I’ve been wanting to try Göktas, a Turkish restaurant in Sindelfingen, for at least a year now. Ever since someone in one of the local Facebook groups recommended it, I’ve been intrigued by the place. On Christmas Day, the folks at Göktas offered a “meat night”. Basically, it was a big buffet offered for the low price of 14,90 euros. I had wanted to go on Christmas; their Facebook photos of the food looked so good! But then I decided I’d rather enjoy the holiday at home in my nightie.
Well, the meat night went so well on Christmas that Göktas offered another one tonight. I don’t know if they did it because of Epiphany or just because their other buffet was so successful. But now that I’ve finally tried the place and enjoyed the food, I can see why so many people– mostly Turkish– flock there.
Bill made reservations for 6:30pm. The buffet started at 5:00. By the time we got there, it was pretty packed and all of the tables were reserved. I can’t say the interior of the restaurant is anything fancy. When we walked in, it was obvious that Göktas is the kind of place where people come in for a casual lunch. Turkish pop played over the sound system and there was a very extensive buffet set up with chicken, beef, rice, and plenty of salads. No alcoholic beverages were available, but there were plenty of non alcoholic beverages including ayran (a yogurt drink), hot tea, sodas, water, and juice. This restaurant also offers breakfast and there’s a bakery in the back dining room.
A table was quickly cleared for us and we simply helped ourselves to the colorful feast before us. Not only was the food delicious, it was also a very nice change of pace. I made a mental note to try different restaurants in 2018… something other than Italian, Greek, and German.
Things were swinging tonight!
Bill tries to figure out what to do.
Very fresh bread, grilled chicken breast, chicken wings, rice, grilled peppers, and salad… The chicken was especially good. It had that “cooked over the fire” taste. My only complaint is that the food wasn’t very hot. I always get nervous when I eat chicken that isn’t either chilled or hot.
And beef, pommes, and tabbouleh (buckwheat with mint)… We only managed one plate each, though there were plenty of choices, many of which were meatless. We washed our dinner down with Coca-Cola…
After dinner, we had tea and a couple of rolls. One was basically like unsweetened fried bread and the other had some kind of soft, mild cheese in it. The tea was pretty strong and unsweetened. Bill later figured out that he was supposed to dilute it with hot water to taste.
Many tables were full like this one… with many people enjoying friends, family, and lots of food. Most everyone there was Turkish and some were dressed elaborately. It was definitely interesting from a cultural standpoint.
I would recommend Göktas if you’re looking for something different… inexpensive food that is very well-prepared. I might not recommend this restaurant if you are looking for quiet, intimacy, or high frills dining. It’s strictly a casual place for family and friends and it’s somewhat chaotic when a buffet is offered. It’s also very kid friendly; lots of young children were there enjoying the extravaganza.
I got the sense that on a normal night, you’d order what you want at the counter and pay before you sit down. Tonight, we ate and paid after we were finished. The whole experience took less than an hour, too.
I think the buffet at Göktas is much less chaotic and obnoxious than the “American buffet” at Restaurant Waldachtal was. It’s also slightly less expensive. I would highly recommend making reservations, especially if there’s another “meat night”. It’s obvious word has gotten out about this special event, so if you want a table, you should prepare in advance. We parked in the lot behind the restaurant, but there is also some street parking available.
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I recently asked members of the local food and wine Facebook group for suggestions of places to go out to eat. One of the suggestions was 3 Mohren, a Turkish restaurant in Sindelfingen. I was delighted to try this place today, since we walked past it last week on our way to Corners Burger Restaurant and I noticed how well attended it was and how good it smelled. We made reservations for 1:00pm via the restaurant’s Web site. When we arrived a few minutes early, the place was jumping with business. It turns out 3 Mohren has a popular Sunday brunch buffet and lots of people were taking advantage of it.
The sleek, modern sign outside the restaurant… On nice days, there’s a large terrace available, as well as a good sized indoor dining room.
Bill and I weren’t there for the buffet. We wanted to try some Turkish food and a bottle of Turkish wine. We were very successful in that endeavor today.
Our server seated us at a four top table near the buffet table and had a good look at the menu, which offers all kinds of Turkish specialties with lamb, chicken, beef, and fish. There are also vegetarian selections. Do not go there looking for pork; naturally, you won’t find it on the menu.
We decided to start with an order of hummus, a bottle of mineral water with gas, and a bottle of Turkish wine. Both the waitress and the owner of the restaurant spoke excellent English once they realized we aren’t German.
Bill checks out the menu… lots of great Turkish choices, as well as grilled salmon, shrimp, and dorade. The menu is also vegetarian and kid friendly.
This was a very nice dry red wine from Eastern Anatolia. Several bottles were available, as were wines by the glass and a range of cocktails. 3 Mohren has a full bar.
A shot of the buffet during a couple of minutes when it wasn’t being visited by patrons. This table stretched another ninety degrees into the next dining room. I didn’t get a close look at what was on the table, but people seemed to be enjoying the food
The hummus was absolutely delicious. The bread was dressed with a zesty oil that gave the chickpea dip a kick. This was a nice start to lunch.
Bill and I both went with kebabs. He had a lamb kebab and I had chicken. Both dishes came with salads, rice, and vegetables, as well as a basket of bread.
This salad was not too big, which I appreciated. It consisted of lettuce, corn, carrots, radishes, and a zingy dressing that tasted of mild mustard with just a dash of mint. I really liked the dressing.
My chicken kebab. The chicken was white meat and just a little dry for my taste, but well seasoned. The vegetables were cauliflower, zucchini, carrots, potatoes, broccoli, and a green pepper. There was also a small scoop of delicious rice that had a buttery essence. I might have liked this better if it had come with a sauce or something on the side.
I don’t usually go for lamb, but I have to admit Bill’s lamb was excellent. Next time, I might have to have a mixed grill or even order the lamb myself. It was very tender, juicy, and not gamey at all.
We were offered a basket of bread, which we accepted. It arrived hot and fresh. I noticed a couple with twin babies who were just adorable. They had big, bright blue eyes and one of them kept staring at me. I think I heard their mom talking to the owner about booking the restaurant for a party of 30 people.
As we were sitting there eating, I was paying attention to the music. They were playing a lot of jazz– mostly modern stuff. I think I heard some Diana Krall. Then I heard a cover version of Stevie Wonder’s classic song, “If It’s Magic”, which is originally from his wonderful 1976 album, Songs in the Key of Life. Although the cover version wasn’t necessarily moving to me, I was explaining the song to Bill. It’s always been kind of special to me, because the lyrics are so wise and seem especially poignant, particularly given the mood a lot of us have been in over the past few months.
For those who haven’t heard the song, here’s a video…
This song always moves me.
So anyway, there I was sitting in the Turkish restaurant, explaining to Bill the meaning of this song. It poses the question why, if love is so special and magical, are we so careless with it? Why don’t we pay as much attention to preserving the love in our relationships as we do to how we dress, smiling for the camera, and protecting our children from danger? For some reason, as I was explaining the song, I got very verklempt and started tearing up. I was sitting at the table wiping tears and talking about the song in a quavery voice. It was kind of embarrassing.
Bill is used to this reaction from me, especially over music. We’re both hopeless saps when it comes to some things. I usually see him get weepy when he enters a beautiful cathedral or looks at amazing artwork. He sees me tear up when I hear gorgeous music with powerful lyrics. I have a Stevie Wonder DVD that I’ve only watched once or twice because it makes me cry to watch Stevie Wonder perform. He is so incredibly talented. I am myself a singer and have sung “If It’s Magic”. I have to admit, it’s usually a struggle to get through it without getting really emotional. It probably doesn’t help that I’m also hormonal as hell right now.
I don’t know about my readers, but Bill and I have had a pretty tumultuous few months. Although it probably started with the political upheaval that’s been going on since Trump got elected, it really started coming to a head in April when Bill’s former company lost its contract and we spent a couple of scary months wondering if we were going to have to move… and if so, where? Then, both of Bill’s parents had some rather major health issues. They’re both mostly fine and we ended up not having to move, but that doesn’t mean we weren’t worried. And now Bill’s working for a new company and feels the pressure to perform and prove himself to his new employers. Although 2017 was not nearly as stressful as 2014 was– when we moved here from Texas after Bill retired– it has been a bit crazy. Add Trump to the mix and the fact that our dog had a cancer scare (that turned out not to be cancer, thank God) and you have a couple of really wound up people.
Anyway, once I finished explaining the song and wiped away the tears, we were finished with lunch. Bill called for the check, which was about 58 euros. I think he paid in cash, but I believe they do accept cards there.
Given how tense we both were, we decided to visit the Mineraltherme in Böblingen. It just reopened after having been closed for renovations for several months. I had to talk Bill into going, but he admits that every time I talk him into hitting the spa, he feels a lot better afterwards. I wanted to see the changes they made over the summer. Looks like brand new lockers, more parking spots (most of which were filled today), and new equipment in the saunagartens. I read they invested over 13.5 million euros in fixing the place up.
Today, we did something we had never done before… at least not at the Mineraltherme. Today, for the first time ever, we ventured downstairs to the textile free area and actually stripped down to our birthday suits. Regular readers may have read about our trip to the Palais Thermal spa in Bad Wildbad a couple of months ago. That was our first time getting naked in front of strangers. Well, today was the first time we did it locally and ran the risk of running into people we know.
Honestly, it was kind of awesome. After a quick dip upstairs in the clothed area, we went down to the classic sauna area, got in the raw, and hit a sauna. We paid an extra 5,50 euros each to go into the saunagarten, where everyone is buck naked (but with big towels and robes for when they sit down). We took a longer dip in the warm, relaxing mineral pool, wandered around the gardens, checking out the sandy lounge areas, relaxed in another sauna, had a beer, and then tried out the heated lounge chairs (wrapped in towels, of course). It was amazingly relaxed and pleasant. In all seriousness, the nudity thing doesn’t bother me in the slightest anymore. I have taken to it like the proverbial duck to water. Yeah, no one wants to see me naked, but I no longer give a shit about that. It’s a wonderful feeling.
After a couple of hours enjoying some rays, warm water, German suds, and peace and quiet, we headed home. Bill looked a lot less stressed. I told him we need to make a priority out of visiting the spa more often… and he needs to get back to the gym and blow off some steam before he has a stroke. It was a really lovely afternoon.
Needless to say, I recommend 3 Mohren, but make reservations if you’re coming on the weekend. Both the restaurant and the spa were noticeably less packed later in the afternoon. We will have to remember that for next time. Turkish food plus being naked with Germans equals awesomeness… A good cry over music doesn’t hurt, either.
Bill and I went to Ludwigsburg yesterday to ditch some empty beer bottles at Heinrich’s. We were headed to a beer tasting last night and wanted to pick up a couple of bottles for our host. Last time we were in Ludwigsburg, I got really hangry. I wanted to make sure I didn’t get that way yesterday, so we fortified ourselves with a nice breakfast before the trip.
Ludwigsburg happened to be teeming with people yesterday, since there was a big flea market going on. Parking was a bit scarce. Nevertheless, we found a spot at the big parking garage at the Solitude Car Park. We headed into town the usual way, through the big mall near the city center. It’s our habit to go to the main square when we visit Ludwigsburg, but yesterday we were distracted by a large sign offering grilled food.
I was actually thinking the restaurant looked a little “American” from the outside. That was a mistake, as this place was very authentic and offered more than the usual doner kebab one finds at Turkish restaurants in Germany. They had pizza, soups, salads, kebabs, and pita, as well as other Turkish temptations. The place was busy too, packed with locals, which is a sign of a good restaurant.
We squeezed into a two top, which wasn’t an easy feat. Reina has tables that are very close together and almost all of them were taken yesterday afternoon when we sat down.
Bill manages a smirk as we wait for menus.
Then gives me a “meme-worthy” look.
I settled on a doner pita and a hefeweizen. My dish came with either rice or fries. I went with fries because I love my potatoes. Bill had a grilled lamb dish and a beer. I don’t really like most lamb, but I will admit what they had at Reina Grillhaus was very tender and not gamey at all. It came with a really nice and vaguely spicy red pepper spread that Bill loved. I enjoyed my more pedestrian doner, especially the yogurt dressing that came with it.
Germany has introduced me to the wonders of yogurt sauce, a delicacy I used to forsake. After yesterday’s lunch, I might have to start enjoying lamb, too. I think a bad experience with it in Armenia unfairly turned me off of the wonders of lamb flesh.
Bill’s salad and my pita bread. Both were fresh and tasty.
I managed about half of this. It was delicious.
But next time, I might try one of the fancier meals. They had chicken, ground beef, and lamb dishes.
Though we could have finished with raki served as a shot or tall, we opted for coffee instead. They didn’t have Turkish coffee yesterday, but the regular was good. It was served without sugar, which turned out to be okay for me. I get enough sugar as it is. Service was a little slow yesterday, but I think it was because they were very busy at lunchtime. We didn’t mind waiting.
From 9:00-12:00, they offer Gozleme with Turkish tea. I first tried it in Istanbul back in 1996 with my friend, Elaine. We were there vacationing from Armenia. I noticed a lot of people were enjoying soup at Reina Grillhaus, too. I would have tried it, but the doner was already too much food!
Me and Elaine in Istanbul circa 1996. We were eating Gozleme with tea… It’s a flatbread filled with savories such as beef, lamb, cheese, potatoes. It’s delicious, especially when freshly made.
A shot of the menu, complete with pictures.
The total for our lunches was 31 euros. We thought the food was well worth the price of admission. We will have to go back for more next time we go beer shopping in Ludwigsburg, though I’m still wanting to try the African restaurant I’ve heard so much about.
This ad was on a bank… I was looking at this while reading about Britain’s brand new princess.
A photo I took on the way between Jettingen and Herrenberg. So pretty!
Last night, Bill and I met a couple of friends at Mediterranean Turkish Grill. We happened to spot the restaurant’s location on Sunday, when we went to The Cheesecake Factory. The Mediterranean Turkish Grill is in a strip mall right next to North Star Mall in San Antonio. Our friends had eaten there before and had a Groupon, so we met them there. We each brought bottles of wine, since the restaurant has no liquor license. In Texas, you can bring your own wine to places that don’t serve alcohol.
I was kind of excited about the prospect of Turkish food, since I spent two years living in Armenia and while I was there, had the chance to go to Turkey for a couple of weeks. Turkey is one of the neatest places to visit, even though I went with a female friend and we both got harassed a lot. What can I say? We were young, female, and from the West, and some of the men thought we were whores. Aside from that, we had a great time. It was a trip in which we really roughed it.
So we went into the restaurant and it looked like a quaint, unassuming place with plain tables and modest Turkish decor and Turkish pop played from the kitchen. A very handsome young man, obviously a member of the family who owned the place, handed us menus. There was lots of lamb, beef, and chicken on the menu. No pork, obviously! They brought out wonderful, fresh, hot bread, which we garnished with flavored oil… it tasted like garlic.
We ordered hummus and eggplant salad. The waiter also brought out babaganoush, which is an eggplant dip.
I went vegetarian with falafel… The falafel was very good and I had plenty leftover for today.
Bill had lamb kebab…
Our friends both had the same dish… which I can’t remember the name of just now. They’d had it before and said it was outstanding.
I think we’ll be back. This place had a lot of character and charm and the food was very good. I like to support restaurants that aren’t a part of chains.
The restaurant was pretty quiet last night. There were only a couple of other parties in the place when we were in there. One party appeared to be from Turkey. I heard them speaking Turkish.
It was fun seeing our friends again. I need more nights like last night to help me get into the Texas lifestyle. Our friends had also seen the Book of Mormon Musical at the Majestic Theatre before we went and they loved it as much as we did.
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