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Extract

Mega bites

Restaurants

Thanks to the virus, it’s been a year of eating in rather than dining out for Andrew Finkel, bar a brief respite in the summer, when he escaped to a few choice restaurants. Luckily, Istanbul’s markets still offer the best of seasonal ingredients, and online the range of new taste sensations to explore is limitless

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Where to eat, where to shop…

İnebolu Köy Pazarı İcadiye Caddesi 34, Kuzguncuk, Istanbul +90 530 700 0757

Trabzon Kültür Derneği Abdullah Ağa Mahallesi, Fıstıklı Mescit Sok 5, Beylerbeyi, Istanbul +90 216 422 4555 trabzonkultur.org.tr

İnciraltı Arabacılar Sok 4, Beylerbeyi, Istanbul +90 216 557 6686 inciralti.com.tr

Waterfront at Sumahan on the Water Kuleli Caddesi 43, Çengelköy, Istanbul +90 216 422 8000 sumahan.com/en/dining.html

Orōro Sushi Bar Fırıldak Sok 14/17, Moda, Kadıköy, Istanbul +90 216 345 0181 Yener Sok 5/B, Caddebostan, Istanbul +90 216 755 2205 ororo.com.tr

Chinese and Sushi Express Istanbul, Ankara, Antalya, Kocaeli, Eskişehir, tel 4441246, sushiexpress.com.tr

BeslenX beslenx.com Tangala tangalapeynirleri.com.tr The Istanbul Butcher Cemil Topuzlu Cad 17/1, Kadıköy, Istanbul +90 216 302 34 34 theistanbulbutcher.com


Editor’s note:

While gooey and exotic cheeses are proliferating in Istanbul, really good Turkish cheeses are surprisingly hard to come by. And when it comes to beyaz peynir, white cheese or feta, as it is called in the EU, it really is a case of cheese and chalk. Which is why a really good old-fashioned shop in the Egyptian Spice Bazaar in Istanbul, is heaven sent. Cankutaran Gıda despatch their cheeses in their own very smart van (no couriers there), and a man with a name very politely calls you when he arrives, which often seems to be the very day you ordered (the service is free for orders over TL150). There are several white cheeses and several kaşars (one described as biberli, peppery, the other as lokumlu (Turkish delight), both delicious. In fact all the cheeses EXTRAORDINARILY delicious, and no need to stipulate ‘no shrinkwrapping’. They come vacuum packed or otherwise with spare wrapping to use when you remove the cheese from its vacuum. The pastırma is also superb. All we can say is that we were gobsmacked. And ordering could not be easier. Note that the cheeses tend to come in fixed weights of 200g. So if you want more, the next jump up is 200g. All the easier to slip into your handback when flying off to the white cheese deserts of Frankistan.

To read the full article, purchase Issue 62

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Issue 62, 2021 Travellers’ Tales
£12.00 / $15.28 / €14.55
Other Highlights from Cornucopia 62
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  • Sweet endings

    Fruit poached to perfection, the fragrant ‘hoşaf’, or compote, is a simple, soothing finale to any meal


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  • Behind palace doors

    Philip Mansel on a book that tells the story of the Pera-born dragoman Mouradgea d’Ohsson, the ultimate cosmopolite who lifted the lid on the Topkapı. This special 24-page feature, Cornucopia includes 28 of the images from Mouradgea’s magnum opus, Tableau général de l’Empire othoman



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  • In the Realm of the Ice Queen

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  • The Fabric of Life: Ergun Çağatay’s Epic Journey

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  • King of the Gobi

    John Hare on how the two-humped wild camel was saved from extinction


Buy the issue
Issue 62, 2021 Travellers’ Tales
£12.00 / $15.28 / 532.95 TL
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