Trip Report: IST-BKK
My second flight on Turkish Airlines was even better than my first JNB-BKK, partially because my cabin was only 20% full, always a luxury for me (but not the airline), and mostly because the food quality improved to match the cool service design. This is probably because Istanbul is the airline's home base, and their kitchen makes good Turkish food!
The flight started out in the Turkish Airlines lounge, which is one of the nicest lounges I've been, and definitely the most ornate. I think they're trying to recapture some of the Ottoman glory perhaps? On the back wall above the 2 TVs, you can see the ever-present portrait of Atatürk, father or modern Turkey.
This flight was a bit different from the last one, in that you got a choice between a set of Mediterranean or Turkish mezzes. I of course chose the Turkish one. Got to have a few old favorites and try a few new ones. A couple of my favorites from the 2 weeks in Turkey were the purslane in yogurt (in the little dish on the left hand side, middle). Purslane looks like watercress, but doesn't have the peppery flavor. On the big plate is the eggplant stuffed with onions, tomatoes, and peppers, which we made in the cooking class. A couple new ones were the marinated artichoke (in the little dish on the left hand side, bottom), which I had wanted to try earlier. Completely different to marinated artichokes we know in the US, this is basically a whole artichoke that's served with potatoes, carrots, and peas. Another new dish for me was the Çerkez chicken, basically a chicken salad with nuts in it. Very nice.
This was followed by a great artichoke soup, then main course of minced beef kebap and lamb chop, with a spicy bulgur. [Edit: see full meal report here] Then the dessert trolley rolled around, and I got the Turkish pastries, Kalbura Bastı (the round one - a walnut cake/cookie), and Fıstıklı Kadayıf, made with shredded phyllo and pistachio (excellent). I liked how the fruit, even though it was plated one by one as I pointed at the tray, still came nicely arranged in a pattern! The flight attendant was ready to give me more, but I resisted since I was quite full and knew that the little cakes were coming in the next course.
After a 5 hour sleep, we were woken up by the flight attendants raising the window shades! Again, I thought it was a bit early to be woken up (2 hours before landing), but since breakfast was once again 2 courses, I guess the flight attendants needed the time. The first course was actually a very traditional Turkish breakfast which I'd had every day in the hotel. This is where the flight attendant really encouraged me to try the simit (round sesame bread). On the side were fruit, yogurt with apple mousse, and smoked turkey, and homemade apricot jam. This was followed by poached eggs on top of pide.
