Skewers and fixins

Halfway through my walk in various neighborhoods in Beyoglu I started feeling peckish. I took a turn off of Istiklal near the Tunel end and used my sixth food sense. I settled at an outdoor patio table at a nice little place called Canim Cigerim Ilhan Usta. Cigerim means something like skewer, I was to find out.

Instead of a menu, I was offered my choice among lamb, beef, chicken, and liver. I chose lamb and liver. Then, some butcher paper was placed on my table and the plentiful condiments began to flow. The first batch brought, left to right, mint, parsley and lemon, rocket (or arugula), and seasoned raw onions. Then were also some quarter tortillas.

There was also a beautiful plate of tomato salsa with pomegranate sauce.

Completing the pre-meat dishes was this pretty plate of grilled vegetables, including tomatoes, onions, and peppers.

With the introductions out of the way, the star of the meal could come forward: lamb and liver skewers. The skewers were enormous, about two feet long each. With my table for one completely full of food, I began to eat. It was a fajita-like free-for-all, with each little wrap composed of different bites, some with the works and some with other combinations. The meat was excellent, charred but not dry. The liver, especially, stood out as full of flavor with no funkiness (I would later hear that liver was a particular specialty of this skewer place). The tomato salsa was a great discovery, as it had a little spiciness and the pomegranate sauce really complemented the other flavors. And, I have so many good things to say about fresh herbs. The rocket was peppery and snappy. The parsley was delightful. And the mint, oh the mint, made everything so much better and was even superb plain.

After a fabulous and full meal of skewers and fixins, I ended it the proper Turkish way, with a glass of cay. Delicious!