Welcome to a mini series on this blog. As I’m sure you’re well aware, Türkiye is chocka full of döner kebab (spelt kebap here which is fun) and I plan on eating as many as possible. I will then bestow upon you the knowledge of the best kebabs in the entire nation.
KEBAP REVIEW:
Description: Tuvuk Döner Kebap (Chicken Wrap)
Location: Derya Kafeterya, Istanbul
Price: 160 TRY ($7 NZD)
Rating: 7.5/10
Review: Great contender to start the season. Nice warm, soft wrap, meat well seasoned. Inclusion of chips was welcomed, somewhat uncommon in NZ. Overall a very satisfactory kebap, but some points were lost on the size. I did order a small, so not going to criticise too much, but would have liked to see it packed out a bit better. Get some more veges and sauces in there yknow. The other area that it was held back was due to general ambience. The huge ferry tied up just outside the shop was making horrible squeaking noises against the wharf, also the place we were at was definitely a maaaajor tourist trap. No fault of the kebap, but definitely have to consider the experience as a whole when doing these reviews. Overall, solid performance with room for improvement.
KEBAB REVIEW #2
Description: Tuvuk Dürüm
Location: Unnamed Dairy, corner of Mollabey Sk. and Mithat Paşa Cd., Istanbul
Price: 90 TRY (~4NZD)
Rating: 8.5/10
Review: What a banger for kebab number 2! Stumbled on this guy with a grill on the side of the road right as we were getting hungry, with a sign for the cheapest kebap we have seen yet. I think it was meant to be. Anyway bro on the grill fills the wrap, then hands it to me raw, and points inside a little dairy. Turns out you take it to the counter where another fella presses it and takes your money. Wasn’t super flash, but good flavours and super fresh makes for a banging kebab. Plus the novelty of a fun little walk holding an uncooked kebab into a dairy really brings the vibe up. 8.5/10
KEBAB REVIEW #3
No photo sorry, I ate it in bed hehe Description: Tavuk Dürüm
Location: SR Döner Galata, Istanbul
Price: 150 TRY (~$6.50 NZD)
Rating: 5/10
Review: First döner from a chain in Istanbul, had a fast food vibe about it. I was posted up in bed with a migraine when the others went out to get the döner, and was asleep when they came back so I didn’t get a chance to eat it fresh. I did however eat it in bed for brekky in the morning. It was full of weird sauce, lots of brown fillings and almost no veges. Obviously didn’t experience it under prime circumstances, but was sadly lacking as a kebab experience.
KEBAB REVIEW #4
Description: Tavuk Dürüm Student Menu with Chips and Drink
Location: Irmak Ev Yemekleri, Antlaya
Price: 100 TRY (~4 NZD)
Rating: 9.5/10
Review: Ladies and gentlemen, a new leader in the kebab rankings. First day in Antalya served up this absolute pearler of a kebab! For only 100 lira, this good sized chicken kebab came with chips and an Ayran drink (local salty yogurty-milky drink, slightly acquired taste). The wrap itself was well seasoned, the chicken perfectly seasoned and moist, and the real creme de la creme: plenty of fresh veg. Crisp, tasty, just what the doctor ordered. Would have been a banger kebab just by itself, the addition of chips and a drink really pushed this up to near perfection.
KEBAB REVIEW #5
Description: Tavuk Dürüm
Location: Green Cafe (Not named that, just didn’t get the name), Antalya Bus Terminal, Antalya
Price: 250 TRY (~11 NZD)
Rating: 8/10
Review: Solid kebab. This one was acquired in the bus terminal in Antalya, waiting on our ride to Olympus. We were kinda hungry and said yes at the first mention of kebab, and out came this behemoth. It was huge, definitely didn’t skimp out on the meat or lettuce which is good. Was slightly overdone with mayo, I wish they’d had tzatziki and hummus instead, but still okay. Got a bit stitched up at the checkout, made the classic rookie mistake of not asking the price before we ordered and the chef definitely decided to upsell us the large without asking us. Only took cash and cleaned the four of us out of almost all our money. Though the price was a bit steep, the kebab was good and definitely the largest we’ve had, so overall not too shabby.