Yelve

At Yelve, one of Urla’s newest but most special gastronomic stops, I had one of the best meals I have eaten in a long time. This place impressed me not only with its flavour-packed plates but also with the fine touches that enrich the experience. If I were to sum up the roughly three hours I spent here… The cocktail menu was put together by Kutay Özoktay, whose recipes I have tried and enjoyed at other venues before. Both the alcoholic and the non-alcoholic pairings accompany the menu very successfully. My own favourite was the Dolma Biber & Darı cocktail, with its corn foam on top. There is an a la carte option, but with Serkan Anavatan at the head of the kitchen we put ourselves in the chef’s hands and went for the tasting menu. We knew we had made the right decision as early as the amuse bouche. Chef Serkan’s family history as Macedonian immigrants is reflected in his cooking too. That is why we added the selection of cured meats prepared with different techniques and the cured duck to the menu as extras. I am glad we did. The tasting menu moved at exactly the pace it should. Rather than describing every plate one by one, let me leave a few surprises for your own visit and share the details that stayed with me:

• The artichoke water that accompanied the auction fish
• The presentation of the baby squid
• Choosing your knife before the offal plate (a detail I have come across for the first time in Turkey)
• The sumac sorbet served as a transition
• The quail, the last savoury plate, presented in three different interpretations

Before dessert there is a Chaika touch from Ebru Erke. Five different teas are introduced and passed round to be smelled, and whichever one you like is served. A small but very elegant detail that completes the experience. Thanks to Chef Serkan we had the chance to try the whole dessert menu. My favourite by some distance was "Yanık". All the components of sütlaç have been reinterpreted in different textures, a plate that is both familiar and surprising. In short, Yelve is not just a restaurant serving accomplished plates; it is one of those special addresses where every detail has been thought through and the whole gastronomic experience is original from beginning to end.

What to Order

• Dolma Biber & Darı
• Göçmen Kuruları
• Kürlenmiş Ördek
• Sakatat
• Bıldırcın
• Yanık