A Home From Home: Turkey
Turgay Turkucak is a pillar of the Turkish community in Hong Kong. He is setting up a Turkish meet-up group for to the growing number of Turks who call the city home.
In the Family
“Istanbul Turkish Grill and Kebabs (Shop A1, G/F, 232 Wan Chai Rd., Wan Chai, 2573-9101) is my brother’s place. When I go there, I usually order a mixed kebab pizza and a chicken shish kebab. I also like the appetizer of hummus and ezme salad [made with tomatoes, green peppers and onion with lemon and olive oil]. It’s all made fresh—the falafel is also good. They don’t use any MSG and everything is made in-house. At the end of the meal, I’ll order a Turkish coffee and sutlac, a rice pudding made with milk, rice and sugar.”
Raki Rules
“The Istanbul Turkish Grill doesn’t serve alcohol, so when I want to drink wine, I go to Tava (G/F, 10 Hoi Kwong St., Quarry Bay, 2856-5155) for Turkish wine and raki. Raki is Turkey’s national alcoholic drink. It’s made with grapes and aniseed and it looks like water. But when you pour water into it, the raki will turn a cloudy white—we call it ‘lion’s milk.’ It comes in a tall, thin glass. You fill it half with raki and half with water, and add a few ice cubes. It’s 45 percent alcohol—you’re not meant to drink it without food, so order some mezze, such as cheese or watermelon, to go with it.”
Turkish Delights
“For Turkish Delight, I go to I Love Istanbul (Shop 4, 13/F, Pakpolee Commercial Centre, 1A-1K Sai Yeung Choi St. South, Mong Kok, 5401-0025 (WhatsApp only) a café in Mong Kok, which also serves Turkish coffee. The Turkish Delight is pretty authentic but the best flavor is the ‘double roasted’ which has pistachio in it.”
The Turkish Social Scene
“Officially, there are around 500 Turkish people living in Hong Kong, although there could be more than that. I’ve organized three Turkish gatherings in Hong Kong, which were attended by more than 100 people each time. We usually hold these events at the United Services Recreation Club in Jordan. At least 20 percent of our attendees are foreigners. We welcome anyone who is related to the Turkish community or feels Turkish. Actually, Turkish National Day is coming up on May 19—it’s a very important date for Turkish people as it marks the day the founder of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, began the Turkish War of Independence [in 1919]. We are forming a Hong Kong-Turkish community on Hong Kong, as well as a Turkish meetup group. Hopefully that will begin in a month or two.”
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