At Kalamata Rumeli, not a single made-up or filler meze can be found on the menu. The ingredients and recipes were chosen carefully from the lands to which they originate, and the authentic Balkan menu was prepared with few but essential items.Balkan cuisine is concentrated on meat. Dried smoked meats and grills are among the cuisine’s most important staples. Doughy goods, börek (pastries), cheese, yoghurt, pickles and salads are the companions. The must-try dishes include: acuka, smoked dry meat, stewed yoghurt, Kashkaval cheese (Bulgarian kaşar cheese), Sirene (Thracian fatty white cheese), soka (pickled pepper dried with milk) and Bulgarian salad (grated white cheese, green peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers) as starters. Ciğer (liver); börek in Barbella, Rumeli and Yutaiçia varieties; and Kebapçe, or minced köfte cooked in a shallow frying pan, can be ordered as warm meze dishes.
The meat is a must-try at Rumeli. You can opt for one of the grilled meats such as sucuk, Balkan köfte, cleaved meat, böbrek (kidney) and grilled lamb cutlet or get a mixed grilled plate in the middle for all to share. They also offer wine and beer for those who wish, but if you were to ask us, only rakı befits this table. The set menu will definitely make your life easier; 10 kinds of cold meze dishes, three warm appetizers (like börek, ciğer and the Balkan platter) and a plate of mixed grills (meatballs, sucuk from Kırklareli, grilled cutlets and meyhane pilaf) costs 75 TL with half a 35 cc. bottle of rakı and 90 TL with unlimited local drinks. We’re sure that you’ll be full and happy with this much, but you shouldn’t turn down dessert, no matter what. Elmasiye is the best dessert offered at any meyhane we’ve visited to-date; the taste it leaves in the mouth is light and sublime.
There is live music each Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Kalamata Rumeli. The musicians entertain the crowd with Rumelian- Balkan melodies as they tour the tables. This small orchestra livens up the crowd in the evenings with their vocalist, violinist, tambourineplayer and Murat Balkan, a wellknown name synonymous with Balkan music in the city. The program begins at 22.30 and lasts until 01.30. Kalamata Rumeli is more interested in flavour and music as opposed to showing off. It’s a great meyhane that offers a full-flavoured Balkan experience. Discover it for yourself asap.
From the Menu
Acuka 7 TL Soka 4 TL
Smoked dry meat 11 TL
Rumelian börek 6 TL
Balkan köfte 11 TL