Istanbul Guide

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ÇIRAĞAN PALACE KEMPINSKI HOTEL

and including soups, sushi, satays and sal ads. Banyan claims to serve food for the soul, and you can enjoy it with exceptional views of the Ortaköy Mosque and Bospho rus Bridge, or linger over a sunset cocktail ( ₺ 60) at the open-fronted terrace bar. VOGUE INTERNATIONAL €€€ Map p250 ( % 0212-227 4404; www.vogue restaurant.com; 13th fl, A Blok, BJK Plaza, Spor Caddesi 92, Akaretler, Beşiktaş; starters ₺26-50, mains ₺30-75; h noon-2am; v ; g Akaretler) This sophisticated bar-restaurant in a Beşiktaş office block opened in 1997, and feels like it has been going strong since Atatürk was lodging in the nearby Dol mabahçe Palace. A menu of pasta, sea food, sushi, lamb shanks and roast duck, the panoramic Bosphorus views and its various molecular cocktails make Vogue a favourite haunt of the Nişantaşı power- broker set. 6 DRINKING & NIGHTLIFE The stretch of Bosphorus shoreline between Ortaköy and Kuruçeşme is often referred to as the Golden Mile, a reference to its string of high-profile waterfront nightclubs. Clubs are best visited during summer, when they open nightly and their waterside terraces are truly magical party venues. A night here won’t suit everyone, though: drinks are pricey, club restaurants poor quality and pricey, entrance policies inconsistent, and door staff notoriously rude and tip hungry. There’s usually a cover charge Friday and Saturday nights, but you can often avoid this with a restaurant booking. MALTA KÖŞKÜ CAFE Map p250 ( % 0216-413 9253; www.beltur. istanbul/malta-kosku.asp; Yıldız Parkı; çay ₺2.50, mains ₺20-30; g Çırağan) Built in 1870, this unlicensed restaurant and function centre was where Sultan Abdül Hamit II impris oned his brother Murat V, having deposed him in 1876. The terrace has Bosphorus views, as does the upstairs dining room with its ornate ceiling and chandelier. Food is available, but we recommend stick ing to tea or coffee, as the service can be slow and unfriendly.

BAR Map p250 ( % 0212-326 4646; www.kempinski. com; Çırağan Caddesi 32, Beşiktaş; g Çırağan) Nursing a mega-pricey çay ( ₺ 18), coffee ( ₺ 20) or beer ( ₺ 20) at one of the Çırağan’s ter race tables and watching the scene around İstanbul’s best swimming pool, which is right on the Bosphorus, lets you sample the lifestyle of the city’s rich and famous. The hotel occupies part of the 19th-century Çırağan Palace (p 151); look out for the pho GAY Map p250 ( % 0212-232 5683; www.lovedp.net; Cumhuriyet Caddesi 349, Harbiye; h 11.30pm 5am Fri & Sat; m Taksim or Osmanbey) Well into its second decade, LDP is the most Euro phile of the local gay venues, hosting gay musical icons and international circuit parties. Hard-cutting techno is thrown in with gay anthems and Turkish pop. The place attracts the well travelled and the unimpressionable, as well as some straight hipsters from nearby Nişantaşı. REINA CLUB Map p250 ( % 0212-259 5919; www.reina.com.tr; Muallim Naci Caddesi 44, Ortaköy; h 7pm-5am; g Ortaköy) Gazing up at the Bosphorus Bridge from the waterfront, Reina claims it is ‘a meeting point for international states men, a location where businessmen sign agreements worth billions of dollars and where world stars enjoy their meals’. In re ality, it’s where İstanbul’s C-list celebrities congregate, its nouveaux riches flock and where an occasional tourist gets past the doorperson to ogle the spectacle. SORTIE CLUB Map p250 ( % 0212-327 8585; www.sortie.com. tr; Muallim Naci Caddesi 54, Kuruçeşme; h 7pm late; g Şifa Yurdu) Behind its high walls, Sortie has long vied for the title of reign ing queen of the Golden Mile, nipping at the heels of its rival dowager Reina. It pulls in the city’s glamour pusses and poseurs, all of whom are on the lookout for the odd celebrity guest. Its six restaurants open in summer give extra reasons to sortie. KLEIN CLUB Map p250 ( % 0212-291 8440; Cebel Topu Sokak 4, Harbiye; cover ₺50; h 11pm-4am Fri & Sat; m Taksim) A subterranean space with a huge dance floor and top-notch sound tos of celebrity guests. LOVE DANCE POINT

Beşiktaş, Nişantaşı & Ortaköy Drinking & Nightlife