Lonely Planet İstanbul Guide

MODERN TURKISH €€€ ALANCHA ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; % 0212-261 3535; http://en.alancha.com; Maçka Kempinski Residence, Şehit Mehmet Sokak 9, Maçka; menu ₺ 240; h 7.30-10pm; m Osmanbey) Alancha’s designer decor is as striking as its colourful and artfully arranged dinner dishes, which include servings of wild sea bass to filet mignon. Go for the Anatolian tasting menu, which features a dozen courses prepared with artisan ingredients from the seven regions of Anatolia, starting with stuffed mussels and continuing through pistachio kebap to baklava and lokum (Turkish Delight). Wine pairing costs ₺ 160. BANYAN ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; % 0212-259 9060; www.banyanrestaurant.com; 2nd fl, Salhane Sokak 3, Ortaköy; sushi ₺ 40, mains ₺ 80; h noon-midnight; v ; g Kabataş Lisesi) The menu here travels around Asia, featuring Thai, Japanese, Indian, Vietnamese and Chinese dishes, and including soups, sushi, satays and salads. Banyan claims to serve food for the soul, and you can enjoy it with exceptional views of the Ortaköy Mosque and Bosphorus Bridge, or linger over a sunset cocktail ( ₺ 60) at the open-fronted terrace bar. VOGUE ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; % 0212-227 4404; www.voguerestaurant.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 Dolmabahçe Palace. A menu of pasta, seafood, sushi, lamb shanks and roast duck, the panoramic Bosphorus views and its various molecular cocktails make Vogue a favourite haunt of the Nişantaşı powerbroker set. ASIAN€€€ INTERNATIONAL €€€ preferably on a weekend. Sandwiches, pizza and cocktails make a visit later in the day also worthwhile. Access is via the stairs behind the Macrocenter.