Please note, Bodrum Café and Bar has now closed. Time Out Food Editors, December 2018.
One of a collection of neighbourhood cafés on Stoke Newington High Street, Bodrum is a homely spot with canary-yellow walls and flyers advertising local events. It packs in the punters for filling weekend breakfasts – both English and Turkish versions are available – as well as lunchtime omelettes, burgers and the like. By evening, the menu turns Turkish, with a wide range of grills alongside dishes like ískender (meat baked with tomato sauce and yoghurt, and served on bread). We chose köfte, a generous portion of minced lamb seasoned with herbs, which arrived with a diminutive scoop of rice and braised vegetables in place of the traditional salad. Yet more proof, perhaps, of Bodrum’s dual nationality.