrace, good food and a free ice cream at the end of your meal.
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Belgin's Kitchen is the only restaurant in Kalkan that our Turkish neighbors will go to when they eat out. They claim it is the only one with authentic cooking. This may be a matter of taste but perhaps it is the only one where you can eat çiğ börek and manti (small Turkish ravioli in garlic/yoghurt sauce).
And our favorite again is ZETINLIK = the Olive Garden. Back with a new menu, delicious.
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We have no problems with the chap outside Breeze - for the one reason we dislike him and his attitude which has been the same where ever he has been. He knows not to bother us and we will not eat where ever he is. Also recommend the Ali Baba opposite, its our "little local" has been since it was just a tiny place, family run and very friendly. Sometimes if busy you have to wait a while. And for us not too far from home.
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i didn't think mice were allowed in restaurants? :D
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Have to say I've eaten in Ramis several times and always found the food to be excellent and the service faultless
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Mouse have you taken a crash course in English? It has improved dramatically! By the way we have had a few lovely meals in Rami's Terrace.
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Maybe we picked the wrong night, friends have been there and had a reasonable meal. Guests staying at the same place as us were, also eating there that night, and they were not impressed either. As to mouse's comment that I try smiling at the natives, there is no need to make snide comments. I gave my opinion and as I was on holiday I was full of smiles. As to asking for a slice, we were not given the oportunity as they literally plonked the glass down and moved off, and yes it does matter if your drink is served in a glass that gives the impression of being a reasonable size only for you to realise it is a very small weak one!!!
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On the restaurant front, I''d have to say my favourite is Paprika; specially with the Jazz nights on Tuesday and Friday, unless that''s changed recently. Invariably, if I have my wife, daughters, or friends with me, the sweet with the kind of chocolate volcano is positively sinful. I really enjoy Atlantis roof terrace; very attentive and great pepper steak. Alternatif, Mustapha is brilliant, the starter Chilli Samoza''s my favourite. Fried Haloumi cheese starter at the Sofra, again, imcomparable. Aubergine on the dock, superb. I can honestly say any of the above have their own little things that see me and mine coming back again and again. Sorry to add a note of dissent over Ibo; I love the food, especially the friend carrot sticks to start with, but I find it too cramped usually.
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Blue Lizard, Charlie see what you mean ! Think Mouse might have a vested interest somewhere along the line... ;)
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I have just returned from our first visit to Kalkan - I had arranged for a meal at Alfresco to celebrate my wife''s Birthday -As it was on the day of our arrival I had e-mailed ahead of time and also called in the morning to confirm.
What a great night! We were greeted on arrival with a complimentary bottle of bubbly. We had a wonderful meal. The lights were then dimmed, the fireworks started, all the other diners waved there sparklers and our hosts came out with a lovely cake, whilst a chorus of HappyBirthday rang out! You could not ask for better!
Other Restaurants:
Kosk - Great meal -The clay pot is a must tastes great ! and very theatrical
The Fish Terrace - Very Slow (1.5 hours for service!) Fish to die for though!
Ali Baba (the one nearest to the PTT)- Not impressed - yes it was cheap but also cold, and the Chicken Shis was as tough as old boots!
Breeze - Very Good Meal
Kaya - Went there early so no sign of any magic, but Grouper steak was excellent.
Salt n Pepper - Portions are small but very tasty - bit pricey.
Sun Terrace - Excellent food, great service, the Menu translation makes for a good laugh too.
Korsan Kebab - Very tasty for a lighter, cheaper meal - Try the chicken wrap.
And for a real Laugh try the guy who thinks he is Omar Sherif operating from a tin hut (near town on the left as you head toward the Asfiya) . The guy seemed to be under the influence of something (Raki we think) and appeared to be a complete nutter in a crazy, funny sort of way, he insisted he was Omar Sherif. . We sat out the back in the dark with two differant height plastic tables pushed together to accomadate our party of seven. Chairs were then taken from the two staff who were on their break. We ate Chicken, cooked on a charcoal fire, in a wrap. It was decidedly average, very cheap, but soo funny. The only other table he has was occupied by a group who had eaten their every night.
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Bluefudge,
love nipping into "Omar Shariffs" (or son of) for lunch, great kebabs and smashing view across the harbour. "best charcoal grill in Kalkan" great character.
11 days to go.
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Hi Alan,I have the restaurant called Atlantis,which is located on the Kalamar road,about 50-60 meters away from the roundabout,it is a terrace restaurant(you get great panoramic town view from there)and we are known for our steaks(last two years we''ve been on women magazine in UK. saying we do the finest steak in Kalkan,and also70 % of my guests are repeat guests and I still wouldn''t call my place as a best place in this lovely place.Please don''t get this e-mail as advertisment because its not..My point is why saying "we''ve tried ..... place and we had an amazing time,therefor it is highly recomended by us"rather than it is one of the fantastic place we can recomend.Surely there are lots of other places which you still haven''t been,I hope you get what I am trying to say.
Kind regards,,
Ozcan
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Hi Ozcan, we would certainly, as repeat visitors (many times) to your place, recommend Atlantis to anyone! The greeting, service, food, views and friendliness of everyone is as good as anywhere we have been to in Kalkan. We are in Kalkan again on 16th September and WILL be seeing you. Serefe!
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Endorse everything headroom has said about Alternatif Atlantis and Ozcan we too will be seeing you again in September!
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Another nice touch about the Atlantis is that Ozcan''s younger brother (not Ercan), has been playing guitar and singing in the evenings. What a very pleasant way to spend an evening.
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Yes that''s his brother Caner. Some great nights there!
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Hi Ozcan!
looking forward to seeing you in September too. You know we love your restaurant. Wonderful food, friendly service and great views.
Lorretta & Graham
p.s have that pashmina on standby!
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Ah, at last one day left at work (though what time I''ll get away is anyone''s guess - anyone would think I was off for a month (I wish!) the amount of work my boss is dictating!!
Still all I have to think about then is which restaurant do I start my holiday off in - there are so many old favourites and so many more to try, where do you start? I always try to do a favourite one night followed by a newbie the next, but it doesn''t always work like that. I don''t tend to go down by the harbour since Adem moved out of there as I feel most of those are more for the romantically inclined and not for us singletons, though saying that I''m quite happy sitting on my own at the Zeytinlik (Olive Garden) as Rebecca will usually wander over at a ''quiet'' moment for a natter (not the top terrace though, that can get quite chilly on breezy nights, and they don''t hand the pashminas out here!).
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Our best meal in two week was at the ivy we ate out every night at a lot of the popular one’s
Have a great time
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We stayed in Rebecca''s Villa from the Olive Garden, very nice, give it a try. She was in England when we were out there, her husband said the heat was too much for her as she was a little bit pregnant.
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No I have absolutely no vested interest at all in Rami''s restaurant, however my husband does, which may sound contrary however it is true, (I am sure there will be several comments of how can her husband and not her etc etc, but sorry fact) and read a couple of comments and replied hence turkish wording, he was replying to petty vitriolic comments unfortunately under my name. All I can say is that on a very very rare occasion when I have eaten there its been good, then again so have most of the other places I eat. Some places great to some people others not so - some customers great to some people others not so.
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by the way I don''t believe my last comment was advertising in any shape or form, my apologies if it appeared so.
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Gotta stick up for Ramis. We always eat there at least once on the hols, or just call in for a drink. The food, wine, water has always been lovely and the price on a par with the rest. ;D
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I agree ,have eaten in Rami''s loads of times and always enjoyed it
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We were last in Kalkan in May 2006. The restaurants we used were Ali Babas(above roundabout), Barbaros, Marina, Paparazzi, Rami''s, Breeze, Bosphorus, Shanghai Chinese, Adams and Sun Terrace. No complaints about any meals taken at these establishments though for us, the Barbaros(Nur Hotel roof) was the most expensive and the portions were on the small side.
Les
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Omars Kıtchen - as some of you may be aware we had a meet thıs week wıth some vısıtıng forum members and Omar laıd on a fantastıc Meze for us all, the foood ıs always good, reasonably prıced and the servıce ıs always fırst class, and the beer cold
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the omar welcome is special as well...i always get a big bear hug and ...."hello Baba first drinks are free!!" i''m glad he is back at the top of the village it seems right that hes back near where he started.He is also picking up market day trade as well......my other half Shakira and a girlfriend will be visiting him on or around the 7 th oct...i will be decorating :(.i won''t be out now till summer next year...i do hope some of the empty restaurants are again occupied...adems old place,the chinese at the side,and zeynos to name a few..glad you all had a nice time.....( thanks for raising a glass les ;))
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Just back from two weeks in Kalkan.Tried two restaurants that I didn''t think were there in previous years.Istanbul & Isos.Both are down street where Kalkan Han was (side of Sofra) & are excellent.Went to each twice so for us they had to be good.Lots of little extras full fruit salad at Istanbul.Free borek & a glass of Raki at Iso''s.
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We ate at the istanbul in July and thought the food was very good and inexpensive. It lacks the views of many restaurants but the service was excellent and he seemed to have a lot of regulars.
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8) Hi folks, we''ve just returned after a two week break, the restaurants used are as follows:- Doyum, Ilban, Marina(lunchtime), Breeze(twice), Paparazzi, Omars, Ali Babas, Rami''s, Odak, Barbaros, Cafe Nur(lunchtimes), Sun Terrace, Cati(Chati) and Kaya. Rami''s proved to be the best, though the other restaurants did come a very close second. In the whole fortnight, not a BAD meal had anywhere though for us, Omars came at the bottom of the pile, I apologise for upsetting anyone but it was all about the meal on the night. We went in Omars a couple of days later and had an excellent snack of meat pancake, highly commendable, thanks to Brooksie and his partner for introducing us to it. Les
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I''d like to add a few comments regarding a few new restaurants we tried this year.
We had a very good meal at the Ivy and were also impressed with Rendezvous. Both produced good value meals. There''s a young girl serving in Rendezvous (she used to work in Doy Doy along with the owner of this new restaurant) who was so keen to please and ensure all was well with your meal.
A special mention must also go to Salt n Pepper where we ate twice. Fabulous food and great service. It also has a very smart bar area and a very comfortable looking seating area too. We will certainly be back next year!
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Can you locate Rendezvous - trying to add it to my street by street list of restaurants for future use!
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Follow the main lane to the left of the Moonlight until you are nearly down at the harbour, rendezvous is on th right hand side just before the towel shop, nearly opposite Ivy and Cafe Del Mar (all excelent) :)
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I would also like to recommend Rendezvous. Just got back from Kalkan and had several lovely evenings there over the last couple of weeks, the food, service and prices are all excellent.
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I agree with you cruisecontroller about Omar''s. Don''t know what all the fuss is about I certainly won''t be eating there again.
I went in August with my friend and our kids, 1 child had a cheese sandwhich I should say a MOULDY cheese sandwhich!! the other 2 children had cheese burger I should say rubber burger!! and my friend and I ordered tuna salad I should say Tuna salad soup!! the bowl was swimming in oil.
We all had a soft drink each which was poured out of a 2ltr bottle, and the bill came 5 lira cheaper than the evening meal we had the night before in Rendezvous.
Sorry to all you Omar''s fans but we will not be eating there again.
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Hi all just back from kalkan too (will do a first timers report soon but its back to work very shortly :-(( )
Anyway here''''s a quick list of where we ate:
Omars - OK but not as good as expected, friendly staff
Ali Bababa''''s (near Kaya) - good tasty reasonable food main course small but Backlava was fantastic (best desert0
kaya''''s - ate here twice, loved it, good food, reasonable price, really friendly staff - also popped in twice just for desert - mud pies, cheesecake etc..
Korsan (by the habour) excellent meal, nice ambinece
Jasmine - lovely food - free starters and fruit for desert and tea so excellent value
Aubergine - huge steak meals here, nice setting on harbour - only go if really hungry!
Paparazzzi - lovely waiters/staff good food too
Ilban - lovely view, meal good but had better
Kaptan - really enjoyed our meal here, beautiful food and presentation, lovely setting - only spoilt by a choc surprise desert that was burnt and overpriced.
Gironda - looks very impressive, not cheap. Our lamb shank did not meet our expectations - not overly hot and a bit tough, side order of veg was small - we left for desert at Kaya''s!
Adems - on the Kas road - ate here twice - prob our favourite place. Adem is a lovely chap has great food and service needs our support with a new baby on the way very shortly. His pick up service works well
Other we ran out of time for which looked good:
Korsan Kebab, Belgins, Trading Place DEli Deli Tomato - so many spoilt for choice!
others we wished we had tried but ran out of time for
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Another new name to add to my list - where is Jasmine restaurant please?
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on the harbour front, very close to Aubergine
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Thanks - only need to locate Likya and Alaturka and that makes about 45 located. Anyone know if the Kalamaki pension and restaurant up the side street from Kaptans has reopened?
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Likya is just pass Merkez just after the little park area on the opposite side. Alaturka is above the towel shop of the same name opposite the Ivy and Cafe Del Mar.
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Rendevous a definite favourite of ours, also loved Istanbul, Coast, Ibo''s and OH likes Ramis for the lamb. We tried a ''cheapie'' street restaurant but weren''t all that enamoured overall. Food is cheap but add wine and the fact that you have no real view / ambience, other than the motor bikes flying past, and I''d rather pay the extra 20L (£7?) for a nice table cloth, toilets and no mozzies flying around! Good for a lunch stop as the Pide was delicous, but can''t say the same for the chicken dish which had lots of fat and skin floating around in the casserole. However we tried it and it was an experience which wasn''t unpleasant, just not our cup of tea.
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There are so many restaurants to choose from, we have never had a bad meal. Two of the best are the Merkez cafe for light meals and drinks. Very friendly helpful waiters. For the best evening meals you really should try the Atlantis. Their restaurant is on the roof with some lovely views. If the weather is bad then you eat downstairs! The steaks are wonderful but my favourite has to be the Chicken Hermes followed by home made Tiramasu, oh how can I wait until May?
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thanks alice very good all . aubergine ,kebab place , korsan ,doy doy ,trio .
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I am going back to Kalkan really soon :D many of you have mentioned Doyum and I thought I''d try it. Can you tell me a bit about it? Thanks!
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Doyum has been taken over by the man who used to be on the door of Ozalp. It ıs now a famıly run affaır and I can recommend the welcome food and prices. On the door of Ozalp now ıs a body buılder and there ıs a Robbie Willıams lookalike ınside!
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We have never been to Doyum so can''t comment, but if it''s any help we have had some feedback from guests who have just got back to the UK after staying in our apartment for a week. They said Doyum was the only restaurant that they would NOT recommend! They said the food and service was not up to scratch but all the others (most of the usual suspects) were very good. Different strokes for different folks, etc... just goes to show that you can''t please all the people all of the time!
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We always hire the boat from Romantik for the day......RW was also in Klakan a good few years back and hired from them......there is a picture of him on their advertising board on the harbourside...... :)
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Ok, I''ll have a go at it and see if it pleases me then ;D
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My two favorite restaurants are Bezigan Kitchen (by the round about) and ISO''s kitchen (up the street by the moonlight bar), no one ever mentions these two little gems!
Both these restaurants are good prices with very good Turkish cuisine, they are not fancy like the others down the front but if you are looking for trying traditional Turkish food then try these two places.
Bezigan Kitchen is run by Adem, his selections of Meze are the best, casseroles and grills are pretty good to, Adem''s sister makes homemade bread for you and this year she made us Turkish dognuts which where lovely.
Ismail runs ISO''s kitchen, his chicken casserole is the best on the menu, it is served to you on a plate of fire and is pretty hot, as in chili hot!! I also love his grills and his Albanian Liver, mmmmm!
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I was last in Kalkan in 2005 and I used a restaurant which I liked ( but cant remember the name ) but the joint owner and Chef was a guy called Pasha, but I think it''s closed or changed it''s name anyone know if he''s opened somewhere else?
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That would be the Havana which was taken over last year and renamed Turkuaz. Pasha "took a break" last year according to his younger brother who was working down at Jimmy''s Yakamoz. :)
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Pasha''s younger brother Rami is working in Kosk this year, another great restaurant.
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At least with everyone moving around so much it encourages us to try a restaurant not tried before if we see a face we know! :laugh:
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I know there are so many restaurants to choose from but we are quite sad and keep going back to the same one''s. This year I was determined to try some new establishments and I am so glad I did. Here is a list of ones we haven''t tried before or have tried but some time ago.
Zula - Where Zeyno''s used to be. Great food, lovely staff and very good value.
Gironda - Lovely food but quite expensive, beautiful setting and excellent service.
Kebab House - Free Meze, delicious chicken kebabs. Friendly staff and very reasonable.
Doy Doy - A bit overated I thought but the cocktail knocked me for 6!
Maya - Lovely simple but delicious traditional Turkish food. The apple cake is exquisite.
Coast - Have been there before about 2 years ago. The food was probaly the best I had on my entire holiday. I opted for the warm pear salad with walnuts and blue cheese sauce - to die for!!!
Salt and Pepper - Really good food and great service, fab setting and tables not too squashed together.
Of course we still went back to our eternal favourites, Ibo, Alternatif Atlantis and Fish terrace.
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Hi there! Just wanted to say that I liked the food and everything at Doyum. I tried the chicken with mushroom sauce- delicious. But nothing beats the lemon pancakes, with cinnamon, icecream and sugar at Jasmin :) Not a dinner but a perfect afternoon special ;D
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Rendezvous++ Related to Doy Doy but specialised in fish! Tried both restaurants beside Samira and both excellent. Samira''s own pool side has also now a full time restaurant and very good. Best meal at Mayhal but very expensive and not for the hungry. What a setting! Beat value for money and superb food KOSK!
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hi Roxie
Where is Mayhal or is it Mahal (I have booked Mahal, it is the one at the beach club)
How expensive is expensive ?
Thanks BF
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Hi Bluefudge - are you only going for dinner at Mahal or spending the day at the beach club?
We''ve spent sometime at the beachclub and have eaten in the restaurant and I have to say it was the priciest of all the beach clubs - if you like Efes watch out for the prices - a large beer is double the price on the menu as the tariff shown is for a small beer. Food really nice but not outstanding - you are really paying for the setting and the ambience - this is wonderful.
We had a look around Villa Mahal last year - which is the hotel side of the operation...now THAT is something special. There is another restaurant there which has the most amazing views which I suspect you have booked if you''re only going for dinner?? ???. Given the prices at the Beach Club last year (we didn''t go to Mahal when we we were in Kalkan last month) I would suspect the Villa Mahal restaurant is about what you''d pay at, say Gironda or Aubergine, maybe a bit more.
Have a look around the hotel whilst you''re there, they are more than happy to show you round - and post a review and let us know what you think. I''m trying to persuade my BH to take me there next year, although with Freddy Mac and Fannie May in dire straights, I don''t think we''ll be able to get the second mortgage we need to fund that trip :laugh: :laugh:
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During three weeks in Kalkan, we only visited two restaurants twice - Atlantis Alternatif for the steak and Rendezvous, good food, good prices, bubbly waitress (ex Doy Doy). As to the others, the old adage of the price decreasing up from the harbour to Kalamar Road not so apparent now, and you can spend as much in Kaya as a rooftop in town. Wine prices particularly steep so Rendezvous offer at 20NTL a bottle was part of its attraction. In fact the newer ones such as Rendezvous and Likya seem to be pricing more competitively to break into a crowded market,both with good food.
As for the rest, disappointed with Odak - no more puffy bread and poor steak; Paparazzi was also disappointing as was Moonlight on the Kalamar Road. Old Trading House has great views, but seemed expensive for a so so meal and no more cheap bottle of white on leaving! Ilban moved up the hill beyond Kaya - fish casserole still good, but view no match to the old Ilban. Nice to stop off for tea and cake in the afternoon though. Zeki''s stuffed lamb still great, and Metin and Paula have a new Italian restaurant, Terazza, with great views of the harbour, and large salmon steak. Trio on a par with Aubergine - both excellent. Extinct sea bass excellent, and Adam''s new place was a highlight, with Adem providing transport and get there 30 mins before sunset!
Hotel Asiyan friendly but quiet, and breakfast repetitive with pancake or omelette once a week compared to daily at the old Elite and Mina.
Still to try Gironda, Olive Garden,Ozalp,Arena, Maya and Ivy, and not been to Ibo for a couple of years as waiter a bit brusque last time. Kosk also worth a visit - so there has to be a next time hasn''t there - at least two weeks worth?
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Try Ilyada on the Harbour,just along from Aubergine.I found it to be very high qaulity,very reasonably priced,and the Staff very attentive.If it is particularly hot,and you need refreshment , but not in the form of Efes,they do a great home made Lemonade.Also,always a lovely complimentary cocktail before you leave. ;D
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Hi Bluefudge - are you only going for dinner at Mahal or spending the day at the beach club?
We''''ve spent sometime at the beachclub and have eaten in the restaurant and I have to say it was the priciest of all the beach clubs - if you like Efes watch out for the prices - a large beer is double the price on the menu as the tariff shown is for a small beer. Food really nice but not outstanding - you are really paying for the setting and the ambience - this is wonderful.
We had a look around Villa Mahal last year - which is the hotel side of the operation...now THAT is something special. There is another restaurant there which has the most amazing views which I suspect you have booked if you''''re only going for dinner?? ???. Given the prices at the Beach Club last year (we didn''''t go to Mahal when we we were in Kalkan last month) I would suspect the Villa Mahal restaurant is about what you''''d pay at, say Gironda or Aubergine, maybe a bit more.
Have a look around the hotel whilst you''''re there, they are more than happy to show you round - and post a review and let us know what you think. I''''m trying to persuade my BH to take me there next year, although with Freddy Mac and Fannie May in dire straights, I don''''t think we''''ll be able to get the second mortgage we need to fund that trip :laugh: :laugh:
Hi Kalkan4eva
Thanks for the info - We are just going there to eat in the evening, apparently they set the tables next to the waters edge which makes for a great setting. it will be our wedding anniversary and nothing is too good for the leader of the opposition (she reads my post sometimes!) ;D
I will ask them for a look around, I have visited their website and it looks great but looks expensive to stay there. With the credit crunch bearing down, we are more likely to get a camping trip to ourgate next year :-[
Thanks BF
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So far, 9 days into this holiday, our favorite restaurants are:
Extinct - we have been twice so far, last night had Mezes, salad, starter and main (mine was the best fish caserole I have ever had) plus a beer for 30TL a head.
Olive Garden - again we have been twice so far, first time it was excellent, second time not quite as good. but overall both food and value seems to have improved since last year (especially good value is Cankaya wine at 26TL a bottle)
Kaya - Same as ever ı.e. very good. It now has a quız night on Tuesday''s (good set of questıons - ı.e. we won) that''s a fun way of passing a couple of hours, although you don''t get any magic on quıznıght.
So far the only dissapoıntment has been IBO, all 6 of us thought the food was not as good as the Olive Garden and the bill was around 40TL more (Cankaya 31TL). It might just have been an off night but with so many good places still to vısıt we won''t be going back again this time.
It was good to find that Maya is still open, we will be eating there tonight or tomorrow.
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Hi all,
Back to the Mahal. Got left off at the Hotel. Had to go down 181 steps to the water''s edge but lovely setting for dinner. Very small portions,very novelle cuisine. Puffy bread to start with strong feta cheese and walnuts. Starter for me was king prawns(2) with caviar served over an ice bowl. Main was 3 very small lamb chops with a drizzle of bernaisse sauce on the side. Didn''t get any veg as we didn''t order them. 2 boys got 3 meatballs and decided to go back into town for a pizza. We didn''t have a sweet. 25% dearer than Aubergine but a great experience and if we had known we could have got the boys their chips etc.
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Thanks Roxie, I appreciate the feedback -I think the setting will be worth the extra , at least for a one off .
8)
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Totally agree! Enjoy yourselves!
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Alantj - my hubbby would totally agree with you about the fish casserole at Extinct. He was so impressed, we had to go back the following night for another.
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hello, I keep reading about Extinct can someone explain where it is please
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Forgot to mention Salt and Pepper as one of the new ones trying harder - excellent sea bass at good prices for the location (but I do miss the old Cafe Set for informal Efes and lunch). Has Ilyada moved along the harbour - seem to remember it on the other side of Aubergine.
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Extinct is up the side street by Tesko supermarket on the other side of the island to the Kalamar Road
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Looking forward to my Sept visit and trying some of these new restaurants I''ve been following, also had a good report from a friend on that Salt & Pepper was good. I will be watching the world go by with Efes at Utopia I hope the same friendly faces are still there ?
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Hi Bluefudge, if you are getting a cab to Mahal ask them to drop you at the Beach Club as that is where the restaurant is and it does save you the endless steps........as others have said the setting is unbeatable with the tables set on the beach platforms and the sea underlit. All very romantic. I am not sure what evening you are going but, having stayed at Mahal quite a few times, some weekday evenings are very quiet....a couple of times there was just us and maybe one other couple........Sunday eve is very buzzy as the new ''intake'' of EE guests arrive Sat eve and all seem to stay in to eat on their first night..........then they all vanish for the delights of the food in downtown Kalkan. Oh and maybe take your wellies.......when the sea gets choppy you do find yourself ankle deep in seawater.......but what the hell!!!
The food is good tho as mentioned not the largest of portions....deep fried courgettes with garlic dip to start does for me.........Have a great time and maybe see you there.
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Just back from another week in the sunshine! Had a lovely meal again at Trio as a special treat (Sultan''s lamb yummy, and my friends loved the steak with fig sauce and grouper with samphire casserole :)) Remains my favourite lovely spot by the harbour and there are even more chairs now for chilling out on if you want a cocktail before dinner. Also went back to Cati again (plus fab takeaway pide or lamb chops when you''re just too lazy to move from the pool!) and the simple Ada fish restaurant the other side of Kaputas was still lovely (even if the puppy isn''t quite as cute now he''s older!).
We branched out following some recommendations here and I went to the Olive Garden for the first time and had a lovely evening up on the terrace with friends. I loved the olive bread and we liked the house specialities, for example the lamb sausage and moussaka. We also enjoyed the complimentary house ''profiteroles'' and chocolate sauce that appeared with our coffees...no need to order desserts!
Following discussion on this thread we went out to try the Mahal fbeach club for lunch and enjoyed a lovely meal with a fantastic view out to sea and back towards the harbour. We went by scooter but will try the water taxi from the harbour next time! 8)
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oh, Kalkan Posh...how lovely is Mahal? I rave about it to everyone. It''s not the cheapest beach club but it just nicks it over Palm as my favourite. Look forward to getting Bluefudge''s report after his visit for dinner.
We love Trio and Olive Garden too...although Sofra, IBO and Rendevous are our favourites of the mid-price range of restaurants. Hope to try The Ivy when we''re next out - June 09 if not before...and if I''m counting that''s ONLY 10 months away...ahh well...it''ll soon be Christmas ;D
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Have just been browsing through these posts about recommended restaurants and notice that Daphnes hasn''t been mentioned at all. is there a reason for this? - is it still there? are other members familiar with Daphnes?
Will definitely be trying Extinct and The Ivy and returning to Maya where we had a fantastic meal last year although the wait was quite long - but well worth it.
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Hi IssyG,
We''ve eaten at Daphne''s and it was lovely...but strangely enough we haven''t been back...don''t know why really. Other than we had to move tables because the people next to us were heavy smokers, there was nothing the restaurant did, or didn''t do to make a us go back.
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I would highly recommend a little restaurant about 15 mins out of town on the Kas road, it looks very run down and to be fair it would not win any prizes :-* for the decor, even so this all adds to the experience of eating there, the restaurateurs cousin is a fisherman, and deliverer''s fresh fish direct to the restaurant, we could even see him fishing from our table.....he said he was fishing, but I think he was on he''s way in from fishing ! and the sea view''s are to die for, better than any restaurant in Kalkan by a country mile. I have to say I have eaten good fish all over the world, but this place really takes some beating, we asked for garlic bread, and he did not have a glue what we were on about, but we explained and he went to the kitchen got some butter and a garlic clove and mixed it together on our table....does it get any better than that ? The staff are lovely - mind you when I say staff its only him and a cook. The time me my wife, mum and sister eat there the only other people eating there were Turks.......says it all really ! ! ! :-*
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Mahal - wow! great food, romantic, pricey and served by Mr Tumnus of Narnia fame (honestly a dead ringer!) - pricey but worth the extra for a one off. Food was excellent and plentiful. would recommend the steak.
Gironda- Another great place, we were treated to a Jazz night whilst there, Excellent food but again slightly pricey (comparatively) - 200 YTL for 4 including wine & drinks - would advise booking especially Jazz night. (we didn''t book, arrived early and had hobsons chose of table)
Kebab House on Harbour - Excellent wraps at around 7 YTL each , free inflateable bread to start great budget place with great view.
Alternatif - Wife''s Birthday celebration went off with a bang - literally - great food and finished off with complementary birthday cake, fireworks, candles and great staff. I agree with other posts, great steaks and Pavlova!
Trio -all was great except my sizzler chicken, which didn''t!. i complained (twice) and item was rightly removed from the bill - not the best but wifey says steak was superb!
Arena- great view but food a Little bland.
Rendezvous - Great views, Had the salted sea bass , very dramatic but would advise going for the grilled bass instead as they made a bit of a pigs ear getting the fish out. (ended up a little self assemble kit- Fish by IKEA) -
Kalkan Fast Food Cafe - Value wraps very nice but the chicken shish was disappointing
Breeze - very good grub! Can is working there now and he is a great bloke! We also went there for breakfast one day - Full English
I have noticed an increase in "hassle" from the greeters this year to try and get you into their establishments - it got rather annoying by the end of two weeks. (still nowhere near as bad as say Kusadasi )
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Daphnes used to be my absolute favourite but haven''t been for a while as the menu never seems to change. Also, not sure if I like the "entertainment" they have introduced, seems a bit down market. Best meal we had in June was probably at Coast, but have to agree that the Kebap House was good too, fantastic value for money.
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We are going back to Kalkan in a weeks time, for our second time. Reading through all the posts and remembering the names of restaurants and the excellent meals that we had is making my mouth water! There are so many to choose from and I am trying to get a list together so that we don''t miss out on some of the great recommendations that have been made. I notice that quite a few people are asking where different restaurants are, etc - has anyone thought about putting a map together of Kalkan with the restaurants plotted on it (or does one already exist)? I am sure that there must be a way of doing this??
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Hi EKHelper
I too love daphnes but have not been recently - just curious what the ''entertainment'' is.
Pauline
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Hi Pauline,
it appears to be sharif (sp) dressing up in assorted costumes i.e a pirate etc.
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oh dear!!!! Shame as it is one of my favourites. But will be going back. Pauline
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Restaurants we tried while in Kalkan.
Our overall favorite has to be Olive Gardens food was fantastic, views were lovely and the service was the best we had in the whole 2 weeks in Kalkan (we returned 3 times)!! adviseable to book your table in advance.
Alternatif - Lovely steak, music good had a whole evening with Lional Richie, service very good.
Arena - Food average, service ok, very pushy man outfront!! wouldn''t bother again.
Aubergine - Brilliant view, food very good, terrible service, Expensive.
Doy Doy - Hubbys best ever steak meal here, service not up to much though, and very Expensive!
Kosk - Oh dear what can I say my daughter ordered meat balls and that was all that she got (4 meat balls) my son ordered mexican chicken and that was all he got no rice no chips and the chicken was so spicy it burnt his mouth and throat. Beautifully dressed restaurant but not up to much else and very pricey, we left there very hungry!!!
Kaya - Lovely people service good, food average.
Extinct - Fantastic man that runs this place, just a shame that it was always empty when we passed, the food was good. The bill was very reasonable.
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We too had a very disappointing meal at the Kosk last year. Shame - as it used to be lovely.
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just goes to show how some times good some times not so good.
we had a meal at kosk last oct and thought it was very good,service and food great.
Also have to agree about extinct,great food and "tom jones" is a really nice guy,my wife had sea bass,and
"tom" de- boned it at the table and he knows what he is doing.
yes,it is always pretty empty,I think people miss it because of its location,but its a great little place and
could do with a bit of support.
Neil. ;D
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We supported Extinct three times in July as it was so lovely. We made sure we told lots of people and it seemed to be full most nights. My daughter had sea bass the first time she went and then Tom Jones made sure each time we went he found an even bigger sea bass for her- what a lovely guy he is. Looking forward to going back in October for the delicious sea food casserole. I hope he''s still open then.
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Good to hear,but I hope it isnt too busy in sept, so we can get a table,It is a good little place.
Neil. ;)
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It''s nearly always empty as he now seems to be charging the usual "high" Kalkan restaurant prices for a lokanta setting.
It used to be smallish portions and cheap - but not now
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Thats a shame, If he keeps it up he might not survive.
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Just returned from another glorious week in Kalkan and my favourite restaurants are still Iso''s Kitchen and Bezigan Kitchen, fantastic traditional Turkish food at reasonable prices.
Would highly recommended both restaurants.
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I would NOT recommend Il Terazza, where we had the most ordinary pizza ever (no garnish or anything) which we ate because we were very hungry by the time we had decided where to eat. Two pizzas with one or two drinks each cost £15 a head, expensive even at UK rates. I hate to whinge but this time I think it was justified.
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I love Alternatif!
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Tried all the usual suspects and most up to the mark. Special mention for Rendevous and the lovely girl who helps run the place, Great fish here, linked to the Doy Doy. Akin for the kids and always a special welcome. Best steak this year was at Atlantis. Didn''t like the Italian, poor service and small bland portions.
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yuck!!!
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Ostrich? :o..lets hope you didn''t ask for leg?the plate would be about 5 foot long :D :D
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Was at the Istanbul last night good food great value. Merkez as good as usual. Wines seems a little pricey this year again best prices at both the above 16TL. Other places wine seems to vary between 20 to 30 TL.
Have eaten at the Marina, Trio and Zula. First time at Zula and it was very good and well priced.
Was also at the Aubergine last night but only for a drink, great place to people watch.
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Hi,
Has the "Dream" changed owners also?
Cheers Steve
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Did you pay ?
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Care needs to be taken to distinguish between the Alternatif which is opposite Zeki''s and Alternatif Atlantis on the Kalamar Road and where the steaks and staff are excellent.
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we have always found the steaks excellent and oz the perfect host ;)
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I have been to the Alternatif resturant (next to the Mosque) several times with my family and have always had a great evening. We have always enjoyed the food which has been of a very high quality, and Mustafa and his staff have always been very welcoming and attentive. I am surpised by the negative comment, as this is certainly one of my favourite restaurants in Kalkan and I can''t wait to go again and have the seafood casserole ;D ;D
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This is the first negative comment I''ve ever heard on the Alternatif. It''s been a regular stop-off for us for about 8 years now and I''ve never ever been disappointed. Sorry to hear about your bad experience. Bill
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This is not the story I have been told, maybe the forum would like to hear the other side of the story. (it always has two sides) So I will give you the Alternatif story.
According to the owner these people (who are residents) had a similar complaint 3 years ago, bad service, poor food etc,etc. The landlord asked them to leave then and that was that.
They came back last night, 7 people in total, the staff were courteous and their attitude was "water under the bridge". These people placed an order (after asking the price of various drinks and sundries), no problem there we all would like to know how much the bar bill might be at the end of the meal. They place there order and requested fresh chips. The food duly arrives.
They had a long list of complaints, but get this they waited until they finished the meal. The staff tell me that they literally took the pattern of the plates. (so the meal was not that bad, was it! M&M)
Then as we get closer to the inevitable bill, the complaints start. The chips were not fresh, the source for the meat was cold, the napkins were damp, there were marks on the glasses of drink. ( according to staff the marks looked decidedly like somebody had handled the chips and then smeared the glasses)
This was all done in a loud rather vulgar manner, the surrounding tables were well aware of what was going on. Amazingly when every single one of these other diners was asked (some of whom had the same meals) if they had any problems, everyone to a person said it was the best meal they had had in a long time.
Know you might be thinking that this could just be unfortunate, a blip, one of those things, not really sure which side to believe. I would be the same, but this might help you decide.
M&M then announce that they want a discount because of the unpalatable food, which was eaten with gusto. One of the group was still completing the job of picking clean the lamb shank! When this was brought to M&M attention the staff were told they had given most of their meal to their dog. The owner was also told that they were going to place a negative post on EK. (which they did the next morning)
The owner then actually deducts an amount from the bill and then M&M get a calculator out and work out how much each of the party has to pay. They still left the restaurant not paying the correct amount. (I know people do this, but is it just me who finds this rather tacky)
EnjoyKalkan Safety
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Totally agree with Mitch, Bill and others. The Alternatif opposite Zekis is our favourite restaurant in Kalkan, the steaks and seafood casserole together with the excellent service being unsurpassed in our Kalkan restaurant experiences. KK
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AND M n M, you took your dog to a restaurant with you....nice...not
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Well I never, can''t believe people would do they that!!
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No need really there''s plenty roaming round hah!
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Also agree with others. Alternatif is definitely a favourite of ours. The food is ALWAYS very good and the service impeccable. Am very suprised at the negative comments and saddened if the account posted by Javmariesar is a true one. Come on, play fair!!
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All you have to do, next time your in Kalkan, pay a visit to Alternatif. Make sure the boss is sitting down and then gently bring up this topic. Make sure theirs no children or people of a nervous disposition about!!
Your always going to get these type of people wherever you are.
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It really does give the English a bad reputation, there is no need to treat people like that, if you don''t enjoy something then just politely make a complaint, no need to try & ruin someones business.
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I have a phrase for this sort of thing "professional complainers" working in retail we see this sort of thing alot, they find faults were there isn''t any and are usually quite rude and loud to make everyone aware whats going on so a discount is given to get rid of them before they upset other customers.
Appalling behaviour to people who are so kind, if this sort of thing creeps in the goodwill given will disappear.
I agree if you have a problem call the waiter over and discreetly advise what the problem is.
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We have never been in the Alternatif restaurant before, so don''t know where you got that information from.
There were seven people in our party, one of which enjoyed her meal. (we were the only residents)
As we said in our previous post we have lived in Kalkan for four and a half years, and have eated in many restaurants and have had many mediocre meals, but never felt the need to complain.
As for taking the dog to the restaurant, that is a total lie. The leftovers from the meal were placed in a carrier bag to take home for the dog, no sign of any calculator either.
Some of our party may have asked the price of drinks before ordering, but it certainly wasn''t us.
In fact the sorting of the bill was not in our hands.
We are sure that many people have had good meals at the restaurant, perhaps we were just unlucky.
Javmariesar, you don''t know us or anything about us, and to say we are rude and vulgar and trying to get a free meal is really insulting.
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Has anyone considered taking a step back here and looking at both sides of this incident, rather than just one? I am amazed that the proprietor gave such a detailed account of what must have been a very embarrassing incident to anyone other than a very close friend. Such a close association (see earlier posts about this restaurant by the accuser) might be the reason for this vitriolic attack. One of the few qualities I still admire in the British people is the general reluctance to complain unless severely provoked! Very sad.
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The EnjoyKalkan management wish to make it clear that EnjoyKalkan as a forum, brand or otherwise must not be used as a means of negotiation and anyone found doing this shall have their account removed and further action taken if necessary.
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This thread makes very uncomfortable reading. I don''t know the truth of the incident, only those involved do but airing such personal attacks surely goes against the mutual respect policy?? I''m appalled by the number of posters who jumped on the bandwagon without knowing what the real version of that evenings events were. Even though M&M posted a poor review about Alternatif it was immediately followed by many forum members saying the opposite...perhaps that''s all that was needed.
IMHO this thread has overstepped the mark of common decency... I''m not a lawyer, but people have been sued for saying less :o
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I agree the even the amended version of the post is probably libelous, and Jon is taking the risk of getting involved in someone else''s dispute by leaving it on the site.
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:( Sad indeed.
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Hi,
Just to keep you informed of the position of EnjoyKalkan on this one. The forum registration agreement states that EnjoyKalkan is not responsible for the content of any posts likewise EnjoyKalkan is not in a position to take sides or undertake any stance other than to act as a communication medium.
Appropriate action has been taken where necessary and this topic shall be removed shortly.
Hope this helps :)
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Hi
İ have just been reading through the threads on the restaurants particularly Alternatif and İ was dining the night of the incident re M AND M and I can confirm that their presence in the restaurant was noticed by other diners. I found it a bit embarrassing that their party was causıng such a fuss. I myself live in Kalkan and have eaten several times in Alternatif and have never had cause to complain and I can quite honestly say.
İt is one of my favourite restaurants. I agree wıth javandmariesar when they say don,t leave the complaint until the end of the meal as I noticed that Mand M had finished their meal and didn,t leave a scrap.
Anyway as they say, the customer is always right. We know that so they must be right.!! :D
EnjoyKalkan Safety
The contents of this post should be treated with potential caution as the respondees email address starts with alternatifkalkan@
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Personally I have enjoyed some excellent meals in Alternatif but, as with all things in life consistency is the key as is personal taste and perhaps on that night the food, service etc was not to that partys satisfaction.
Lets draw a line on this one now please.
Thanks
Jon