Lonely Planet İstanbul Guide

SEAFOOD €€€ ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; % 0212-520 7778; www.deraliyerestaurant.com; Ticarethane Sokak 10; mains ₺ 34-64; h 11am-10pm; Wv ; j Sultanahmet) Starting with a complimentary glass of titillating pomegranate-flower juice, Deraliye offers a taste of the sumptuous dishes once served in the great Ottoman palaces. The menu gives a potted history of each dish, so you can live out your royal banquet fantasies by ordering the goose kebap served to Süleyman the Magnificent or Mehmet II’s favourite lamb stew. A good selection of Turkish wines complements the unusual historical dishes and old Turkish favourites such as yaprak sarma (stuffed vine leaves). Service is fast and efficient, and daily morning and afternoon cooking classes are offered. o BALIKÇI SABAHATTIN ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; % 0212-458 1824; www.balikcisabahattin.com; Şeyit Hasan Koyu Sokak 1, Cankurtaran; mezes ₺ 10-40, fish ₺ 40-60; h 11am-10pm; W ; j Sultanahmet) Balıkçı Sabahattin is an enduring favourite with discerning Turks from near and far, who enjoy the limited menu of meze and seafood, including fish from red mullet to sole. This is Sultanahmet’s most prestigious restaurant and its best food, although the service can be harried. You’ll dine under a leafy canopy in the garden (one section smoking, the other nonsmoking). Be sure to choose your fish from the display near the entrance; cold mezes are chosen from trays brought to your table. If you have room at the end, the quince with cream is a delicious dessert. TURKISH €€€ o COOKING ALATURKA ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; % 0212-458 5919; www.cookingalaturka.com; Akbıyık Caddesi 72a, Cankurtaran; set lunch or dinner ₺ 65; h lunch 1-3pm & dinner 7-9pm by reservation Mon-Sat; Wv ; j Sultanahmet) One of the Sultanahmet area’s best dining experiences, this hybrid cooking school–restaurant serves a set four- or five-course menu of Turkish home cooking, regional Anatolian specialities and Ottoman classics. Sampling dishes such as imam bayıldı (‘the imam fainted’; eggplant, onion, tomato and peppers