I just can’t help but feel like Istanbul is going to have a major role to play in global politics over the next 5-10 years. It has a different aura about it, like a city ready to resurge as a place all eyes are on.  Or at least that’s what I kept thinking out loud on a recent trip there (much to the annoyance of my travel companion who after 4 days of me repeating that told me “for fucks sake Nathan, I get it”).  But seriously, it’s not often I take a city break and get completely blown away.  From twisting, vibrant streets to rooftop wine bars overlooking the city to standing in awe inside the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque, I was impressed on all fronts.  

I’m a fat guy though. I’m here to talk about food. On the third day of the trip, I dragged my always patient travel companion over to the hip neighborhood of Kadikoy on the Asian side of the bosphorus. We were hunting for a top notch breakfast spot. Bop! Breakfast on Pan fit the bill. About half of the menu was breakfast sandwiches. This was my kind of place. I went with one of the Chefs Specials, an egg sandwich on a Turkish bagel with Sucuk, Ezine, and tomatoes.

The Sandwich – 8.9/10

Full disclosure, this sandwich reminded me of a Turkish version of the egg and cheese croissants my mother used to make. So I have a bit of nostalgic bias. The Turkish bagel was a flattened version of a US bagel. Good structural integrity and great flavor. My only criticism is I wanted more of it. The fried egg was incredibly runny and mixed well with the melted Ezine to give an amazingly creamy texture. The flavor kick came from the Sucuk, the star of the show and a new favorite breakfast sandwich ingredient for me. The spice from the Sucuk was complimented with the tomatoes which brought in just a kick of sweetness. Think it could have been a bit more balanced with less cheese and tomato and more Sucuk and egg but overall spectacular sandwich.