On my way to Paris!

Kantin

Kantin

Akkavak Sokak no30,Teşvikiye

0212 219 31 14

www.kantin.biz

You can check some recipes or the daily menu on the website

Oh!i forgot to say that Kantin is baking its own bread,it's super good!

Beylerbeyi palace

From wikipedia.org

''The Beylerbeyi Palace (Turkish: Beylerbeyi Sarayı, Beylerbey meaning "Lord of Lords") is located in the Beylerbeyineighbourhood of Istanbul, Turkey at the Asian side of the Bosphorus. An Imperial Ottoman summer residence built in the 1860s, it is now situated immediately north of the 1973 Bosphorus Bridge .

Beylerbeyi Palace was commissioned by Sultan Abdülaziz (1830–1876) and built between 1861 and 1865 as a summer residence and a place to entertain visiting heads of state. Empress Eugénie of France visited Beylerbeyi on her way to the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 and had her face slapped by the sultan's mother for daring to enter the palace on the arm of Abdülaziz. (Despite her initial reception, Empress Eugénie of France was so delighted by the elegance of the palace that she had a copy of the window in the guest room made for her bedroom in Tuileries Palace, in Paris.) Other regal visitors to the palace included the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.

The palace was the last place of captivity of the deposed sultan Abdulhamid II from 1912 until his death there in 1918.''

Beylerbeyi Palace , Üsküdar Tel : 0216 321 93 20-21 You can cross from Beşiktaş to Üsküdar by boat and than take a taxi it's 5 minutes away(without traffic) The palace opens everyday at 9:30 am,closed on mondays and thursdays. From October till February it's opened untill 4pm and from March till september it closes at 5pm. you only can visit the pakace with a guided tour .

Hamdi

Pistachio kebap


Gavurdağ salad
İçli köfte(meat ball with nuts ,covered with cracked wheat and than fried)
Muhammara(a paste made of nuts,bread,garlic and hot red pepper) and Gavurdağ

My dear friend Lucien came to İstanbul

we had a long walk:all istiklal street than galata and eminönü

When we got to eminönü(walking on a crowded saturday can be really bad) we were hungry

so best thing to do is stop at Hamdi have a little something to share than go back to your promenade

Hamdi:

Rüstem Paşa Mh.
Kalçin Sokak 15, Istanbul
0212 528 0390

www.hamdi.com.tr

Chicken soup

When i'm in cihangir,i always go to 2 specific cafes

Journey and Cuppa

Journey is almost a year old

i like the food,it's organic and fresh

i like the chicken soup

you get the feeling of being home

Journey:

Akarsu Cd. No:21/A Cihangir / Beyoğlu Tel:0212 244 89 89 www.journeycihangir.com

İtsumi

Best japanese in town

i love it!

What a nce idea to eat good japanese food in the middle of some japanese businessman

i love the idea

it's really delicious

i'm a fan of tempura and i found here in istanbul the best i could find

(even better than the one i had in paris:)

so i had tempura mori with a bowl of rice and some green tea ice crem and green tea

i could eat here everyday!

MİAM!

İstumi:

İşkuleleri Kule 2 Giriş Katı No:43 4.Levent - İstanbul | Tel: (0212) 264 64 48

www.itsmejp.com

Zübeyir

İf you want to eat meat,the best restaurant is Zübeyir

Very close to Taksim square,it's the best Ocakbaşı

you might need a reservation

i highly recommend you to sit next to the maestro,Mr. Zübeyir himself!

try the eggplant slad+Gavurdağı slad(tomatoes,onions...and pomegranate syrup)

also some çiğköfte and for sure loose yourself eating grilled meat(lambchop,eggğlant kebab,ribs...)

Miam!!

Zübeyir ocakbaşı:

İstiklal caddesi,Bekar sokak no28-Beyoğlu

Tel:0212 293 39 51

www.zubeyirocakbasi.com

reading and drinking coffee

watching the bosphorus

i love this

this is the military academy,on the asian side

i love this building

Bahar

İ sometimes go to this little bakery/candy shop

it's called Bahar pastanesi and it's on Teşvikiye caddesi

i prefered their old decoration it was much charming than now

but still funny with its kistch style

i like the dry salty cookies and ''kandil simidi'' a ring shaped cookie that they prepare for kandil(a holy night)

whatever the cookie is delicious,i like it with some apples and a bit of feta cheese on aside

Judas tree/Erguvan

What i love about the spring in istanbul is Erguvan/Judas tree

you can see them blossom everywhere in town

i took this picture in Maçka parc during our promenade with little dog Lady Kumpir

it's beautiful!

Description on wikipedia:

''Cercis siliquastrum, commonly known as Judas Tree, is a small deciduous tree from Southern Europe and Western Asia which is noted for its prolific display of deep-pink flowers in spring.

There is a longstanding myth that Judas Iscariot hanged himself from a tree of this species. This belief is related to the common name "Judas Tree" which is possibly a corrupted derivation from the French common name, Arbre de Judée meaning tree of Judea, referring to a region where the tree occurs...''

Kavala cookies

My aunt İkbal brought me a box of cookies from Kavala-Greece(i have a weakness for sweet!)

they were delicious!

of course i didn't eat them all,i shared it

Here's a description of Kavala's famous cookies on wikipedia.org

''Kourabiedes or Kourabiethes (Greek: κουραμπιέδες) are Greek butter cookies (biscuits) that resemble light and airy shortbread, but are typically made with the addition of almonds. Kourabiedes are sometimes made with brandy, usually Metaxa, for flavouring, though vanilla, mastika or rose water are also popular.

In some regions of Greece, Christmas kourabiedes are adorned with a single whole spice clove embedded in each biscuit.

Kourabiedes are shaped either into crescents or balls, then baked till slightly golden. They are typically rolled in icing sugar again once cooled.

Kourabiedes are especially popular for special occasions, such as Christmas or baptisms (christenings), though they're seen in Greece year-round.

Kavala Kourabiedes

The Kavala Cookie(Kavala Kourabiedes) is made of flour, almond, butter, vanilla & sugar. Nea Karvali is very popular for its “kourampiedes”, a traditional sweet''

Turkish delight

Miam!!this is my favorite turkish delight

its lime flavored and only available at Changa,after your meal

Hacı Bekir

When it's summertime i replace chocolate with lokum

so when i have coffee with my aunt İkbal we love to share some turkish delight

my favorite flavours are rose of mastic(sakız)

i also do like their cinnamon candies

Hacı Bekir shops:

Closest one is on İstiklal Caddesi no 83 Beyoğlu

tel:0212 2451375

The authentic one:

Hamidiye Caddesi no 83 Sirkeci/Eminönü

Tel:0212 522 06 66

www.hacibekir.com.tr

Breakfast at Tiffany's

The wonderful Holly Golightly

The wonderful İsfahan

Before Changa has closed it doors for the summer break,my friends (Seda nad Gülgün)went for a drink at one of my favorite restaurant in town

i love it

so we had a last İsfahan cocktail(lychees,rose,votka...)and watched a bit of ''Breakfast at Tiffany's''

until the re-opening(october) i will go to Müzedechanga to check on the new bar on the terrace

www.changa-istanbul.com/