Tasting Notes
Hidden Garden is at Peykhane Sokağı 14/A in the Binbirdirek quarter of Sultanahmet. Tables are set around a garden courtyard with a fountain, with heated seating outdoors and a closed room with a fireplace for the colder months. It is open from 11:00 until midnight.
Testi kebab and the Ottoman list
The Ottoman section includes a testi kebab for two, cooked in a sealed clay jug and broken open at the table, along with kara erikli kuzu yahnisi (lamb stewed with dark plums), roast lamb shoulder for two, lamb shank, musakka and a house bohça. The kebab list covers Adana, ali nazik, aubergine kebab, a mixed grill for two, döner or İskender and lamb chops.
Fish, vegetarian dishes and the rest
Fish and seafood include grilled sea bream and sea bass, salmon, lobster, octopus and prawns in clay pots, fish kebab and a mixed fish platter. The vegetarian list has karnıyarık, grilled vegetables, falafel and couscous. There are also pasta dishes, a chicken section and steaks, among them T-bone and fillet.
“Come in the early evening, order the testi kebab for two after a cold meze plate, and ask for a garden table if the weather allows.”
LR Kitchen — field note