Shuffling colors & flavors

Sunset on the Aegean coast is always magical. There is nothing like sipping a well-crafted cocktail and watching a medley of changing colors, no wonder why it is the happiest hour of the day.

We were recently in Bodrum, enjoying such a moment overlooking the bay of Yalıkavak, from atop the hill backing the marina with a breathtaking view. One of the most popular places in Bodrum, Yalıkavak is usually packed with crowds, but there are hidden tranquil corners where one can savor the moment in a peaceful setting. The almost bird’s eye view of the Birdcage 33 boutique hotel, which deserves more the name bird’s nest, is the place exactly in accordance with the meaning of its name. After a year of its opening, the hotel is offering a delightful meeting venue, Lika, which means reunion. It seems that this season Lika will be the meeting point of many, regardless of age, with its laid-back setting reminiscent of images of Slim Aaron’s sixties poolside socialites.

Just as its name means, Lika has been a reunion point for my daughter in a strange way, and for me too. During our visit for a stolen weekend from our hectic working schedule, we were enjoying a convivial table, just as Ege Karabük, the young creator of Lika, spotted my daughter, Ulya. It turned out that both had spent a few seasons in the early 2000s at Gökova Sailing Club as kids. The rest of the weekend they separated their tables, which I nicknamed as the kid’s table, no more kid’s now, a group of young professionals in the wake of their careers, recalling their mutual friends of childhood and fun stories they enjoyed at another corner of the wonderful Aegean. Funnily Karabük’s forename Ege, meaning the Aegean, was another twist on name games of the spot. While we, “the elderly,” were enjoying glasses from a meticulously selected wine menu, the so-called “kids” were savoring a procession from a menu of cocktails prepared by bar chef Emre Demir, taking their inspiration from Bodrum integrating ingredients, aromas and smells of the Aegean region. Adding to the amazing colors of sunset, the flavors of botanical flowers such as lavender, Bodrum tangerine and fruit extracts and fresh spices, mingled with the aromas of indigenous grape varieties; while laughter reflected the young spirit of the “kids” table, smiling faces won over the table of retired, enjoying a second youth taking retreat in Bodrum, talking about excited new artsy projects. Lika united both groups as an intersection point with its easygoing warm atmosphere, in its own world and essence.

Mixing both groups, the real excitement comes with the menu of Lika, a gastronomic experience with a concept called “Karma Kitchen,” the term “Karma” meaning “Mixed” in Turkish. The menu is a shuffling of flavors created by Chef Sara Tabrizi, herself famous for her cuisine mixing her dual heritage of Turkish and Iranian flavors, this time adding a generous touch of Aegean and Mediterranean tastes. The kitchen is under the command of chef Melisa Yördem, a young talent putting her style on every dish. It will be unfair to call the kitchen of Lika just as a mixed cuisine which offers much more. It is a mix of perfectly balanced flavors and ideas borrowed from diverse cuisines, blended with the spirit of the Aegean. Among the noteworthy dishes on the menu are Peruvian shrimp ceviche prepared with Bodrum tangerine and caviar, tenderloin tartare with a blend of Turkish raw meatball spices, mussels in wine sauce and moldy blue cheese of Konya cooked á la Moules Marinière, free-range chicken marinated with Iranian dried lime “Limu” cooked French “confit” technique, Ottoman cuisine’s famed Mahmudiye rice pilaf and a triumphal grilled fatty rib marinated in sooty paprika.

The meze and salad selection is just as exciting, with shared plates, they all add to the convivial atmosphere of a diverse clientele. The dried rose petal studded cacık brings an Iranian flair, while the crispy börek filled with foraged greens adds the Aegean touch, slivered liver skewer brings south eastern Anatolia tastes. All mingle along, like the music that accompanies the food, following the same style and mixing sounds from different languages, it draws strength from diversity and expresses differences in the most harmonious way. As the sunset shades turn to the deep dark blue of the night, the shuffling music and tastes turn Lika into the perfect union spot. Congrats to the team, you managed to embrace the Mediterranean and beyond with its diverse tastes and to unite the young and the not-so-young under the same convivial atmosphere.