An affordable Anatolian meal in historic Süleymaniye
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Mina Ercel
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Haziran 06, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - The busy Tarihi Süleymaniyeli Kurufasulyeci Erzincanlı Ali Baba restaurant across from the Süleymaniye Mosque has been serving up affordable and surprisingly tasty food since 1924. Owner Adnan Güzel and his crew focus on what they have done best for many generations: traditional haricot beans and rice cooked over charcoal in copper containers.
From tourists to Istanbul University students and professors, to tradesmen working around the Grand Bazaar, people from all walks of life come to eat at the pleasant and historic Tarihi Süleymaniyeli Kurufasulyeci Erzincanlı Ali Baba.
This tiny 85-year-old mom-and-pop shop in the Süleymaniye area is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m., serving up its famous meatless haricot beans and rice. The owners stay true to the beans’ traditional taste without using sausages, pastrami or other types of chopped meats. Several daily specials with meat are also available.
Three generations
Owner Adnan Güzel is the third generation in his family running the restaurant, which specializes in the Turkish cuisine of haricot beans. Originally from the city of Erzincan, his great-grandfather Ali Baba brought the Anatolian dish and its preparation style here to Istanbul. Güzel took over the business in 1999 and hopes one day to hand it down to his son, who is now 18 and already working in the restaurant. Eating at Tarihi Süleymaniyeli Kurufasulyeci Erzincanlı, one gets the feeling that the quality and taste of its cuisine is a real matter of pride and a long-established family honor. Running the restaurant is not jut a way to make money.
Until recently, the restaurant served nothing but haricot beans, rice and pickles. Gradually, the variety expanded to include several cold and warm dishes daily. On a clear, beautiful sunny day, coming here, to the breathtaking historic area of Süleymaniye, is a wonderful treat Ğ to be reminded of the architectural glory of the Ottoman Empire and eat an Anatolian meal at an unbeatable price.
Cooked on a charcoal grill
The staff is friendly and charming, and the food makes one crave to return again and again. If you go inside to have a look at the daily specials in glass display cases, the humongous copper jugs and containers filled with bean and rice grab your attention. An old method of preparing haricot beans is to cook them on charcoal and let them steam, or "brew," for at least three hours.
The buttery white rice is prepared in another copper container and brought to the table on a separate plate with a few pieces of wet beans scattered on top. The beans are topped with a single spicy red pepper. A Turkish style cacık Ğ a dish of diluted yogurt with cucumber cubes and garlic Ğ goes down well with the zesty and tasty beans. Alternately, wash it all down with an ice-cold ayran.
Financial crisis prompts promotional price
Due to the current financial crisis, Tarihi Süleymaniyeli Kurufasulyeci Erzincanlı Ali Baba has decided to offer a promotional price of 2.50 Turkish Liras for a portion of beans and rice. That’s a price-to-quality ratio that is hard to beat.
Daily specials include cold dishes in olive oil, such as tender and juicy artichokes, fried eggplant with pepper and tomatoes, bean salad with onions and a spinach dish.
Meat-eaters can choose from four to five Ottoman-style dishes, including tas kebabı, or lamb stew; Izmir köfte; karnıyarık, which literally means "split belly" and is an eggplant dish stuffed with ground meat and onions; and liver. The Albanian liver Ğ chunks of soft, spicy meat served with potatoes, tomatoes and pepper Ğ is a favorite among newcomers.
As for dessert, Güzel highly recommends the pumpkin, a traditional Turkish sweet made with pumpkins from the Adapazarı area that are carefully preserved to be offered every season. Served with lots of crushed walnuts, it makes a superb conclusion to the meal.
For those preferring a creamier and lighter sweet, the traditional oven-baked rice pudding is semisweet and velvety.
Tarihi Süleymaniyeli Kurufasulyeci Erzincanlı Ali Baba
Prof. Sıddık Sami Onar Caddesi, No: 11
(Right across from Süleymaniye Mosque)
Süleymaniye, Istanbul Tel: 0212 513 6219
This tiny 85-year-old mom-and-pop shop in the Süleymaniye area is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m., serving up its famous meatless haricot beans and rice. The owners stay true to the beans’ traditional taste without using sausages, pastrami or other types of chopped meats. Several daily specials with meat are also available.
Three generations
Owner Adnan Güzel is the third generation in his family running the restaurant, which specializes in the Turkish cuisine of haricot beans. Originally from the city of Erzincan, his great-grandfather Ali Baba brought the Anatolian dish and its preparation style here to Istanbul. Güzel took over the business in 1999 and hopes one day to hand it down to his son, who is now 18 and already working in the restaurant. Eating at Tarihi Süleymaniyeli Kurufasulyeci Erzincanlı, one gets the feeling that the quality and taste of its cuisine is a real matter of pride and a long-established family honor. Running the restaurant is not jut a way to make money.
Until recently, the restaurant served nothing but haricot beans, rice and pickles. Gradually, the variety expanded to include several cold and warm dishes daily. On a clear, beautiful sunny day, coming here, to the breathtaking historic area of Süleymaniye, is a wonderful treat Ğ to be reminded of the architectural glory of the Ottoman Empire and eat an Anatolian meal at an unbeatable price.
Cooked on a charcoal grill
The staff is friendly and charming, and the food makes one crave to return again and again. If you go inside to have a look at the daily specials in glass display cases, the humongous copper jugs and containers filled with bean and rice grab your attention. An old method of preparing haricot beans is to cook them on charcoal and let them steam, or "brew," for at least three hours.
The buttery white rice is prepared in another copper container and brought to the table on a separate plate with a few pieces of wet beans scattered on top. The beans are topped with a single spicy red pepper. A Turkish style cacık Ğ a dish of diluted yogurt with cucumber cubes and garlic Ğ goes down well with the zesty and tasty beans. Alternately, wash it all down with an ice-cold ayran.
Financial crisis prompts promotional price
Due to the current financial crisis, Tarihi Süleymaniyeli Kurufasulyeci Erzincanlı Ali Baba has decided to offer a promotional price of 2.50 Turkish Liras for a portion of beans and rice. That’s a price-to-quality ratio that is hard to beat.
Daily specials include cold dishes in olive oil, such as tender and juicy artichokes, fried eggplant with pepper and tomatoes, bean salad with onions and a spinach dish.
Meat-eaters can choose from four to five Ottoman-style dishes, including tas kebabı, or lamb stew; Izmir köfte; karnıyarık, which literally means "split belly" and is an eggplant dish stuffed with ground meat and onions; and liver. The Albanian liver Ğ chunks of soft, spicy meat served with potatoes, tomatoes and pepper Ğ is a favorite among newcomers.
As for dessert, Güzel highly recommends the pumpkin, a traditional Turkish sweet made with pumpkins from the Adapazarı area that are carefully preserved to be offered every season. Served with lots of crushed walnuts, it makes a superb conclusion to the meal.
For those preferring a creamier and lighter sweet, the traditional oven-baked rice pudding is semisweet and velvety.
Tarihi Süleymaniyeli Kurufasulyeci Erzincanlı Ali Baba
Prof. Sıddık Sami Onar Caddesi, No: 11
(Right across from Süleymaniye Mosque)
Süleymaniye, Istanbul Tel: 0212 513 6219