It was a cold winter evening. The rain was turning to snow, and back to the slush that makes the black streets reflective, gleaming with the headlights of cars that pass by and turn about the rotary that, in earlier times, served as a place where locals would cool off while putting their feet in a shallow depth of water, perhaps while waiting for their daughter or son to get out of the primary school across the way, its children often heard screaming with delight in their concrete playground.
Memories of another neighborhood held water as a birthday party started to assemble against the headwind that made them shiver with excitement, to see each other, and share in the beauty of a night out in the city, warmed by the sheer presence of their closeness. It was a casual affair, and that’s what Suvi provided, closing the little eatery for the crew of some 12 people, mostly couples and single women. The air was ebullient, as a philosopher who works with children was turning 35, and her friends were there to celebrate.
The menu was fixed. And it began with a stream of bowls, multicolored and flecked with seeds and herbs, marinated in butter and oils, richly scented and flavorful to the eye before tasting, and merging with its nourishing, healthful palate. There was a dish of cauliflower and purple cabbage, a staple of Turkish dining, sliced and spiced, as well as a vegetal variety that proved mouthwatering and filling on its own. And then, the carnivores of the bunch were given small metal plates and they sank their teeth into tender meats.
The ambiance of Suvi is fun and retro, with a marquee like a dairy bar on which various specialties are spelled out, letter by letter, against a backlit board reminiscent of the kind used to highlight milkshakes at a rural stopover in the American midwest. And the chief waiter, also an aproned cook, is as fluent an English speaker as any, greeting with the informal, friendly grip of his hand, a smile behind his whitening beard. To finish their cooked offerings, Suvi offers smooth, world-class coffees from their espresso machine.
The slogan of Suvi is that they prepare fast food slowly, adhering to the principles of slow food in the process. The movement that is known as “slow food” has come to acquire global significance in an age where industrial agriculture has not only changed the environment but also the manner and substance of eating itself. It is clear at Suvi that they are attentive to each ingredient, respectful of its stalks, grains, roots, leaves and meat from the point of its origins to how it feels going down in the middle of a lively group dinner.
Suvi is sometimes described as a “Western restaurant,” but its simplicity is universal. Whether in its carrots, mushrooms, beets or broccoli, it brings out the freshness and nutrition of the vegetable, delivering its own inborn tastes afresh by complementing its juices with protracted cooking times and light interventions of seasoning. And serving up bowls and sandwiches with a plant-based foundation, Suvi is nonvegetarian, but consciously carnivorous, an eatery that conveys ecological knowledge.
The word “Suvi” refers to a cooking process, particularly the benefits of slowness when it comes to taste, and also, imaginably, the preservation of nutrients. If food is overcooked its living elements burn away. While cooking is an essential evolutionary trait, as environmental culinary writers like Michael Pollan have shown, the preference for salads, fruits and raw ingredients is a major part of public health. Suvi, like all proper “slow food” establishments, is finding a happy medium.
By vacuuming a vegetable, or meat, in a sealed bag, and cooking it in a bath with a controlled temperature just below boiling, the slow cooking process begins. In French, the term “Sous Vide,” means "under a vacuum." Suvi comes from its pronunciation. And as a promoter of progressive kitchens, Suvi is not only a restaurant but a pedagogical space. Their website is replete with information on the whole industry of slow food, and the tools that streamline its preparation for professionals and amateurs alike.
As part of their productions, on and off the table, Suvi also makes slow cooking easy for any level of practitioner, whether a master chef or a stranger to the kitchen. Their vacuum-sealed portions of sweet potatoes, for example, can be heated in a pot of water on low heat and then fished out of their packaging for a quick sear over an open flame, inspiring a flash of taste that will be sure to delight guests and hosts of all stripes. And when the weather warms, people will be out on the patio seating at Suvi.
They might sip an iced coffee and remember when Moda had that old pool when its days were refreshed by kids splashing about between classes while their parents waited for a late lunch in the languorous afternoon of Istanbul’s hot season. They’ll be watching people pass from all sides on that corner, which is a busy one, where a tram slides past, ringing its bell, and the seagulls compete with crows for stale simit (traditional circular bread usually encrusted in sesame seeds), as fashionable youth and young families start their lives anew, out for some fast food cooked slow.
