Bangkok-Istanbul Trail

Last month, I heard the exciting news from Bekir Kaya, owner of three Thai restaurants in Istanbul, namely Çok Çok Pera, Çok Çok Thai and Az Çok Thai, that all his three places were awarded with Thai Select Certification. That is great news for a metropolis like Istanbul, where world cuisines other than Turkish cuisine are seldom represented properly. Thai Select assures quality and authenticity, it is a mark of certification awarded by the Ministry of Commerce, the Royal Thai Government to guarantee the authentic Thai taste. The award is divided in 2 categories: Thai products and Thai restaurants. The latter is given to places either in Thailand or overseas, but wherever the restaurant is located the authenticity is the key criteria. The restaurants are scrutinized in a painstakingly detailed examination system, from the quality and originality of the ingredients and where they are sourced from, from the skills of chefs working in the kitchen, to the authenticity of the dishes, the process is long. Every single point is examined, and the certificate is only awarded to places that serve authentic Thai cuisine by staying true to its essence. So, the news that all three venues were deemed worthy of this award is just great.

Çok Çok Thai, the oldest of the three opened in 2006, was awarded in the "Classic" category. Az Çok Thai, opened in 2016 is like the little sister in Cihangir, very accessible to Thai-food lovers, and it was awarded in the category of "Casual" serving mostly street food-style dishes from its open kitchen. Complementing the trilogy, Çok Çok Pera, the newest one in the group opened in 2021, offers a more refined cuisine, in a sense, reflecting the royal cuisine of Thailand in a modern way. With its impeccable service and unique atmosphere, the restaurant was awarded with “Signature,” the symbol granted to venues with premium quality and excellent service. The setting is also special, located on the corner of the historic building that was once the American Consulate, between Pera Palace and Soho House, the space evokes a feeling of past glory, of times long gone by. Singaporean architect Kay Ngee Tan transformed this space in accordance with the spirit of the building and the classic Thai style, with modern touches.

Now a special mention needs to go to Chef Nutjarin Plasri, shortly known as Khun Nuch. She has been in Istanbul since the start of all three restaurants, and how she ended up coming to Istanbul is another long story. She was already representing her country for so many years, served as head chef in embassies in Japan, Spain, Mexico and India, and presented Thai culture and food at the World Expo. She was chosen by the Thai family close to Bekir Kaya, who happen to be relatives of his partner architect Tan. To understand the whole story, we have to wind the film back a bit more. How did Bekir Kaya's journey, which started in his hometown of Van, extending from there to London, then to Bangkok and Singapore, which brought the Thai Select award to Istanbul, unfold? He started studying Tourism and Hotel Management in Türkiye and went on to work first in Cyprus and then in London, gained great experience in restaurant management in the 90s, where gastronomy was blooming in London. He later delved into property management area, becoming business partners with Kay Ngee Tan who has strong family ties in Thailand. This is how Bekir Kaya's interest in Thai cuisine begins, he wants to open a Thai restaurant in Istanbul, and that Thai family chooses Chef Nuch after long eliminations among many chefs.

Last week, there was more news from Bekir Kaya. He was recently in Singapore celebrating the awards architect Tan received. As Kay Ngee Tan Architects, they received two awards from The Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA), Design of the Year Award and special category Public Place Making Award for Gallop Extension at Singapore Botanic Gardens, plus the President’s Design Award, the most prestigious accolade given in every two years. Well, one can ask, why are these awards relevant to Türkiye. On the contrary, architect Tan visits our country frequently and he is not only the one that gave that very special Thai flair to Çok Çok Pera, but he is also the architect of a Gastronomy, Art and Culture Center to be opened in Van next spring. Of course, this is also a Bekir Kaya project. Bekir Kaya, who brought Thai cuisine to Istanbul, is originally from Van and this new venture of his is to pay his debt of gratitude to his hometown. This is a long story that travels a long way from Bangkok to Istanbul. Now with this new project, Thailand and Türkiye are getting much closer. Van, situated at the far eastern tip of Türkiye, is on the crossroads of commerce routes, and the mighty Silk-Road, which leads all the way to Asia. Van has a good potential to become a new destination for tourism. Already, the city attracts local tourism and also from across the border, from Iran. The region is both historically and culturally important, especially the Urartian period is yet to be discovered by international attention, not to mention the amazing landscape stretching from the shores of Lake Van up to the mountain pastureland, and the great tastes this landscape offers. Surely, we’ll be hearing more about this new Van venture very soon!

Cork of the Week: Bekir Kaya's latest discovery and action during the pandemic period was to bring Fatih Akerdem, known as the bartender of the bartenders, back to his home country. After working in Frankfurt, Germany for 48 years, Akerdem, who won the "Lifetime Achievement" award in Germany's biggest mixology awards last year, is also the author of the first-ever rakı-based cocktails book, now in the process of re-print. Together they created the bar within Çok Çok Pera. Named after the famous American writer Ernest Hemingway, who once sipped his drink here, Ernest's Bar is entrusted to Akerdem, where he creates Thai inspired signature cocktails and also presents his own line of rakı-based cocktails, some with a Thai touch, again bringing the two countries closed in a single glass.