Turkish Lunch with a View in Istanbul: Dolmas and Sarmas at the Konyali

This is one of my favourite lunches mainly because of the setting and the spectacular view. If you come to Istanbul you must have lunch or dinner with a view of the Bosphorus or the Golden Horn.

Konyali is located inside the grounds of Topkapi Palace (Topkapi Sarayi) in Fatih district. The restaurant has a pretty outdoor terrace. In order to dine in at the restaurant, one must buy a ticket to the palace. It is a self-service cafeteria style restaurant serving Turkish Cuisine but with a very classy setting on the ramparts of the palace grounds overlooking the Bosphorus. Here you have beautiful views of Beyoglu and Besiktas, both districts in the European side, as well as Uskudar in the Asian side of Istanbul just across the water.

This lunch was on my last day in the city. What more could I ask for?

For my lunch fare I chose a local favourite: Dolmas and Sarmas. I had Yaprak Sarma (stuffed vine leaves) and Biber Dolma (stuffed grilled peppers). Both were stuffed with rice and served cold. They were really very good and just perfect as well since I was sitting under the sun. Because I have low tolerance with the sun hitting straight my head, I wore the silk scarf I bought as a head scarf to help cool off.

I am sure that this is one of the reasons why men in the Middle East wear headscarves. To cool off their head from the heat. And I am sure this is also partly the case with the women.

A few Asian tourists kept popping up in front of my table to take a souvenir shot with the lovely view. They did excuse themselves and kept saying sorry. They even at some point sat on the chair in front of me. I do not mind really. I am not greedy to keep the view for myself. They can pose all they want and bring home beautiful pictures and experiences.

If you visit Topkapi Palace, do drop by here. For lunch or for just a drink, and most importantly, to relax and enjoy the spectacular views.

Beautiful setting and view from the outdoor terrace of the restaurant.

A cold lunch of stuffed vine leaves (yaprak sarma) and stuffed grilled peppers (biber dolma) with rice. Served with some salad greens, tomatoes and lemon to garnish. To taste I did add some olive oil and vinegar.