What should I blog about first? Without doubt, food. But, Istanbul is not exactly a foodie's paradise so what are the possibilities for a Chinese who live to eat?
At practically every street corner or public place, you will see licensed vendors selling three staples of street food: bread, chestnuts and sweetcorn. The bread is very cheap, only 1 Turkish lire each, and very tasty. If you are lucky and just happen to buy during the replenishment time, the bread is still nice and warm. I really loved the bread, even though I try to avoid carbohydrate. Another thing, I found the street vendors extremely polite, the older men more so.
The chestnuts are in comparison quite expensive (10 TL for 750g), at least in comparison to Vienna. But they are fat and sweet. Also, there is little fear of food poisoning in case of unhygienic handling, since the little darlings are roasted in their shells over charcoal.
There was a large selection of street food vendors at the Eminonu Bosphorous Quay, the pier where tourists go to pick up boat trips along the Bosphorous Straits. In the evening, a lot of locals gathered there to eat a fish sandwich, which I believe to be mackerel. Unfortunately, due to lack of time, language problem and the biting cold, I had not tried this local food, much to my chagrin.
Throughout Istanbul, I saw a lot of shops selling coffee, tea and fruit juice. The orange juice is a bit sharp for my taste, but I enjoyed the Turkish tea, served in a small glass cup shaped like a tiny vase, with no handles. The tea always comes with two lumps of sugar.
And now from the cheap and cheerful to something pretentious. We dined at a wine bar at the Besiktas district that served their own label wines as well as small bites (akin to tapas). None of the wine was to my liking after tasting, so I settled for water. Then, in order to avoid cheese in my food, I opted for a meatball, which came as a flat piece of minced meat. Ball it was not. It was accompanied by some grilled vegetables, all served on a rectangular plate. Frankly, I have never understood the concept of rectangular plates. So, a small piece of minced meat and an even smaller selection of vegetables cost 24 TL (equivalent to £8). It was probably one of the most unsatisfactory meals I ever had.
Back to simpler food. We visited The Pudding Shop at Sulthanhamet, a rendezvous point hosted by a very friendly and welcoming manager. The walls were decorated with newspaper cuttings recording visits by celebrities such as Bill Clinton. Here, it was good honest home cooking, no frills, lots of cheese (why must everything be covered in cheese?), and good service.
Something I did not try: a local sticky candy. I was fascinated by it - the street theatre of it all. It reminded me of black treacle on a stick, a candy that I once enjoyed as a little girl.
We bumped into this little restaurant patronized by local office workers. It served a selection of kebabs with an array of standard salad dishes, served with very thin slices of flat bread, dusted with paprika. No alcoholic drinks were available, just pop and yoghurt. Simple concept but extremely tasty food. The service was good too, with four waiters working their socks off. It was service with a big smile.
And finally, this selection of salads and kebabs are very common in Istanbul. The display was strategically placed to entice diners into the restaurant.
Alas, on this trip, we were so tired in the evening having done sightseeing 5 or 6 hours on foot that we could not muster enough energy to take a taxi ride to some fancy restaurants for a spot of fine dining. Maybe I have missed out on the really good food at Istanbul.
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| Chestnuts and sweetcorn seller |
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| Bread stall near Topkapi Palace, Istanbul |
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| Street food vendors at Eminonu Bosphorous Quay, Istanbul |
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| Juice and Tea Station, Istanbul |
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| Pretentious food at Wine and Bite, Istanbul |
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| The Pudding Shop at Sultanhamet, Istanbul |
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| A quick bite at lunch time for the locals, outside Hagia Sofia, Istanbul |
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| Just water for this dog |
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| Local candy |
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| A fast food restaurant at the Bekistas district |
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| Salad selection |
Alas, on this trip, we were so tired in the evening having done sightseeing 5 or 6 hours on foot that we could not muster enough energy to take a taxi ride to some fancy restaurants for a spot of fine dining. Maybe I have missed out on the really good food at Istanbul.
