Being someone who has spent almost a decade living in Bodrum, it is interesting to note that compared to maybe a few years ago, some of the restaurants preferred by locals are starting to serve a more innovative kind of Mediterranean Fusion cuisine which aims to combine the elements of Turkish Aegean cookings with those of the neighbouring Greece and South-Eastern Mediterranean region. More and more restaurants in the chic part of Bodrum, frequented by Turkey's affluent yacht-owning jetset class, begin to experiment with different styles of food preparation whilst using fresh ingredients locally available from the gardens and fields of the Bodrum Peninsula. Instead of the usual 'Turkish cuisine' that can be found all over the place, an increasing number of restaurants in Bodrum are offering both traditional-regional and Mediterranean dishes with a twist.
To start with, it is important to note that to a certain extent, the cuisines of Bodrum have always been unique, especially when compared to the rest of Turkey. Culinarily speaking, traditional cookings in Bodrum Peninsula have been influenced by the neighbouring Greek Dodecanses islands, as well as by the recipes of the Muslim refugees from the island of Crete who were resettled in this part of Asia Minor from the mid-19th century onwards, whose culinary tradition involves routine use of wild herbs, spices such as cumin, fresh vegetables, seafood, and olive-oil based dishes. In day-to-day Bodrum cookings, the use of fish, seafood, olive oil, herbs, spices, and seasonal wild greens available from the fields and valleys of the Bodrum Peninsula are paramount in importance, and the prominence of these ingredients in the preparation of day-to-day food is what makes Bodrum regional cuisine stand out from amongst the rest of the field.
The transformation of Bodrum from a sleepy fishing village in the 1950s into one of the premier yacht stations and tourist resorts in Eastern Aegean brought about a demand for a more cosmopolitan kind of cuisine. As the affluent Turkish tourists that flock to Bodrum's marina district every summer become more and more discerning with their tastebuds and demand for variety, a new wave of restaurants conjuring ‘Fusion’ cuisine or outright international foods gradually appear on the scene. Nowadays both the 'tourist' side and the 'local' side of Bodrum's imposing medieval castle are full of restaurants which serve international dishes ranging from a full English Breakfast and Sunday Roast to Spanish Tapas and Japanese Sushi rolls. Every place that offers Turkish pide can also serve you a pizza if required.
Given the overwhelming similarity between the main ingredients used in most Mediterranean cuisines and local culinary traditions in Bodrum - olive oil and oilves, herbs, tomato, garlic, onions, cheese, seafood, vegetables such as aubergine and zucchini, as well as all sorts of salad leaves - it only takes some imagination and willingness on the part of local Bodrum restaurateur to experiment with different recipes and cooking methods in order to create a new kind of Aegean-Mediterranean fusion food culture with a Turkish overtone. And that is what is now happening in several upmarket restaurants in Bodrum's posh marina area popular with affluent Turks and high-spending yacht owners.
One of the local favourites that has been present in Bodrum's restaurant scene since 1989, Sünger Pizza (Sünger = Sponge Diver) on the posh Neyzen Tevfik Caddesi right across the road from Bodrum's Yacht Marina has revamped its menu in 2011 to include some local Bodrum specialities with a twist, as well as some international fares, such as the tasty stir-fried chicken with curry sauce (not your Anglo-Indian curry please note!!) and a new take of the famous good old Chicken Kiev. Although the place is primarily known amongst long-time Bodrum residents for its pizzas, nowadays it is one of the best places in town to sample the delicious Bodrum regional speciality Tavuk Cokertme (Stir-fried thinly-sliced strips of chicken breast on a bed of thinly-sliced match-stick size potato strips accompanied with a light garlic-yogurt dip), named after a small seaside village on the southern side of the Bodrum Peninsula.
For those who are interested in trying out as many kinds of Aegean-style mezes all at once, Sünger Pizza offers the opportunity to stack a plate full with as many types of mezes as one wishes to. The mix-meze serving plate comes in two sizes - small and big - which allows customers to choose as many types of mezes as the plate can accommodate from the wide selection available in the restaurants' display fridge. Highly recommended for those who are curious to discover the taste of traditional Turkish-Aegean tapas.
Just a few hundred meters up the same Neyzen Tevfik Caddesi towards the direction of downtown Bodrum is the Liman Köftecisi, a nice little meatball restaurant housed in a beautiful white-washed Greek-style stone building that has been restored to its former glory. This place is often packed with local diners during dinner time - a surefire sign of the quality of its meatball dishes - so it is advisable to reserve ahead or simply go and ask the waiters to arrange a table on the spot. As the name of the restaurant implies, meatballs are the speciality, and the house special is the Liman Mixed Kofte Special, a plate of 10 meatballs on pide bread served with a garlic-yogurt sauce drizzled with tomato paste. Another interesting take is the cheese meatballs served with garlic flavoured yogurt sauce.
In addition to meatballs, this restaurant also has some traditional Aegean cuisines, such as Tavuk Sote (stir-fried diced chicken with vegetables, tomato and herbs), Tavuk Guvec (over-baked diced chicken with vegetables and tomato, topped with yellow cheese served in a shallow dish), as well as an assortment of Aegean region olive-oil based mezes - highly recommended is the delicious meze of diced aubergine with tomatoes and red peppers steeped in olive oil and fresh garden herbs.
For those who are looking to splash out a bit of money for a dinner with ambience and views of Bodrum Marina with the castle in the distance, one can consider trying out the exclusive-looking Marina Yacht Club. Comprising of several different restaurants and bistro-bars on ground level and on top of terraces with views, each venue offers different menus with different selection of wines, drinks and food - and of course, different price categories. The main venue on the main terrace on top of the main entrance is the most expenive of all venues inside the Marina Yacht Club. The dishes are of a Fusion Mediterranean type, sometimes perhaps slightly over-presented, but in general at least they have made an effort to try to be a bit more creative in their interpretation of Turco- Mediterranean cuisines, which is something to be applauded.
Sünger Pizza
Neyzen Tevfik Caddesi, No: 218, 48400 BODRUM
Tel: +90 (252) 316 08 54
Liman Köftecisi
Neyzen Tevfik Cad. No 172, 48400 Bodrum
Tel: +
Marina Yacht Club Bodrum
Bodrum Marina, Neyzen Tevfik Caddesi, 48400 Bodrum
Copyrights@YC Cheng,2012. All text and photos by YC Cheng. All Rights Reserved.
To start with, it is important to note that to a certain extent, the cuisines of Bodrum have always been unique, especially when compared to the rest of Turkey. Culinarily speaking, traditional cookings in Bodrum Peninsula have been influenced by the neighbouring Greek Dodecanses islands, as well as by the recipes of the Muslim refugees from the island of Crete who were resettled in this part of Asia Minor from the mid-19th century onwards, whose culinary tradition involves routine use of wild herbs, spices such as cumin, fresh vegetables, seafood, and olive-oil based dishes. In day-to-day Bodrum cookings, the use of fish, seafood, olive oil, herbs, spices, and seasonal wild greens available from the fields and valleys of the Bodrum Peninsula are paramount in importance, and the prominence of these ingredients in the preparation of day-to-day food is what makes Bodrum regional cuisine stand out from amongst the rest of the field.
The transformation of Bodrum from a sleepy fishing village in the 1950s into one of the premier yacht stations and tourist resorts in Eastern Aegean brought about a demand for a more cosmopolitan kind of cuisine. As the affluent Turkish tourists that flock to Bodrum's marina district every summer become more and more discerning with their tastebuds and demand for variety, a new wave of restaurants conjuring ‘Fusion’ cuisine or outright international foods gradually appear on the scene. Nowadays both the 'tourist' side and the 'local' side of Bodrum's imposing medieval castle are full of restaurants which serve international dishes ranging from a full English Breakfast and Sunday Roast to Spanish Tapas and Japanese Sushi rolls. Every place that offers Turkish pide can also serve you a pizza if required.
Given the overwhelming similarity between the main ingredients used in most Mediterranean cuisines and local culinary traditions in Bodrum - olive oil and oilves, herbs, tomato, garlic, onions, cheese, seafood, vegetables such as aubergine and zucchini, as well as all sorts of salad leaves - it only takes some imagination and willingness on the part of local Bodrum restaurateur to experiment with different recipes and cooking methods in order to create a new kind of Aegean-Mediterranean fusion food culture with a Turkish overtone. And that is what is now happening in several upmarket restaurants in Bodrum's posh marina area popular with affluent Turks and high-spending yacht owners.
One of the local favourites that has been present in Bodrum's restaurant scene since 1989, Sünger Pizza (Sünger = Sponge Diver) on the posh Neyzen Tevfik Caddesi right across the road from Bodrum's Yacht Marina has revamped its menu in 2011 to include some local Bodrum specialities with a twist, as well as some international fares, such as the tasty stir-fried chicken with curry sauce (not your Anglo-Indian curry please note!!) and a new take of the famous good old Chicken Kiev. Although the place is primarily known amongst long-time Bodrum residents for its pizzas, nowadays it is one of the best places in town to sample the delicious Bodrum regional speciality Tavuk Cokertme (Stir-fried thinly-sliced strips of chicken breast on a bed of thinly-sliced match-stick size potato strips accompanied with a light garlic-yogurt dip), named after a small seaside village on the southern side of the Bodrum Peninsula.
For those who are interested in trying out as many kinds of Aegean-style mezes all at once, Sünger Pizza offers the opportunity to stack a plate full with as many types of mezes as one wishes to. The mix-meze serving plate comes in two sizes - small and big - which allows customers to choose as many types of mezes as the plate can accommodate from the wide selection available in the restaurants' display fridge. Highly recommended for those who are curious to discover the taste of traditional Turkish-Aegean tapas.
Just a few hundred meters up the same Neyzen Tevfik Caddesi towards the direction of downtown Bodrum is the Liman Köftecisi, a nice little meatball restaurant housed in a beautiful white-washed Greek-style stone building that has been restored to its former glory. This place is often packed with local diners during dinner time - a surefire sign of the quality of its meatball dishes - so it is advisable to reserve ahead or simply go and ask the waiters to arrange a table on the spot. As the name of the restaurant implies, meatballs are the speciality, and the house special is the Liman Mixed Kofte Special, a plate of 10 meatballs on pide bread served with a garlic-yogurt sauce drizzled with tomato paste. Another interesting take is the cheese meatballs served with garlic flavoured yogurt sauce.
In addition to meatballs, this restaurant also has some traditional Aegean cuisines, such as Tavuk Sote (stir-fried diced chicken with vegetables, tomato and herbs), Tavuk Guvec (over-baked diced chicken with vegetables and tomato, topped with yellow cheese served in a shallow dish), as well as an assortment of Aegean region olive-oil based mezes - highly recommended is the delicious meze of diced aubergine with tomatoes and red peppers steeped in olive oil and fresh garden herbs.
For those who are looking to splash out a bit of money for a dinner with ambience and views of Bodrum Marina with the castle in the distance, one can consider trying out the exclusive-looking Marina Yacht Club. Comprising of several different restaurants and bistro-bars on ground level and on top of terraces with views, each venue offers different menus with different selection of wines, drinks and food - and of course, different price categories. The main venue on the main terrace on top of the main entrance is the most expenive of all venues inside the Marina Yacht Club. The dishes are of a Fusion Mediterranean type, sometimes perhaps slightly over-presented, but in general at least they have made an effort to try to be a bit more creative in their interpretation of Turco- Mediterranean cuisines, which is something to be applauded.
Sünger Pizza
Neyzen Tevfik Caddesi, No: 218, 48400 BODRUM
Tel: +90 (252) 316 08 54
Liman Köftecisi
Neyzen Tevfik Cad. No 172, 48400 Bodrum
Tel: +
Marina Yacht Club Bodrum
Bodrum Marina, Neyzen Tevfik Caddesi, 48400 Bodrum
Copyrights@YC Cheng,2012. All text and photos by YC Cheng. All Rights Reserved.
Love Sunger pizza, truly a locals restaurant! Amazing how it has changed over the years... But the food is always excellent. Never realized the Yacht Club had a different price based on location. Very interesting.
ReplyDeleteMust mention that the best Tavuk Guvec on the Bodrum peninsular is at the "Beach restaurant" in Gumusluk, next to the restaurant that has the boat filled with flowers in the water.
Hello Paul,
DeleteMany thanks for your comment ^^ Sunger Pizza now has a rooftop terrace with views of the Bodrum Castle and the Marina, great place to have dinner with friends.
As for the Upper Terrace Restaurant of the Marina Yacht Club,I believe it is open during the summer months only; in mid-September I was there with some friends because the restaurant on the upper terrace serves fairly decent beef carpaccio; but last weekend I had wanted to take another group of friends there for dinner, and to our disappointment the upper terrace dining area was already closed!! And the menu of the Yacht Club bistro downstairs is very different, so no beef carpaccio for us, but the prices downstairs are cheaper.