Veli Usta

This restaurant was not far from the Renaissance Hotel, where we were staying during our time in Izmir. It was within walking distance of the hotel.  It's located by the water. Although they had an outdoor section, we decided to sit inside, which felt like being outside since the windows were wide open. It also had a more formal feel to it.

Our server accompanied us to the back of the restaurant, where they had all sorts of fresh fish. I couldn't decide what to pick from the wide variety. We both settled on the Sea Bass skewer, which was to be either grilled or fried. We opted for grilled.  

Our server asked what sides we would like; there were a few options, and again, it was not easy to make a decision. The octopus was out since my friend would not eat octopus. There were slices of seabass with mustard sauce. We ordered beets, which turned out to be pickled, so I didn't care for them. We picked something with cheese, and Sandi and I loved it, but we couldn't tell or remember what was in it aside from the cheese. A basket of rolls was also laid at our table.

I thought that would have been enough, but my friend wanted French fries, so we had some. They were very crispy, but they lacked salt.

  

The Sea Bass skewer was grilled, and it was good. There was so much food that we couldn't clean our plates. When our server came back, he reprimanded my friend for not finishing her fries. And yes, I had to agree with him. Since we did not want to order dessert, he asked if we cared for coffee or tea on him.  I asked for Turkish coffee, and Sandi declined any coffee or tea. 

We enjoyed our meal at Veli Usta. Thank you to our server; I apologize for forgetting your name.