A Far Easterner with three tables in Tarlabaşı
EBRU ERKE
As a passionate culinary artist, Burcu brings light to the dark streets of Tarlabaşı with her mastery in Far Eastern cuisine, creating extraordinary delicacies in the place where she feels most at home — her kitchen.
We listen to the story behind a bite served on a long-handled wooden spoon: “What we have here is a raw meatball. Instead of using tomato paste, we incorporate gochujang and gochugaru from Korea. Rather than putting the meat inside, we’ve placed it on top. The wagyu beef, which we smoked in that stone oven you see right behind me, has been thinly sliced and added to the raw meatball.” Next, we are presented with marrow, topped with Chinese Jiaozi — one of the best dumplings I’ve ever had. There’s also a syringe attached to the bottom of the dumpling. Burcu Önal explains: “This is my signature dish. It’s actually the very first dish I ever made, and it holds a lot of personal significance. The woman who raised me, though not my biological mother, is Chinese. As a child, the first dish she taught me was this dumpling. The syringe contains broth from a neck meat soup, slow-cooked in a stone oven. You should inject the broth into the dumpling before eating it, and then scrape out the marrow.”
No, I’m not at a high-end restaurant in the Far East. I’m at the restaurant that’s left the deepest impression on me lately: Sini. Jiaozi is their signature dish, offered in various versions. Another standout dish is their ramen, where they prepare the broth in a stone oven and make the noodles by hand. On the bottom of a glass plate, resting above a tiny aquarium, is futomaki — large maki sushi made with a nine-kilogram brushtooth lizardfish that arrived that very day. The futomaki is topped with tarama, wasabi and edamame sauces. There’s so much to share about the food, but let me first tell you the story of Chef Burcu, so you can understand the journey of a woman with deep expertise, dedication, hard work and passion behind the dishes that have so deeply impressed me.
After her parents divorced when she was young, Burcu stayed with her father and was raised by a Chinese nursemaid. She helped Joe, whom she calls her second mother, make jiaozi with her small hands. At the same time, she listened to stories from Joe’s mother, a renowned jiaozi maker from a village in Shanghai. Later, when she went to China for university, Burcu dropped out and began working at a dumpling restaurant. Her father was furious. “I can’t accept such an odd job,” he said. “I’ve spent the equivalent of three houses on your education — you’ll either become a lawyer or a doctor, or you’ll leave this house.” Burcu’s father likely didn’t expect it, but that very night, his daughter would leave home in her pajamas and step into a new life, determined to forge her own path. Burcu is one of those rare people who, instead of relying on her family’s resources and leading an easy life, chose to follow her heart, face challenges and succeed on her own terms.
Burcu grew up surrounded by Chinese cuisine, but her passion for Japanese food was always so strong that she filled her room with pages from Japanese magazines she collected from second-hand bookstores. In Türkiye, she worked at Wagamama and Divan-Maromi, but they always assigned her to the service staff. Despite this, nothing could stop her passion. Some people quickly recognized her expertise from the stories she shared at Maromi. On one occasion, she even took the time to explain the nuances of Japanese culture to a customer who complained about the Japanese soup “dobin mushi,” served in a teapot. Her detailed explanation impressed the customer so much that he, a manager at a large cruise company, offered her a job on the spot.
When Burcu learned that her favorite local eatery serving Develi cıvıklısı was relocating, she seized the opportunity to lease the space. Despite warnings from local shopkeepers who doubted the viability of Far Eastern cuisine in the neighborhood, she remained determined. Shortly after opening, the pandemic hit. While she initially resisted the idea of takeout, she eventually relented and joined Yemeksepeti. Her restaurant quickly gained popularity, achieving a perfect 10-star rating for three consecutive months. Even renowned Chef Maksut Aşkar became a regular customer, calling Burcu and congratulating her for her culinary offerings one day.
Foreign visitors are currently more familiar with Sini than many local Turks. During our visit, we even saw tourists knocking on the door, unable to get in because the restaurant was fully booked. One day, seeing the books in the showcase and wondering who could be interested in them, a person insisted on meeting the chef and enjoying her food. However, because the place was full, he had to settle for a table on the side. It turned out that the chef, who tearfully hugged Burcu on his way out, was a jury member of Mexico’s Iron Chef competition with two Michelin stars. By the way, Burcu also has a notable experience on Türkiye’s MasterChef competition. However, unlike others who use such platforms to quickly gain fame, she never talks about it. This alone speaks volumes about her desire to be recognized solely for her craft.
Burcu is also a “flying chef,” serving as the head chef for Turkish Airlines’ Osaka route, which means she has an incredibly demanding schedule. When she’s not on duty, her husband, İbrahim Önal, steps in to manage the kitchen, and he, too, is well-versed in Far Eastern cuisine. Burcu herself has lost count of how many trainings she’s attended, workshops she’s taken part in, cookbooks she’s read and recipes she’s translated. All of her resources go into this pursuit. Just this dedication alone is enough to earn her admiration. I often compare her to Pam, who became Asia’s best female chef after opening a restaurant in a run-down building in Bangkok. Burcu is every bit as remarkable as Pam, if not more, thanks to her relentless determination. Fate has a way of rewarding hard work, and Burcu, I believe your name will be known not just in Türkiye, but around the world. More power to your elbow!
