Barney Fisher-Turner
Istanbul Food Stylist/Food Writer

Changa Review

Interesting viable flavor combos; sleek clever little dishes that are always playful without being de trop; the Changa team seem to always be searching but most of all they care about showing off flavor. I could hurl around ‘missing the point’ superlatives complimenting anything from the color of the bathroom walls, to the waiter’s outfits; I want to examine the beautifully crafted food however, which to me is ‘the point’. The deep fried beef tongue with red cabbage salad was right up my strassa; a reworked version of the classic Turkish bufe sandwich with crunchy Japanese Panko crumbs and an accompanying lemony, mustardy salad to assuage and cut through any guilty conscience still wrestling with the words ‘deep fried’. The grilled grouper with Borlotti bean puree and mint and green chili salsa is a lovely dish; a perfect window into the type of intelligent food being served at Changa. The salsa was spicy, sweet, salty, and sour; the fish, perfectly cooked white flaky protein; an ideal vehicle for all of the above; the puree offers an appropriately almost bland backdrop and creamy texture contrast. The slow cooked lamb wrapped in vine leaves with sour cream and sweet chili sauce showcases Changa’s philosophy in triumphant fashion; Turkish ingredients and motifs used in an innovative, surprising way; the lamb, the leaves and the cooking liquor are wholesome and deeply familiar; add soured cream and sweet, chili and your looking at a beautifully conceived dish that bridges the well traversed gaps between rustic and fine dining, Turkish and Asian. Well traversed for the Changa team! Not for the rest of us!

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