Kapadokya

My friend and I hit this Turkish café on the weekend before heading off to the Glebe markets. Upon arrival, we felt like we stepped into Turkey– handmade Turkish carpets, mosaic lamps and art for sale. It was a bit of a gloomy day so we sat inside but there is ample outdoor seating available.
We saved ourselves over 50% with a breakfast deal from a group buying website, for just $ 12 per head. The delicious brekkie was delivered quickly by friendly, chatty, attentive staff and consisted of scrambled eggs, Turkish sausage, tomato, cucumber, two cheeses, olives, jam and fresh Turkish bread.
A great morning feast. Best of all? Their authentic Turkish breakfast is available all day!

Walking down Glebe Point Road, one is presented with a well-​rounded and fairly inclusive array of food and drink options. While I don’t always opt for Turkish, I can be swayed by one thing: smoking the sheesha.
On a rainy Sunday afternoon, some friends and I took refuge within Kapadokya. The colored tapestries and wall hangings made it a visually and sensorially comfortable environment to be in. We ordered teas and some small dishes including gozleme and falafel. Although I was keen to smoke the sheesha (and it was only $ 25), my friends weren’t that into it on the night. Shame.
The gozleme was good, if not standard. The falafel balls tasted as if someone had put them through an industrial strength dehydrator. No amount of Turkish tea in the whole wide world could have wet the whistle after eating that. Next time I come I will most certainly order the sheesha, but for anything else, I can’t say I’d make Kapadokya my go-​to.

Avoiding the studiously cool cafes on Glebe Point Road like the plague, (really, it was just too early in the morning to deal with that), I spied this little place and decided to give it a go.
Inside, there’s a few big wooden tables, and walls covered with Turkish handmade treasures — bowls, hookahs, mosaic lamps, evil eyes (cheap, too). At the back, a room covered in carpets. The lady behind the counter was there with her daughter and I sat and smiled at the incongruity of having Bananas in Pyjamas on in the background. As my Turkish coffee came (on a beautiful brass tray no less) the strains of ‘What’s that, B1?!’ were replaced by Turkish pop music. I kind of liked the Bananas myself…
The coffee was great, lush and chocolatey and rich, and I kicked myself at the sign that you can get your coffee grounds ‘read’ by appointment. Bring out the Turkish granny, I want my future told in the undifferentiated gunge in the bottom of my coffeecup!
Forget the ‘cool’ places, go for some atmosphere, some kind service, and a space free of the evil eye.

I went to Turkey for the first time this summer. Being in Istanbul and breathing the air of the Bosporus was a magnificent experience for me, as I have travelled the Mediterranean, but never to Istanbul. Among my favorite things about Turkey is the food. I know a lot about it since I’m part Greek and the two cuisines are quite similar (don’t tell either I said that!). So now it’s obvious that I was so happy to find Kapadokya Café in Glebe. The café is named for the historical region in central Turkey, where stone structures dubbed ‘fairy chimneys’ extend high into the sky. Besides special Turkish coffee and tea, they sell Turkish breakfast all day, one of my favorite ways to start the day. They also have a lunch and dinner menu, filled with authentic dishes.
In addition to food, you can purchase beautifully crafted Turkish products like coffee pots and ceramics, which are all nice gifts. On Friday and Saturday nights, there are belly dancers that will move their hips as you munch on your food. But whatever you do, make sure to try one of their desserts. I nearly died when I found out they had ekmek kadiyifi, my favorite Turkey sweet. The combination of the rich, syrupy bread with the buttery kaymak is divine.
Also, get the girl who works at the counter to read your future in a tea or coffee cup. It’s a fun tradition, and who doesn’t want to know what ahead of them?

This is a Turkish inspired shop, named after the most visually spectacular region of Turkey. There is an area that is covered by soft volcanic rock called the «moonscape» in Kapadocya — it’s very serene and inspiring. The shop on Glebe Point Road is tiny but it’s walls are lined with gorgeous colourful traditional Turkish bowls. They are absolutely fantastic — I bought a set of 3 small bowls for $ 20 — they are great just to have a snack in or even better as ornaments. If you are up for a bit of adventure, you can sit in and have a smoke of some Turkish crabapple tabacco through a hookah here. It’s a cheap way to try some Turkish cuisine freshly made Borek and Gozlem are available and they do an all day breakfast — all very affordable.