During my relatively short visit to Istanbul I clearly didn´t manage to check out all the baklava…read moreplaces of the city (wise enough of me ^_^), but i´ve tried quite a few, and this one is definitely among my favourits. The baklava here is always super fresh - you can see it on its shiny golden surface, hear it while breaking through crispy layers with a fork, smell it, taste it, feel it - it´s a joy for all senses. The dough is so thin and delicate and at the same time crispy, the filling of ground nuts, spices and syrup is very sweet, but not just sweet - it has deep, rich and complex flavor, which is soothing and stimulating at the same time, calming and invigorating. The bad thing about all this heavenly deliciousness is that it makes addicted. Seriously, I´m not joking. Once you´ve made the first bite, you can say goodbye to stuff like common sense, self-control and any considerations preventing overeating.
Well, now to some more pragmatic sides of the story: other shops with comparable quality (Hafiz Mustafa for example) charge more for their sweets creations, Saray has very moderate prices in comparison. Apart from sweets it also offers many budget lunch and dinner options - salads, soups, snacks, dishes with rice, cheese, meat, cooked veggies, different variations of kebap etc. I can´t comment on the quality tho - was too focused on the marvelous baklava ^_^
The staff and the design of the shop don´t impress at all, but honestly i don´t care much since there was nothing to negatively affect my wonderful culinary experience.
Summing up: to anyone visiting Istanbul i would definitely recommend to check out this place and try their mouthwatering desserts. I bet you will enjoy them! But take one more tip from me: consider going to gym straight from the plane when you´re back home XD
