Turkish Delights, Part 2: Eating Out in Istanbul

My first experience with food in Turkey was rather unusual. I arrived at Ataturk Airport and climbed into a cab headed to my hotel. The driver was an attractive young guy who spoke zero English, but understood enough to know where I needed to go. He also understood how to make an impression on a young woman such myself.

As a woman traveling alone, my senses were on high alert for anything somewhat astray. So when the taxi came to a halt along the side of the road, I was very confused and borderline concerned. My driver rolled down the window and bought a large wand of fluffy pink cotton candy from a street vendor. In the time it took me to wonder how the heck he was going to drive while eating cotton candy, he turned around and handed it to me. Now, I don't really like cotton candy, and my mother always taught me not to take food from strangers. But what's a girl to do? For the rest of the ride I occupied myself with the driver's sticky souvenir, and at the end he got a good tip.

I've had better but more mundane experiences with Turkish food since then. My stays at the Swissotel The Bosphorus have been replete with tasty treats. The hotel has especially delicious sweets at the Cafe Suisse, including yummy Turkish baklava and a most unusual dessert called tavuk göğsü, which is a pudding made with chicken. People love it, but it's a major texture violation for me. Of course, the inspiration for the title of this article (Turkish Delight), is abundant throughout the city.

An excellent restaurant I've been fortunate to visit twice is 360, in Taksim Square, which boasts 360 degree views of the city from a terrace with funky patio furniture. The clientele is mostly trendy Turks despite the restaurants reviews in western travel magazines. It's not an easy place to find, as you must enter a non-descript building and take the tiny elevator to the top floor, where you're met by sexy lighting and a metal detector. Be sure to make a reservation.

For a more touristy experience with more traditional food and an equally spectacular view, Hamdi Restaurant in the Eminönü district fits the bill.

An excellent neighborhood for wining, dining, and shopping is Ortaköy. Located right on the Bosphorus, it's a popular local and tourist hangout, with lots of winding streets waiting to be explored. If I can ever go to Istanbul purely for pleasure, I will be sure to spend more time there.

Now that I'm writing this blog, I'll be keeping much better track of where and what I eat!