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Istanbul: Food { 11 images } Created 7 Dec 2013

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  • Balik ekmek ve bira. Fish with bread and beer. Fresh, simple, nourishing, refreshing. With a splash of lemon, set against a turquoise waterfront, it can’t be beat as accompaniment for people-watching, waiting for a ferry, or just letting time be. <br />
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On a busy day, a barge embossed in gold filigree, topped with gold domes, led by dolphins, serpents, or a helmeted dragon might get lost behind the throng of humanity. Stroll toward the red and gold-domes, though, and as eyes adjust to the shade, men in embroidered shirts serving hot balik ekmek from 8-foot open-air grills to customers waiting on land over the starboard side come in to view. Edge closer. If the line is long, someone may approach to take your order. Pay when the fish is ready and pick up your beverage at the refrigerator with your receipt. Select a barrel and table with a view of the Galata Tower. Observe or engage as life transits irrepressibly between historic and modern Istanbul. <br />
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Getting there <br />
From Eminonu station or Yeni Camii (New Mosque), cross traffic to get to the southwest corner of the bridge, ideally using the pedestrian tunnel. Look for the red or gold domes at water's edge.<br />
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Photo Op <br />
Take the staircase on the west side of the bridge to a sea level observation deck. For video, use a wide angle lens and adjust focal length, tripod height and viewing angle to include the two highest points of interest – Galata Tower to the north and Suleymaniye Mosque to the south. Be prepared - it's windy!<br />
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Links:<br />
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www.afar.com for more Highlights from Istanbul by Mary Ramos
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  • The best spot for kebaps and kunefe with a view is Hamdi Restaurant. An easy walk from Rustem Pasa, across from the New Mosque, downhill from the Grand Bazaar and a stone’s throw from the Spice Bazaar, Hamdi’s view sweeps the Golden Horn with the Galata Tower standing sentinel over the moody pastels of Karakoy’s waterfront. <br />
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The first floor cafe has the most extraordinary selection of baklava one could imagine. <br />
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Reservations for lunch or dinner on the upper floors are a good idea. Kebaps are the star of the show. The dizzying selection is based on combinations of two basic components. Meat can be beef or lamb alone, or a mix of the two. The spicing, however, teases and taunts taste and smell memory. Even when familiar individually, the combinations defy deconstruction for future replication at home. My advice? Savor every bite and enjoy the view. <br />
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For those who prefer meat in chunks, not ground, order the “shish”. But your taste buds will be missing the party.<br />
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Vegetarian kebaps and an abundance of eggplant and tomato dishes are also delicately spiced and satisfying.<br />
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Consider shopping for baklava from the café to try later back at the hotel, and sharing a kunefe as dessert. Mild white cheese is wrapped in cut pastry, baked until golden brown, sprinkled with a light lemony syrup and garnished with an abundance of chopped pistachios. Turkish tea provides just enough energy to tear yourself away from the view and immerse yourself in Istanbul yet again.
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  • The freshest, most delicious figs we ever savored.  Yum!
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  • Too pretty not to photograph.
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  • A yogurt-based soup with lamb at Ciya in Kadkoy, on the Asian side of the Bosphorus.
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  • Fabulous views across the Golden Horn from Ataturk Bridge to well beyond Galata Tower, day or night, from the restaurant upstairs. A gorgeous selection of baklava to give or get at the cafe on the first floor.  An easy walk from Rustem Pasa Mosque, the Spice Bazaar or the New Mosque.
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  • A cafe with hand-crafted vests decoraing its chairs in the Grand Bazaar
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  • Ottoman cuisine mixes sweet and savory with spices you might recognize, but in different combinations.  Classes are fun if time allows.  To simply to enjoy the experience, head for one of many rooftop restaurants in Istanbul's historic district.  This spiral staircase at the Adamar Hotel leads to white linen service with a view across the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus.  Take the elevator to the top floor and walk the last flight.<br />
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The shape of this staircase is evocative of the symbols used in carpets to signify masculinity,  femininity, and infinity.
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