Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
İskele Square
Locals tend to congregate in this attractive square, which fronts the water and has a
backdrop of old timber houses now functioning as restaurants and cafes. In its centre
is a pretty 18th-century
çeşme
(fountain). On Sundays, the streets surrounding the
square are crowded with market stalls selling handicrafts. Cheap imports from the
subcontinent and China predominate, but some stalls sell handicrafts made by local
artisans.
Brunch at the House Cafe
İstanbullus love to brunch, especially if they can do so in glamorous surrounds. The
Ortaköy branch of the chic and cheerful
House Cafe
(İskele Meydanı 42; breakfast platters
24, sandwiches 15-26, pizzas 17.50-27.50, mains 16.50-29.50; 9am-1am Mon-Thu, to 2am Fri & Sat,
to 10.30pm Sun; Kabataş Lisesi)
has a million-lira location right on the water's edge and
offers an all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch that is hugely popular with locals.
Sampling Dondurma
Originating in the southeastern region of Maraş,
dondurma
(Turkish ice cream) is
made with salep (ground dried orchid root) and mastic (pine-flavoured resin from the
mastic tree) as well as milk and sugar. These unusual ingredients give the ice cream a
distinctive chewy texture. Sample some at Ortaköy's branch of the
Mado
ice-cream
chain, on İskele Sq.
A Perfect Photo Opportunity
With the modern Bosphorus Bridge looming behind it, the 19th-century baroque-
style
Ortaköy Mosque
provides a fabulous photo opportunity for those wanting to
illustrate İstanbul's 'old meets new' character. The elegant mosque was designed by
Nikoğos Balyan, one of the architects of Dolmabahçe Palace, and built for Sultan
Abdül Mecit I between 1853 and 1855. In the light and airy interior, look for several
