Tasting Notes
Bayazhan is a stone han in the old centre of Gaziantep, built in 1909 for the tobacco merchant Bayaz Ahmed Efendi. After its restoration the building houses the city museum as well as the restaurant, which sets its tables in the vaulted rooms and in the inner courtyard. Some evenings there is live music, and booking ahead is recommended, especially for a table in the courtyard.
Home cooking from the pot and kebabs from the grill
The kitchen covers both sides of Gaziantep cooking. From the pot come yuvalama, tiny dumplings of rice and minced meat in a garlicky yoghurt soup, and ekşili ufak köfte, small meatballs in a tangy sauce. From the grill come the city's kebabs: Ale Nazik on smoky aubergine and yoghurt, küşleme made from lamb fillet, simit kebabı, where the minced meat is kneaded with fine bulgur, and haşhaş and damat kebabs. Kiremitte Kara Kavurma, lamb confit heated in a clay dish, is one of the house favourites.
A long meze list and a morning spread
The cold meze list is long and very local: muhammara, Antep olive salad, pickled sour grapes (koruk), stuffed dried peppers and several yoghurt-based plates. Among the hot starters is the Bayazhan Yaprak Ciğer, liver sliced thin and pan-fried. In the morning breakfast is served as a spread for the table, and the dessert list includes Antep katmer and baklava made with Gaziantep pistachios.
“Book a courtyard table for dinner, start with a few cold mezes and the Bayazhan Yaprak Ciğer, then share a Gaziantep kebab and finish with katmer.”
LR Kitchen — field note