South Philly does Turkish food
Joyce Liao, WG'08
Issue date: 10/16/06 Section: Insider
- Page 1 of 1
Ever since I visited Istanbul for a Model U.N. conference during college, I have been an aficionado of Turkish food. I heard about Divan from a fellow Health Care major student and decided to give it a try after a week-long bombardment by the evil marketing case.
Divan is located on 22nd and Carpenter, just one block north of Washington. I would be lying if I said that I did not feel uncomfortable as I and my companions rode down in the cab, seeing the neighborhood around us. The buildings around the restaurant appeared bleak and run-down, and the streets were quite deserted. Divan stood out as a sophisticated corner café, presenting a welcoming safe harbor in this incongruous environment. Leaving the restaurant at the end of the evening proved to be scarier than arriving; we could not find a cab at all and the other pedestrians on the street were downright frightening. Luckily, we walked home without any incident (the fact that we did not wear our Walnut Walk outfit to dinner certainly helped). I would recommend reserving a cab in advance to pick you up. Alternatively, you can put on your best shoes (at least 3 inches for girls) and suits and just make a run for it...trust me, with the overwhelming number of EIS's on campus, you will need the "exercise."
The internal décor is similar to that of a typical coffee shop, with 20 or so dark wood tables and chairs lining along the walls and large windows. The layout is simple and can seat approximately 35 people. My companions and I were the first guests of the evening; I did not make a reservation, thinking that we would have no problem getting a table at 6:00 pm. The maitre d' was not amused and informed us with a scolding face that we would have to leave by 7:30pm. Despite the rude welcome, she was right: by 6:30pm, other patrons started trickling in, and the restaurant was packed, loud, and lively by 7:00pm!
The restaurant is BYOB, but we did not take advantage of it. Instead, we each ordered a sour cherry juice (we were lucky that they had some). In the spirit of trying something unusual, we started out with arnavut cigeri (fried calves liver) and mucver (zucchini pancake) for appetizers. A garnish of thinly sliced onions and lettuce accompanied the cubes of tender pink-centered liver covered by a sprinkling of sumac...the verdict: it was surprisingly appetizing!
The zucchini pancake came covered with a generous layer of yogurt, which was a bit heavy for me, but we finished it nonetheless. The first entrée was döner kebab, a simple dish consisting of thinly-sliced ground lamb that was charbroiled on a vertical skewer, served with some pita bread and grilled vegetables. The döner kebab I had in Turkey was in sandwich form with lettuce, sliced raw onions, and tomatoes enclosed in thick pita bread, more like a local fast food option than a dish fitting for the restaurant setting. However, the taste was all there in Divan's fancy version; in fact, I liked the thicker lamb slices better.
The second entrée was kayseri manti, tiny dumplings filled with ground lamb and simmered in an orange oily sauce. The dish was the best one in the evening and was enormously filling. The last entrée, the shrimp casserole, was a bit lackluster (We should have known that it would be bad since it did not have a Turkish name!). Basically, it was just a casserole of shrimp, mushrooms, green bell peppers and tomatoes topped with kasari cheese. The shrimp tasted extremely "fresh"...and not in a good way. I am not sure if this is just typical for Turkish cuisine but I vaguely remember that the seafood dishes I had in Istanbul were equally fishy. Despite the awfully fresh shrimp, my dining companion noted that the sauce was good and the dish would have been more palatable had it been served with rice. We wrapped up with some scorching hot, potent Turkish coffee.
The service was incredibly poor. The waiter gave us one cracked water glass and did not bother to refill our water glasses the entire evening; at some point, one of my dining companions had get up to pour water for herself! Also, the waiter seemed keen on getting us out of the door as promptly as possible. However, all in all, the food was good, I would go back again...just not alone.
Divan Turkish Kitchen
918 S. 22nd Street
215-545-5790
Daily 12pm-11pm
BYOB, cash and all major credit cards, reservation strongly recommended
Entrees ~$10-20, meal for three ~$80 + tip
Divan is located on 22nd and Carpenter, just one block north of Washington. I would be lying if I said that I did not feel uncomfortable as I and my companions rode down in the cab, seeing the neighborhood around us. The buildings around the restaurant appeared bleak and run-down, and the streets were quite deserted. Divan stood out as a sophisticated corner café, presenting a welcoming safe harbor in this incongruous environment. Leaving the restaurant at the end of the evening proved to be scarier than arriving; we could not find a cab at all and the other pedestrians on the street were downright frightening. Luckily, we walked home without any incident (the fact that we did not wear our Walnut Walk outfit to dinner certainly helped). I would recommend reserving a cab in advance to pick you up. Alternatively, you can put on your best shoes (at least 3 inches for girls) and suits and just make a run for it...trust me, with the overwhelming number of EIS's on campus, you will need the "exercise."
The internal décor is similar to that of a typical coffee shop, with 20 or so dark wood tables and chairs lining along the walls and large windows. The layout is simple and can seat approximately 35 people. My companions and I were the first guests of the evening; I did not make a reservation, thinking that we would have no problem getting a table at 6:00 pm. The maitre d' was not amused and informed us with a scolding face that we would have to leave by 7:30pm. Despite the rude welcome, she was right: by 6:30pm, other patrons started trickling in, and the restaurant was packed, loud, and lively by 7:00pm!
The restaurant is BYOB, but we did not take advantage of it. Instead, we each ordered a sour cherry juice (we were lucky that they had some). In the spirit of trying something unusual, we started out with arnavut cigeri (fried calves liver) and mucver (zucchini pancake) for appetizers. A garnish of thinly sliced onions and lettuce accompanied the cubes of tender pink-centered liver covered by a sprinkling of sumac...the verdict: it was surprisingly appetizing!
The zucchini pancake came covered with a generous layer of yogurt, which was a bit heavy for me, but we finished it nonetheless. The first entrée was döner kebab, a simple dish consisting of thinly-sliced ground lamb that was charbroiled on a vertical skewer, served with some pita bread and grilled vegetables. The döner kebab I had in Turkey was in sandwich form with lettuce, sliced raw onions, and tomatoes enclosed in thick pita bread, more like a local fast food option than a dish fitting for the restaurant setting. However, the taste was all there in Divan's fancy version; in fact, I liked the thicker lamb slices better.
The second entrée was kayseri manti, tiny dumplings filled with ground lamb and simmered in an orange oily sauce. The dish was the best one in the evening and was enormously filling. The last entrée, the shrimp casserole, was a bit lackluster (We should have known that it would be bad since it did not have a Turkish name!). Basically, it was just a casserole of shrimp, mushrooms, green bell peppers and tomatoes topped with kasari cheese. The shrimp tasted extremely "fresh"...and not in a good way. I am not sure if this is just typical for Turkish cuisine but I vaguely remember that the seafood dishes I had in Istanbul were equally fishy. Despite the awfully fresh shrimp, my dining companion noted that the sauce was good and the dish would have been more palatable had it been served with rice. We wrapped up with some scorching hot, potent Turkish coffee.
The service was incredibly poor. The waiter gave us one cracked water glass and did not bother to refill our water glasses the entire evening; at some point, one of my dining companions had get up to pour water for herself! Also, the waiter seemed keen on getting us out of the door as promptly as possible. However, all in all, the food was good, I would go back again...just not alone.
Divan Turkish Kitchen
918 S. 22nd Street
215-545-5790
Daily 12pm-11pm
BYOB, cash and all major credit cards, reservation strongly recommended
Entrees ~$10-20, meal for three ~$80 + tip
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 3
Gulfem Ozturk
posted 2/05/07 @ 1:29 AM EST
Well, I have unfortunately been to the same place.As a Turkish who has a pretty good taste in food, I must say that the food was terrible and so was the service. (Continued…)
Michael Morgan
posted 2/09/07 @ 12:30 AM EST
This was one the best Turkish Food I have ever had. Doner Kebap was delicious. My Turkish Girl Friend had Mediterranean Sea Bass and she loved it. She recommended me to have Divan's signature dessert (Kazandibi) was the best dessert I've ever had. (Continued…)
Post a Comment