Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Bridge. Against this stunning backdrop, the menu showcases good kebaps (we recom-
mend the the
kuzu şiş
), Ottoman-influenced stews and vegetarian dishes.
COOKING ALATURKA €€
| Turkish
( 212-458 5919;
www.cookingalaturka.com
; Akbıyık Caddesi 72a, Cankurtaran; set lunch or dinner
"
50;
lunch Mon-Sat, dinner by reservation Mon-Sat; Sultanahmet)
Dutch-born owner/chef Eve-
line Zoutendijk and her Turkish colleague Fehzi Yıldırım serve a set four-course menu of
simple Anatolian dishes at this tranquil restaurant. The menu makes the most of the fresh
seasonal produce. No children under six at dinner and no credit cards.
PAŞAZADE €€
| Turkish
lunch & dinner; Gülhane)
Advertising itself as an
Osmanlı mutfağı
(Ottoman kitchen),
Paşazade has long garnered rave reviews. Well-priced dishes are served in the streetside
restaurant or on the rooftop terrace (summer only). Portions are large, the food is tasty and
service is attentive. Top marks go to the traditional meze platter (
"
17).
Detour:
Kariye Museum (Chora Church)
İstanbul has more than its fair share of Byzantine monuments, but few are as drop-dead gorgeous as the mosaic-
laden church
Kariye Museum
(Chora Church; Kariye Müzesi;
kariye.muze
.
gov.tr; Kariye Camii Sokak,
Edirnekapı; admission
"
15; 9am-7pm Thu-Tue Apr-Oct, to 4.30pm Nov-Mar; 31E, 32, 36K & 38E
from Eminönü, 87 from Taksim)
. Nestled in the shadow of Theodosius II's land walls, it receives a fraction of
the Aya Sofya's visitors but offers an equally fascinating insight into Byzantine art.
Virtually all of the building's interior decoration - the famous mosaics and the equally striking frescoes - dates
from 1312 and was funded by Theodore Metochites, a poet and man of letters. One of the most wonderful mosaics,
above the door to the nave in the inner narthex, depicts Theodore offering the church to Christ. The building became
a mosque under Beyazıt II (1481-1512) and a museum in 1945.
Most of the interior is covered with mosaics depicting Christ and the Virgin Mary. The frescoes, thought to have
been painted by the same masters who created the mosaics, are reminiscent of those painted by the Italian master
Giotto, the painter who ushered in the Italian Renaissance.
Next door, the elegant restaurant
Asitane
( 212-635 7997;
www.asitanerestaurant.com
; Kariye Oteli,
Kariye Camii Sokak 6, Edirnekapı; starters
"
12-18, mains
"
26-42;
11am-midnight;
31E, 32,
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