I have always loved to eat using my hands if, of course, the atmosphere and the food is suitable for this. In Istanbul there is one restaurant where you can enjoy a hands-on eating experience: Dirty Hands. True to its name, Dirty Hands is a restaurant where you can really get your hands dirty. Located in Beşıktaş's Akatlar neighborhood, this restaurant offers dishes that are so delicious they will leave you licking your fingers. Forks and knives do not come with the food at Dirty Hands; unless you make a special request for them. In any case, many of the dishes on the menu are like snacks.
Located just across the street from Akmerkez, this restaurant is exactly what the neighborhood needed. It's always full, especially during after-work hours and during lunchtime. The place is small but has a smart design thanks to architect Efe Ergünlü. Chairs that can be moved up and down with levers, tables that are anchored to the ground with pistons, folding sofas, bar stools with springs are utterly intelligent features. Everything in the place is able to go under the ground or in the walls in a second and a huge bar area appears. In the garden area, on the other hand, you can always find a place to sit. There are even barrel-shaped bistro-style tables on the street where you can sip your drink and chat with your friends. But as I said, the mechanisms inside must be examined one by one.
The owners of Dirty Hands, Hülya and Oytunç Yazdıç, are a married couple who locals will recognize from Any at Arnavutköy. Successful restaurant owners, the Yazdıçs have already made a name for themselves in the sector. Dirty Hands is like a new baby for this couple and, in my opinion, it is a place with a sincere ambiance, the type of which I have been hoping to find in Istanbul for a long time.Part of the kitchen wall, designed in the shape of an old minibus, is a DJ cabin. Various names are written on the bricks of the restaurant's walls and the outside of the establishment is also covered in brick, witha fake factory chimney made of bricks outside. Waiters wear blue and white uniforms in a retro-style theme. To top off the entire getup, customers receive their bills in original cigar boxes from Cuba. In short, this place is a whole new concept.
Before mentioning the menu, I'm first going to mention the cocktails very briefly. Hung on a wall in a lighted frame, the cocktails here have striking names that suit the place very well as well as the Michael Jackson illustration in the place. I really loved the Black Honey with agave syrup, among other cocktails. Likewise, you should also request the cocktail, Dirty Talk. You must also ask for an "asparagus shot," distilled for six weeks, from the barman Onur. The Durobor brand martini glasses are especially worth looking at. They are each downright works of art.
When it comes to the menu, there are quite a few different options. You mark your choices with a pen on the menu that comes on paper. Dirty Hands serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Believe me, to see the ribs with BBQ sauce served for lunch and dinner as well as the bagels served for breakfast which I've missed from the U.S., made me very happy. The kokoreç nachos and beef tacos are simply delicious. Also, I suggest the mini breads called Bao with beef, kokoreç or chicken. For dessert, on the other hand, I recommend the Mexican-style churros that I loved in the U.S. This pastry, coated in cinnamon, will remind you of tulumba. It's really delicious but I wish it longer like original churros from Mexico. In any case, this is my only complaint. In all truth, Dirty Hands is a place incomparable to any place in Istanbul. I congratulate its owners and the employees. Visit it the first chance you get.
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