What is the difference between Adana and Urfa kebab, and which one is spicy?
Adana is spicy. Urfa is not. That is the short answer, but the difference does not stop there.
Both are minced by hand using a heavy curved blade called a zırh. A grinder crushes the meat, the blade cuts it, which is why hand-minced kebab holds its juices over the fire instead of drying out. Adana kebab carries a registered Turkish geographical indication, and that specification calls for mutton with about fifteen percent tail fat. Our kitchen uses beef for both, and the heat comes from red pepper flakes. Nothing goes into the mince except spice and salt.
Urfa kebab leaves the pepper flakes out. The seasoning stays behind the meat rather than in front of it. Same cook, same fire, two different ideas.
- No tolerance for heat, order Urfa
- You like heat, order Adana
- Cannot decide, order one of each and split them
I see kuzu şiş, beyti, patlıcan kebap, iskender and köfte on the menu. What are they?
All of them are red meat, but the cooking method and what arrives alongside are different.
- Kuzu şiş is cubed lamb rather than mince, threaded on a skewer and grilled over coals. The closest thing to plain, honest meat.
- Kuzu pirzola are lamb chops, thin and on the bone. They cook fast and stay crisp at the edges.
- Beyti is grilled meat rolled in thin lavaş bread, topped with tomato sauce and served with yogurt. It is named after Beyti Güler, the İstanbul restaurateur who put the dish together.
- Patlıcan kebap is eggplant kebab. A slice of eggplant, then a meat patty, then eggplant again, all the way up the skewer. It is mild, and the eggplant soaks up the fat from the meat.
- İskender never touches the grill. Thin slices of döner go over small pieces of pide bread, then tomato sauce and melted butter, with yogurt on the side. It comes from Bursa. The menu lists a beef version and a köfte version separately.
- Köfte are hand-shaped meatballs, gently seasoned. Usually the safe pick for children.
What does ocakbaşı mean, and does charcoal really make a difference?
Ocakbaşı means the grill counter, where the cook works the coals in full view of the room. The name comes from standing at the fire.
Charcoal matters because of the smoke. As the meat heats, fat drips onto the embers, flashes into smoke, rises and settles back onto the surface of the meat. On a gas grill this never happens, the fat falls into a tray and the aroma is lost. Oak charcoal is the usual choice because it burns long and gives steady heat.
Sultan Grill House cooks over an oak charcoal ocakbaşı. The kitchen is halal certified, so no pork is used.
How much food is one portion, and what comes with it?
In Turkish kebab houses one portion usually means 150 to 200 grams of meat. It varies from place to place, and some serve up to 250.
Several things arrive without you ordering them. Grilled tomato and long green pepper, sliced onion with sumac, parsley, and warm lavaş or pide. Sometimes there is bread under the kebab to catch the juices.
One portion fills one person. For two people a mixed grill platter makes more sense, since you get several cuts on one tray. It comes in a two person and a four person size. Mezes such as humus, haydari and acılı ezme arrive on small plates and are meant for sharing.
It is my first Turkish kebab. What should I order?
If you are avoiding heat, order kuzu şiş or Urfa kebab. Neither one buries the meat under spice.
If you want heat, order Adana kebab. It is one of the best known kebabs in the country, and ours is made with beef and red pepper flakes.
If you like meat but worry about the plate being plain, beyti is a good middle path, since the yogurt and sauce keep it from going dry. If you want vegetables in the mix, patlıcan kebap. For a large table, a mixed grill ends the argument.
Homemade lemonade or pomegranate juice goes well alongside. Finish with künefe, a warm cheese and shredded pastry dessert that is easy to share.
How do I fit a meal between Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque?
Everything here is within a few minutes on foot. Sultan Grill House sits on Yerebatan Caddesi, directly across from the Basilica Cistern. Hagia Sophia is a two minute walk and the Blue Mosque four. The Sultanahmet stop on the T1 tram line is a few minutes away as well.
Two notes on timing. The Blue Mosque closes to visitors during each of the five daily prayers, and on Fridays it stays closed to tourists until early afternoon. At Hagia Sophia the upper gallery queue is longest from late morning into the early afternoon. Hours and entry rules change, so check the official sites before you go.
A plan that works is to see the mosques early and sit down to eat once the queues build. The kitchen runs from 09:00 to 02:00 every day, so a late lunch or a meal after an evening walk both work.
