Guide
In Turkey, meze is never just a starter. It is a way of eating — a table covered in small plates, shared slowly, with conversation doing most of the work. A proper meze spread balances richness with brightness: something creamy, something sharp, something fresh, and always warm bread to carry it all.
Start with the classics. Hummus should be silky and warm-tasting, finished with olive oil and paprika butter. Ezme brings the fire — finely chopped tomato, pepper and herbs sharpened with pomegranate molasses. Haydari cools everything down again: strained yoghurt, garlic, dill and dried mint. Add dolma, olives and sigara böreği — crisp filo cigars of feta and parsley — and you have a table that needs nothing else.
Our advice for first-timers: order the meze platter for the table, ask for extra pide, and resist the urge to rush. Meze is followed by the grill, and the grill rewards patience. Finish the way we do at home — with strong çay in a tulip glass and something sweet, shared.
Keep Reading
Everything we write about, we cook daily — 10:00am to 1:00am at 257 Beach Road, Kampong Gelam. Charcoal-fired, family-owned, five minutes from Bugis MRT.