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Dining Out in Istanbul

Henry Shukman does Istanbul the foodie's (or maybe just the hungry person's) way in this Sunday's Times. His search for the true Turkish stuff turned up a hidden, exquisite hole in the wall (the kind of place Tony Bourdain would probably bust an artery over), a formal hotel joint serving recipes born in 1539, a retro-minimalist place with six-storey ceilings, and an eight-decade old family business with out-of-this-world lamb.

He found that first restaurant, the Bourdain place called Tarihi Karakoy Balikcisi, not in the Kumkapi district (famous for its abundance of fish restaurants), but in Karakoy. It's lunch-only, and the owner is just the kind of guy you want to entrust your belly to: a fish-freak obsessed with freshness to the point that he only sources his catch from a secret bay "where the currents keep the water the cleanest in the eastern Mediterranean."

The hippest of Shukman's picks is Lokanta, the place with the mega-ceiling (it also has an outdoor space). With its club-ish atmosphere and hip, pretty clientele, this is where you go for a mix of style and substance that won't compromise your palette's cred: shrimp on chili spinach, and chocolate soufflé, anyone?

Related Stories:
· Istanbul: Fresh as the Morning, or Rooted in Centuries Past [NYT]