Congratulations to Erdener Markt

[Heather on the Hill]

I used to enoy the take away Fırın Kebabs (Kleftiko) done by the cafe next to Erdener was was disappointed when it went up market and stopped doing them.

I was therefore delighted that Erdener itself have started doing them on their cooked food counter on Sundays and Wednesdays and tried one today. Delicious and good value - for 20TL you get a large qualtity of very tender meat (falls off the bone) and comes with two large baked potatos soaked in olive oil , boxes of rice and salad, and a little screw of onion and peppers. One packet was enough for two but you could add yoğurt and olive bread (also fresh and warm this morning ) or pita for large apetities ,

Dont be put off by the adacent sheeps heads (a local delicacy which, being squeamish , is the exception to my taste for local cooking) but the kebabs are served wrapped in several layers of silver foil presumably to keep them warm in carrying home.

Well done Erdener makes a change from Sunday specials of roast beef, and particularly cheering on a morning like today. I hope this is a sign that afforable local specialities are becoming more available again.

[Tanyaahmet]

Some times there cooked in the tin foil here depends if they cooked them in the clay outside oven or not but i do love the firin kebabs here

[Heather on the Hill]

Not sure where Erdener cook them, Tanya, I will try to find out next time I go. They certainly tasted genuine , ie not too dry as they sometimes are if they are if they are cooked by electric, or kept hot too long or heated up, and the potatos were just right. Foil is, I think , the modern convenient way of wrapping them, instread of the original coating in clay?

[sophie]

Sounds wonderful. Pity someone can't come down this end and show Tervetuloa how to cook them. Went to an event there two weeks ago and it was appalling. They had clearly been roasted in an oven. not wrapped to keep juices in and were black and were as tough as show leather. Dreadful things. Even dogs made hard work of them.

[Owl Lady]

I am surprised, usually the food there is very good.

[Heather on the Hill]

Ferın kebab is not a dish that lends itself to goup catering. A good restaurant will ask for advance bookings so they have time to heat the oven cook the kebabs (3 or 4 hours) and serve ındıvıdully fresh from the oven and openıng the over and producing the food is part of the show. If reheated they do dry up. I will try to find out how Eredener managed to provide for a uncertain trade, but I did notice they were wrappped in several layers of foil, which may be part of the trick

[Owl Lady]

H on the H is quite right about pre-ordering. IMO Erol's restaurant in Ozankoy does the best Firin Kebab on a Wednesday night, always pre-ordered.(OK a little off original topic)

[mimi78]

Had the Firin kebab last weekend from Erdener last weekend, sorry to say it was past its best. the smell was overpowering.
Binned it.
pity, because it looked good !

[Heather on the Hill]

Owl Lady, dont worry about it -- I reported a good exerience for the benefit of others, but am always glad to hear suggestions about good sources of good local food and that was the inspiration for the orignal post, though I alreay knew about Erols I havent been recently and think it is more expensive than the Erdener take away.

Sorry to hear about mini's experience - was it the meat iself that was bad, rather than the cooking in which case I think you should report it to Erdener as I believe they do try to provide good food and would want to know if something went wrong. I must admit I wondered what they do with the meat tht isnt sold.

[Tanyaahmet]

Normaly to get he best firin kebab here they cook them in the clay ovens outside thats why they are so tender and pre orderd and they wrap them in the foil before they put it in the outisde oven im not sure how every one does it some put it in a tray and in the clay oven or normal oven but i have eaten at a few places and was horrible and for the price i do expect something nice the kelin yeri used to do it really nice they did there in the outside clay oven

[Kizzy]

We tried both the kebab and sheeps head this weekend - not terribly impressed but it was ok.

By the way they provide this service on Saturday and Sunday not on Wed. as in msg. 1 ~ they may have changed the days recently