dim sum!

Holy Cow! Istanbul has dim sum!

Having spent the better half of my twenties in San Francisco, the dim sum capitol of the United States (I'm sure there are plenty of New Yorkers who would fiercely disagree with me on that), I have what can only be explained as a passion for dim sum. For those of you that have never experienced this visual and delectable delight, dim sum is like a Chinese meze; a variety of light dishes to be enjoyed over tea. I love dim sum. So imagine the gasp of surprise and excitement I let out when I heard of Istinye Park's latest culinary addition— Dim Sum. Easy to remember, right?


So what did I have? To accompany my flowering jasmine tea, I chose steamed wasabi and prawn dumplings, squid cakes, steamed chicken and spinach dumplings, steamed lamb buns (normally they'd be filled with pork, but pork is not generally found on menus in Muslim countries), and the most exquisite and unusual mango prawn pastry. This pastry is something I could dream about at night.


An inventive spin on tradition, Dim Sum is located on the uppermost floor of Istinye Park, right next to House Café. Dishes of two to three pieces go from 7 to 11 lira— from what I can remember. Grab some friends and brave the mall crowd for a yummy, yummy experience.