Istanbul, Turkey

I just came back from Istanbul, Turkey. And now must self-isolate for 2 weeks.

Hopefully Ocado delivers... I spent 5 days under the sun, and coming back to a rainy London is quite depressing.

But hopefully in 3 weeks I'll pack again.

I spent 5 days in the Ciragan Palace in Istanbul. It was honestly some sort of a dream of a lifetime. The pictures of the hotel show this incredible Barocco palace, floating on the shore of the Bosphorus, with its lacy facade. What the pictures don't tell you is that you don't sleep in the palace, you sleep in a modern late 80's building next to it. I was disappointed at first, but then realised that actually my room had a prime view over the palace, and that's probably better than being in the old building where you would see the new building ...

The room service left twice some sweet things on the table in my room. There was a Nespresso machine as well. I can confess I thoroughly enjoyed a coffee and biscuit break on the terrace, watching the boats up and down the Bosphorus, my view only framed by the hill on the Asian side, the palm trees in the garden below, and the ottoman facade of the Ciragan old Palace.

When you're at the Ciragan, you need to get a taxi or a chauffeur to move around. And you need patience. The traffic jams can be horrendous ! And a second dose of patience when you realise that your taxi driver has no clue where you want to go, and has no clue how to use Google Maps in 2020.... Oh, forget about Uber, there is a Uber Istanbul section, but it only send request to regular yellow taxi who don't answer ...

But any hotel has taxis queueing in front, and any hotel or restaurant has a kind service and will hail or call a cab for you. 

It was my second visit to Istanbul, first one was 10 years ago, for a party on a boat on the Bosphorus. I visited again this time Hagia Sophia, curious to see how it got transformed back into a mosque. I was afraid the beautiful mosaics would have been plastered, but that's OK, they are only covered by white curtains. It lost its grandeur, but of course gained spirituality.

A visit to the cisterns was also on the plan. And it's so impressive. As seen of course in James Bond and Inferno. But it's a true masterpiece, 9m high, 75m by 100m long, the one we visited is between Hagia Sophia and the Sultanhmet Mosque. you wouldn't believe that from the surface, you're walking on what used to be a giant swimming pool. The lightning inside is very dramatic, it's definitively worthwhile.

Netflix is streaming 2 recent TV series set in Istanbul, The Protector and The Gift. The English voice over doesn't give justice to the Turkish actors, but both series definitively place the city as one of the characters of the story. Particularly the Protector, set in the Grand Bazaar, in the Cistern, in Topkapi Palace, by Dolmabace Pier... I am pretty sure I booked this trip after watching Season 2 !

On the Grand Bazaar : prepare to be lost. That's how you enjoy it. Don't try to get a map, you won't be able to find your way. you like something ? Bargain and get it now, you won't come back. The Bazaar is now a bit too much of a market for fakes to my taste. Probably half of the shops there now sell Chanel and Dior bags, Balenciaga chunky shoes and Van Cleef necklaces. I wan't to feel in Istanbul for god's sake, not in Shenzhen, thank you ! Some independent shops there nevertheless sell beautiful peshtamels, the Turkish hammam towels. I got one to use when I go to a yoga class. Beautiful soaps with local olive oil, I selected one with Jasmin fragrance. 

Right outside the Bazaar, by one of the South Gate is heaven on earth : a Hafiz Mustapha shop, ie the temple of the baklava, the oriental pastries ! When I entered to order a small portion to enjoy with Turkish tea, 2 ladies where ordering a box to offer. Half-way through their selection they asked the shop attendant : "which one do you recommend now", and the guy answered : "pistachio, more pistachio", with a very serious and expert gaze. I went myself for a plate of pistachio filled filo pastry. and yes, pistachio, more pistachio !!! The finest baklava I ever tasted.

I also went to a baklava store recommended in the Louis Vuitton guide, by Karakoy pier, at the bottom of the Galata hill, on the way back to our hotel. With a steady traffic, 20 people were queuing respecting social distance, but with a strong determination to get their hand onto a "baklava burger" or a slice of baklava pie. And it never stops, from the moment it opens till late in the day, that stope sells 80 000 baklava per day ! I chose a mix of pistachio and walnut little pastries, they were just decadent, a bit more honey-soaked than the one from the Hafiz shop, but as addictive. I have a dinner at home next Saturday, I got a box from the Hafiz Mustapha store in Pera, with a orange flower sorbet, dessert is set !

We went to 2 fine dining experiences in Galata, both roof top, both Michelin-grade (if ever Michelin wanted to grade Turkish restaurants). Neolokal and Mikla. Both were great, both fabulous food, both absolutely not what I expected, but better ! Our Maitre D' at Neolokal was proud and passionate about the dishes he offered us, that was a great experience. We had drinks at Mikla on the top floor, and there can't be a better view over Istanbul ! It reminded me a lot our experience at the Sirocco, on top of Labua hotel in Bangkok. Nice martinis...

What I love the most when visiting a city is to get lost in the street, not follow a tourist path. We roamed Pera and Galata, discovering little cobbled streets lined up with antiques and designer shops, trendy coffee spots and cat houses (Cats are very important in Istanbul). We stopped at Hayvore, a very low key restaurant serving a Black Sea traditional fare, full of healthy flavourful dishes that they just pile into a plate. So authentic, so delicious.

On Saturday evening, we ventured past the Taksim bridge and found Mavi Balik (Blue Fish in Turkish), here again a super popular seafood-only place : grilled octopus, grilled calamar, fried anchovies, some sort of seaweed, crunchy prawns, and grilled vegetables. No fuss, just super quality and pride of serving the best fish of Istanbul. Families, couples on date, nice people and businessmen, all go there. Henstly, we couldn't stop eating, it was so simple and tasty.

I probably won't wait another 10 years to visit Istanbul again. Maybe next time, I'll extend to Capadoccia. Any suggestions ?