Kalkan Turkey Forum - EnjoyKalkan.com
Kalkan Discussion => Restaurants, Bars, Nightlife & Shopping => Topic started by: alshepuk on April 29, 2010, 08:48:15 AM
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If anyone has been to Kalkan already this year I would appreciate any reviews on restauarants/bars visited
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Hi there, we were in Kalkan at the end of January, clearly things may change within the season but we had an outstanding Hot Mezze starter and then fillet steak with peppercorn sauce at Aubergine. Really very good food and excellent service. Oz Adana was also wonderful as usual. We were only there for a couple of days so no other meals out taken. Hope this helps though!
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Our favourite lunchtime places are Fener cafe, right on the harbour, under new management this year and doing really good food at reasonable prices, cafe Leon, just recently opened, good range of snacks, light meals and wonderful smoothies, unbeatable prices and very friendly people, Foto's place for great Pizza and great views and Park Kalkan for lunches, drinks and snacks anytime and good chill out place in the evening. Park kalkan manages to combine being very child friendly (swings, toys and a children's play area tucked into a safe corner) with having plenty of other quiet, calm areas for the odd cocktail or three for adults
On Tuesday we went to Nar for dinner, very good food and great service. Aubergine is always a favourite, so is Sandals,just opened again for this season,for the fish and truly imaginative dishes.
A new discovery this year, is Sun Terrace Restaurant. We went there often several years ago and then somehow, kept meaning to go but didn't. Have just been back and would highly recommend it. Not fancy but wonderful roof terrace, superb Turkish food, charming service and very well priced.
Usually go every week-end to the trout restaurants in Islamlar our favourouties are Ciftlik and Husseyins. The little boy from Ciftlik who used to do such a wonderful job waiting on tables there has been taken on as an apprentice by Nar. Tragically his father died in an accident last year so he has had to leave school and work but the owners and staff at Nar are training him and looking after him very well.
Will
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We have just had an extended stay in Kalkan due to the air delays which was no problem!!! As we have been here for over 3 weeks it has been fantastic to discover new places to eat which DONT cost a fortune. (we had not budgeted for 7 extra days here!!) This year we have noticed that food has slightly gone up in price but a couple of our old favourites have also reduced the portion sizes!! This is fine for the likes of me wanting to loose weight but not for my 2 teenage boys!! So we began looking for new places that are value for money.
New this year is Cafe Leon tucked away just past Alternatif on the left. This is great place for lunch with lovely owners Jane and Levent. My boys loved the milk shakes and they were great value. look out for the homemade cakes!!! At night time it turns into a lovely bar.
The old BBQ/ Breeze restaurant on the roundabout with the Kalamar road is now Pizza Piazza. This serves some of the best pizzas we have ever had and prices are between 10L and 13L. One of the owners Engin will make you very welcome. They also do have Sky Sports there if you have teenage boys with you and the beer is cheap if you have husbands who also want to watch this!!!! not my idea of fun!
Oz Adana Kebab house and takeaway is still brilliant value and great entertainment.
We also loved Korsan Kebab house. My boys enjoy the homemade chips and i love the fantastic view of the bay!! This still represents excellent value for money and has a fab view also thrown in!
At the other end of the scale Kalamaki is still fantastic with gorgeous food, a wonderful ambiance and good portion sizes!!You are always so welcomed in there and always given something extra. My boys loved this restaurant!!
Obviously many restaurants were still not open as we left last week (Alternatif being one which would always get vmy vote!!) but if you are coming with the teenagers or just looking for value for money places to eat I would recommend all of these!
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Leaving kalkan tomorrow and have spent most nights down at seaport, the food was great, the views are brilliant and the people who work there are great and very friendly, a must vist when in kalkan, they have one of those things you sit in which with the views is very mice to sit in, they also have water pipes, all in all a great place that I discovered when in kalkan for my 4th time, it's next to kilo bar if you want to have a meal at a great place
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Luka at the top end of the town by the end of the new new road diversion. Always a warm welcome from Alev & family. Best chillie chutney (?) I have found, I always take jars full home. Reasonable prices. New road a paid in the butt at the mo.
Extinct (up the road by the side of Tesco) excellent food, we had courses, 1 bottle of wine, 2 efes, 2 extra glasses of wine 100tl. Yes we spent but we had excellent service brill food n wine. It's the alcohol that seems to bump the prices up.......
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Just returned from 2 weeks in Kalkan,and not so many there as last year in May.Without a doubt Alternatif was consistantly the most popular and full most evenings. Calves Liver andSteaks to die for and reasonably priced too.Kaya was also pretty popular.Doy Doy meal excellent,however an automatic15% service charge is somewhat over the top.Kosk again very good but numbers down.Nar staff very attentive and meals good value.Omars Kitchen just up past The NUR was a delight and well supported.The Merkez always fits the bill when you want something simple !!
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Is it clear from the menu that a service charge is being made or just when you get the bill? Any others with an automatic service charge this year?
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We have also just returned yesterday from a two week trip. As Pembo mentioned, Alternatif was full every night, perhaps because they have kept the price of a steak under 30TL [just] with no less quality than previous years. We also noticed the DoyDoy service charge, they did this last year and it is NOT obvious so do CHECK your bill carefully. We thought that, while still good at DoyDoy, the prices were a lot higher, especially steak dishes at around 33TL! Didn't go back after our initial visit.
We didn't eat in the up-market harbour restaurants as we usually do and they weren't full at all. Prices for signature steak dishes as much as 38TL [probably due to extortionate meat prices in Turkey at present] Korsan meze was an exception with consistently good quality food and reasonable prices and a lovely welcoming atmosphere.
Another favourite was Extinct, excellent fish casseroles, meze on the house and coffee and desserts at no charge with great service from the owner. Must also mention Chillies on the Kalamar road, great pides for lunch and doing a roaring trade.We also enjoyed Kleo bar, their new seating is lovely and the bar looks very smart this year.
We were, however, stung in Salt and Pepper where we stopped for a drink one afternoon , a large efes and a small dark efes - 13.80TL!!!!!
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been here 3 weeks now and our definite favourite is the new" chapter one" :) . service is excellent and anyone who loves liver. the chicken liver in a balamic and wholegrain mustard sauce is to die for. agree on the other restaurants as well especially extint and alternatif but chapter one has our thumbs up this year
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The post below about the Doy Doy service charge is incorrect. They, like numerous other restaurants in Kalkan, add the same 10% charge as they did last year and the owner remains fully satisfied with the decision to do so. If anyone doesn't want to pay the SC, say so!
To avoid any repeat of the accusations against me last year of favouritism and self-interest, I should add that, while the steaks at Doy Doy are in my opinion the best around, I have no stake in the business, but just don't want them to suffer from false information on here or any other forum.
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Is littlechef correct when he says "numerous..restaurants in Kalkan add a 10% service charge"? Last year we ate out every night for a fortnight and Doy Doy was an exception in making a service charge - in fact some restaurants were drawing attention to the fact that they didn't make a service charge.
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Sorry! I was told of several (better word than numerous) others. No names, obviously, but well-known restaurants. From what I have seen around, those that don't have a charge proudly advertise that fact - those that do charge are less likely to do so, but the advice is perhaps to ask first.
Anyone with some time on their hands could Google 'restaurant service charge' and see the rates paid elsewhere - apparently, 12.5% is fairly standard in French cities. A lot for a large portion of attitude!
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Simply, yet politely, refuse to pay it.
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Wow ! Pachsu..I bet you're very welcome in any restaurant with an attitude like that.. UK or Kalkan!
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I was in Kalkan last year and can't wait to be their in 5 weeks time. What i cant understand is why pay a service charge full stop. Why should they put it on you bill if the service is rubbish the you have to go through the embarrassment of arguing. i would rather sit and have a nice meal and if its bang on give em a decent tip to say thanks for the cracking service.That's what we do in Yorkshire ha ha ;D ;D ;D
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Yes.....if your Black pudding is served how you like ......give them a tip :angel:
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MR LIZARD !!!! wash thy gob out,I thought that a food lover like you would know that black puds are a lancashire thing.
The black pudding union in bury are planning a protest as I speak !!!! ;D :laugh: >:D
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I will have you know i am a specialist in the art of Eckythump (remember the Goodies?)..this involves putting on a flat cap of inmmense size and wazzling your opponent around the ears with a black pudding ^-^
back on track....i don't see why i should pay to be a customer in a restaurant??? ??? ..i will tip if i get good service but the choice should be mine
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Just up the rd from where I live is a place called Ramsbottom( true ) it is the venue for the annual WORLD black pudding chucking contest,entrants come from all over the world ( true ),you have to chuck black puds at a tower,about 50ft high and knock yorkshire puds of small platforms at different levels,which have different points,the person with the most points is the new world champion,this supposed to represent the war of the roses,yorkshire and lancashire. ;D ???
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Ramsbottom was also the snake in Sooty a Sweep :angel:
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Whilst i appreciate that prices can fluctuate ,it would be very useful if some of the restaurants could put a sample menu on the site,with prices,so that we could have some idea of how much to re- mortgage for before we get there.
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Wow ! Pachsu..I bet you're very welcome in any restaurant with an attitude like that.. UK or Kalkan!
Not quite sure what you are trying to imply with your comment -perhaps you would care to explain?
I do not believe in the automatic addition of a service charge and prefer to tip if I have received good service.
The better the service the greater value tip left - surely that's how it works?
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had a fantastic meal at Coast@Gironda last night - fabulous service as usual and great steaks - no service charge!
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Hello to all Kalkan lovers.....
We have just got back after two great weeks in the lovely Kalkan. On the subject of service charges, we ate out every night and I can only remember one service charge being added, @ 10% which is how I tip anyway. On the restaurant front, our favourite every year is the Alternatif, food is brilliant and the service is spot on, even cheeky at times, but then we ask for it. Lush was superb but very expensive, and the Zula was also superb and less than half the price of the Lush. We also ate twice at the Kalamaki, which is featured on the new web cam on KTLN. Strange looking at that live shot and seeing people sit at the table we were at the other day.
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Restaurant reviews from our recent trip
Barahat
Great people and nice food. We went twice due to meeting another couple who wanted to have their last night there. Both nights we ended up in the bar and had inpromotu belly and turkish dancing into the small hours. Two nights I will never forget. If you go there get them to get the drums out after service has finished.
Kosk
Still very good. We went there for our anniversary. We were going to the Aubergine but it was so windy so we went here instead. Service is superb and the food is very good. However I do not think the cost is as justified as in other top restaurants. As they knew we were celebrating they gave us a free cocktail. A real nice touch.
Alternatif
This was our first visit to this restaurant, It must have been the busiest place in town. We had read many reviews so we had to go. Maybe we were expecting great things but I was not overly impressed. Service was not great and the steaks we had were good but the sauce served with them was not the best. Would not rush to go back again.
Garden Cafe and Restaurant
The once bar has now been converted into more of a restaurant. Still the same owner but has some nice seating if you just want a drink. We had a great meal there from the BBQ. A couple of beers each and a great shish for 45 lira. Their free garlic bread is superb.
Cafe Zula
This is the home of what we think is the best value dish in Kalkan. My wife had been told about the Cafe Zula's Saffron Chicken. She tried it and said it was the best thing she ate all holiday. To top it all it was only 14 Lira. It was so good we had to go back. The only thing it is a bit lacking in atmoshphere as it was quiet both times we went but please do not let this stop you from going along.
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We were very impressed with The Olive Garden for overall quality, service and price. If you like the taste of strong cheese, I can recommend the Goats Cheese Flan with caramelised onion base - delicious and a welcome change from the usual meat or fish dishes. Every table was full when we were there last week and they are still serving the complimentary dessert of mini doughnut balls with small jugs of chocolate sauce and cream, yummy!
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Best meal we have eaten so far in Kalkan was at Aubergine, still another week to go so plenty more to try but I can definitely say we will be going to Aubergine again before the end of the holiday. We also quite enjoyed Alternatif and the Olive Garden is also on our list after reading some of the reviews.
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If you get the chance and you want a reasonable price meal please try Cafe Zula. Would be interested in what you think. Have a great time.