Food in Istanbul

Food in Istanbul is something to look forward to! Concerning the restaurants we heeded (again) the advice of Turkey Travel Planner. The area they recommend, Hoça Pasha, happened to be very near our hotel. And they are right: very tasty and not expensive. We had dinner there twice, at Et Is and at Kasap Osman. Both times very good but in the first restaurant the staff was more friendly.
Two other restaurants we encountered on our way to Hoça Pasja from our hotel: Pasazade is right around the corner. We had a good"Ottoman" dinner in a beautifully decorated room at the ground floor. They are said to have a lovely roofterrace as well (at least i.e. the view is good) but the beginning of may was just a little too early to enjoy it, it would open the next week. This was the only time we ate indoors.

Because we insisted on eating on a roofterrace, despite the cool evenings, the second night we ended up in Ibni Kemal Caddesi at Özler. There was a covered (but not closed) terrace on the roof where some heaters where burning the hardest they could. This was the best meal we had in Istanbul but it is a close call. Actually the food tasted allright everywhere, but Özler gets a lot of points for fun as well, lounging in the big cushions.

We also had an outdoor dinner in Beyoglu. There we ended up at "K.V.", in Tünel Gedici, a narrow street full of restaurants, very cosy. The food here was considerable more pricey then what we were used to, but just as good.

Usually we ordered something like kebab with, for example, yoghurt. Often we had a salad as a starter. It is served with tasty fresh bread anywhere. A glass of very sweet apple tea after dinner also seems to be a custom.

More food

	Except for the food in restaurants there are also the pastanes or sekercis, selling baklava and lokum (Turkish Delight, often of a luxurious kind, full of pistachionuts etc.). Lokum appears to be invented right here, in Istanbul, at the Sultan's court!(click for the complete story at TTP) Every day we treated ourselves on a box of sweets. !!!
Just as sweet and good are the puddings. Puddingshops (muhallebici) sell heavenly puddings in foil trays, to take away or eat at the spot (photo right).
For lunch we often bought the circular sesameseed buns (simit) and as a drink to go with it for instance a carton of cherry juice (Visjne Suyu). Or fresh pomegranate juice (nar suyu).
The last day we also tasted the roasted maize and chestnuts that are sold throughout the city. And also very nice was having tea in Lale Bahce, a teagarden near the Süleymaniye mosque.

 

Our hotel, the Yasmak Sultan hotel

We only have been in Istanbul once, so we only have stayed in one hotel only, the Yasmak Sultan hotel that we booked together with the flight (Turkish Airlines) at Expedia. This hotel is situated very conveniently: at walking distance from the Topkapi Palace and the Hagia Sophia to the southeast, the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar to the southwest/west and the restaurants in Hoça Pasha (northwest)and a little further that way the quay of Eminönü and the Galatabridge across the Golden Horn.
On top of that, if you want to go to anywhere further: the tramstop is just around the corner!

From the roofterrace where breakfast was served you can see many of the famous buildings. In the beginning of day 5 you can find a report of the breakfast in the Yasmak Sultan including photos and video . The breakfast was lovely by the way, for the kids it was one of the highlights of our trip to Istanbul.

The only thing that we did not like about the hotel was that dthe rooms where quite small and on our floor (the 5th) the windows were very small as well(we were just above the roof gutter). The rooms themselves where allright, nice and clean.

In short, when we will go to Istanbul again it will probably be to this hotel!