It was at a seaside resort in Bodrum that Turkish cuisine began its renaissance thanks to Aret Sahakyan, a mentor chef of the new generation, who has just opened a second eatery beyond the historic starred one: Ayla.
The chef and the facility
Popping up everywhere on the streets of Istanbul is the lure of street food, whether it be kebabs, which are quite different from what is known in Europe, or mussel banquets, so much so that here it seems to be eaten at any hour and on any occasion. However, Turkish cuisine, beyond the stereotypes of foreign vulgarizations, is surely so much more, so much so that since 2023 the country has earned its own edition of the Michelin guide. Initially limited to Istanbul, the selection last year was expanded to Bodrum and Izmir, including Maçakizi, a restaurant at the eponymous resort in Bodrum that laid the foundation for the ongoing renaissance.
The sign, literally “queen of spades,” cites the nickname of Ayla Emiroğlu, founder of the establishment back in the days when the resort, famous for its handsome Crusader castle and Roman Greek amphitheater, was still a fishing village. A handful of rooms scattered along the slope, down to the sea, amid patches of bougainvillea and stray cats, whose appetites have been catered to for 25 years by Aret Sahakyan, a chef who is considered the father of the new Turkish cuisine.
Sahakyan was born in Istanbul to a family of Armenian descent, which had some indentures into the restaurant business. His uncle in fact was a chef, his mother a very good home cook, but in general the whole neighborhood was dotted with little stores where he could enjoy bites prepared with dedication. Then he left for the United States, attended college and entered the restaurant business, alongside such masters as Jean-Louis Paladin, who had held two stars, and Francesco Ricchi, who passed on to him a good smattering of Italianism.
Of his Maçaziki he immediately made the country's flamboyant workshop, welcoming young chefs into the kitchen who now excel in guidebooks, like a Middle Eastern Marchesi. And if the lunch buffet is the setting for impeccable executions of traditional specialties, such as peppers stuffed with rice, stewed eggplant, very fresh legume salads, lahmacun and manti (i.e., meat pizza and ravioli), in the evening in fine dining the offering is international, indeed “Mediterranean,” with a generous penchant for Italianisms.
See the smoked carpaccio, lobster gnocchi and mushroom tagliata, over which the pairing of mostly Turkish wines stands out, served by the excellent Vincent Lopresto, formerly of Da Vittorio and the Trussardi alla Scala targato Taglienti and Conti. A few weeks ago, however, the owners and chef decided to raise the bar again by opening Ayla, a second fine dining spot dedicated to the founder.
Ayla Restaurant
Here the concept is radically different: it involves interpreting typical dishes and childhood memories, drawing from the reservoir of local and seasonal materials, of which the surrounding area is generous. There are just six tables, but the qualitative break with the other restaurant, starred though it is, is stark.
The meal consists of four acts, each of which includes several options. Already delicious is the carob bread, an archaism that Sahakyan introduces for tasting the extra virgin olive oil pressed a few kilometers away, for a chocolatey feel to the oil.
This is followed by the çoban salad, a typical deconstructed salad with the jelly of its “conditella,” a single local olive as a reminder of the subject matter, and the spiced lentil waffle.
The mullet, whose sweetness is enhanced by pomegranate with tender exoticism, is surprisingly balanced; the dolma-like rice pilaf in pumpkin flower with lobster medallion is more predictable. Then in crescendo the fermented fennel manti with yogurt and sumac, beautifully nuanced, and the succulent matured lamb with eggplant and walnuts.
Finally, a petit fours takes center stage: rosewater lokum in marshmallow form, baklava with rolling pin phyllo dough and emerald pistachios in its rolled version (but types with walnuts, orange peel, pistachios, and cocoa are also produced, testifying to the seriousness with which the traditional repertoire is approached), Turkish coffee tartlet, and chocolate with sour cherries or satsuma.
It's hard to find Turkish cuisine of such elegance around, contemporary in vision and standards of a country haranguing on the international stage. And without ever overdoing it, because, as Sahakyan says, “I want the ingredients to be what shines.”
Contatti
Maçakizi- Ayla
Narciçeği Sokak, Bodrum, Mugla 48400
