An Evening Afloat in Bodrum

There are a myriad of restaurants to choose from in Bodrum from the cheapest street cafe to the ultra sophisticated hang out where you will need a mortgage to pay the bill, but I have argued for the past 30 years that the best place to eat is afloat. The most memorable meals of my life have always been accompanied by the gentle slap of waves on a wooden hull.   I've cooked on yachts and know the limitations of a small galley but Bodrum's cohort of sailing chefs do not let this hold them back and using the abundant fresh produce and tapping into the legacy passed down from captains who worked their way up from deckhand, they consistently produce the most delicious food imaginable. If you have the means, you can hire a gület for a week or two and enjoy breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and supper served in the lap of luxury but this opulence is available to those of us on a more restricted budget too.

An evening trip is the perfect way to enjoy the delights of a floating Turkish kitchen:  A short motor out to an empty bay, a swim,  a glass or two of white wine as the sun sets while the crew sets out 9 plates of meze and the captain is busy cooking 8 sea bass.  Dining on shore soon loses its appeal.

Include two talented guitarists in your party and entertainment is sorted. I'm happy to report that I haven't forgotten the words to "Sloop John B".

And when the songs are sung and the wine bottles drained, there is still a quiet motor back to the harbour to enjoy, with just the moon and milky way for company.