Ah, the joys of Istanbul in July. What greater pleasure does life hold? Well, maybe only being able to share Istanbul in July with my fellow quester, MJ, rather than once more having to set off on holiday while she remains trapped in visa limbo.
Hazelnuts
This trip to Istanbul marked the first occasion when I’ve been able to take advantage of the recently commenced direct service from Edinburgh, provided by Turkish Airlines.
It was my first journey on the carrier, which has just been voted as providing the best airline food in the world. Accordingly, it seemed rather remiss not to undertake a little review of the food with which I was provided, during the flight.
Aubergine goodness
First up, we received a nice little bag of hazelnuts, which were a good, healthy snack, and a nice way to introduce one of Turkey’s primary gifts to the world. 75% of the world’s hazelnuts are grown in Turkey, you see.
To follow, we had a little simple dish of aubergine salad (patlican, the Turkish word for aubergine was one of the first words of Turkish I learned), followed by a cheese ravioli topped with tomato sauce and cherry tomatoes. It wasn’t very bonnie, and it could have used a little more sauce, not least to keep the dish warmer, but was pretty good.
Ravioli
To follow, there was cream cheese and biscuits, and a square of chocolate cake.
One thing that all of these dishes were (both individually and collectively) was filling. I rarely think my hunger has been better sated by an airline meal. The quality wasn’t overwhelming, but everything was kept simple and unfussy, which I both liked and admired. They even went as far as to trust us with big-boy metal cutlery!
Meal elements
Things were accompanied by Tuborg, to drink, and coffee to finish things, which rounded out a highly satisfactory airborne dining experience.
On my return journey, I was treated to breakfast, and a considerable treat it was. The scrambled eggs were excellent. I would have been entirely pleased to be served eggs of this quality in a smart breakfast place in Edinburgh, so it was truly impressive to find this quality at 38,000 feet.
Breakfast
There was some yoghurt, a cheese salad, and a little cheese toast, which were all good, too, so I’m confident in saying it was the best airline breakfast I’ve eaten.
I’m going to be using Turkish Airlines’ services rather a lot, over the next few years, so it was really pleasing to discover that I’m likely to be well looked after, during my flights. I look forward to my next flight with them, muchly.
Scores
Blythe scores Turkish Airlines
4/5 for food
3/5 for presentation
3.5/5 for service
3/5 for setting
giving an overall 13.5/20
Today’s flying quester was: Blythe
I ate: patlican, ravioli, chocolate cake, hazelnuts, cheese and biscuits
I drank: Tuborg gold, water, coffee
I work: red, white and blue www.tieclub.co.uk tie
Total bill: included in the flight price, which was around £220