This post is part 11 of 17 of my trip to Istanbul. The series intends to give more than just a I-saw-this-and-did-that review. It aims to share the voice inside my head as I explore a world I’ve only read in books.

After devouring an entire feast at the Asitane Restaurant, JC and I became lethargic and comatosed. It was too early to call it a day and since I like to take 8 hour naps, it would have been a waste of a day in Istanbul. We wandered to the back streets behind the restaurant and the Chora Church and came upon the ruins of the old Theodosian Walls, also known as The Walls of Constantinople. We decided to walk back to Eminonu. Rick Steve’s guidebook told us to look for a large Turkish flag to guide us. It was no where to be found so we approached a local to ask for directions. He was way too eager to help. Carrying his shoe shining bucket, he led the way up a flight of stairs on to the top of the Theodosian Walls. I took my time climbing up knowing the fall would not be pleasant. He rambled about his three babies and asked if I was the misses. I couldn’t make out the rest of it so I just shook my head and smiled.

He pointed the way to Eminonu and we gave him our thanks but he wouldn’t let us go. He chatted away and we smiled and nodded and hoped that universal body language would convey to him that we had to go. He was still talking when we started to make our way toward the stairs. He suddenly plopped his chair and bucket down in the middle of the wall and motioned for us to give him our feet. He wanted to shine our shoes and we knew he was looking to get paid for his work. We politely declined and JC handed him a few Liras to thank him for showing us the way. He stopped talking after that and we proceeded to make our way carefully down the stairs. We went our separate ways but then JC and I realized we were walking in the wrong direction. We turned around and headed back the way the shoe shiner left. We saw him standing under a tree in front of an old dilapidated house. A short stubby woman came outside and shouted at the boy who was poking a dead cat with his wooden stick. The shoe shiner turned his back to us as if he didn’t want to see us and focused on the dead cat instead. I guess all that friendliness was just to make a buck or two.

During our 2 hour walk along the Theodosian Wall, we passed by underdeveloped neighborhoods that stood out starkly in contrast to Sultanahmet. What’s beautiful about it is that the locals embrace the ruins of the walls as part of their daily lives. They don’t ignore it or commercialize it as a tourist attraction. The Theodosian Walls are fully integrated into the neighborhood, the houses, the local food stands and the mosques. It doesn’t stand out like a sore thumb even with its remarkable history. The Theodosian Walls are one of the most impressive city walls in the world stretching from the Golden Horn to the Sea of Marmara. They were breached in 1204 by the Fourth Crusade and in 1453 by Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror. After that, Constantinople became Istanbul.

We entered through the Edirnekapi Gate and walked along the length of the walls to Eminonu. We passed through the grave site of the followers of Muhammad. They fought the jihads of the Byzantine Empire but they failed and are now buried in the cemetery near the gate. Our walk consisted of running through oncoming traffic, scrambling through wet mud and passing by abandoned fish boats. They were the same ones used to make fish sandwiches down by Eminonu district.

This post is part 10 of 17 of my trip to Istanbul. The series intends to give more than just a I-saw-this-and-did-that review. It aims to share the voice inside my head as I explore a world I’ve only read in books.

Asitane Restaurant

After hours of self-induced neck cramps at the Chora Church, I was ready to feast. Behind the small Byzantine church is the Asitane Restaurant, which means Head Gate in Farsi. The restaurant is opened from 11:30AM-midnight. It’s the perfect place to have lunch after a cultural visit to the Chora Church.

The Asitane Restaurant is unique from all the other restaurants I’ve tried in Istanbul.  Its mission is to rediscover and recreate the lost recipes of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman reign lasted for 700 years but very few recipes have survived. They had a strong tradition that demanded cooks to keep their recipes  and cooking techniques a secret.

“The large and airy Asitane Restaurant serves imperial Ottoman cuisine, incorporating Central Asian, Anatolian, Middle Eastern and Balkan flavours, resulting from the intensive research undertaken at three palace kitchens (Dolmabahce, Topkapi and Edirne) to test and recreate long-forgotten imperial dishes, whose recipes were traditionally kept secret. Some of the rediscovered dishes on the menu, such as veal in apple sauce, were served at the circumcision feast held for two of Suleyman’s son in 1539. The location might be off the beaten track, but Asitane is the one and only restaurant in the city where intrepid diners can experience such unlikely-sounding treats as almond soup. This is a restaurant for the serious culinary adventurer.” – Review from Style City Istanbul

The food certainly hit a palette I never knew I had. I’m no food connoisseur but being Chinese, I’m  use to MSG, artificial flavoring and spices. At the Asitane Restaurant, the dishes tasted like they were purely flavored with natural ingredients. JC and I shared a plate of stuffed calamari as an appetizer. It was a blend of rice and pine nuts flavored with cinnamon and fresh mint. Our main courses took a little longer to come but there wasn’t mcuh to complain about. We had a table right next to the door and we couldn’t help but marinate in the cool breeze.

As soon as our main course arrived, all small talk stopped. Our conversation consisted of ooohs and mmmhs. For my main course, I ordered the Mutanjene – diced lamb with dried apricots, raisins, honey and almonds. JC had the Muhmudiyee – chicken stewed with almonds, dried apricots and grapes, flavoured with honey and cinnamon. It was perfectly portioned for my belly. All was well until we ordered the Helatiye. It was a pudding dessert with almonds, pistachio, fruits and pomegranate seeds in rose-water syrup. It was like eating flowers. I was not a fan of the rose-water syrup.

Here are some of the fine Ottoman dishes that are served at the Asitane Restaurant. All images below are from Asitane’s Picasa gallery.

This post is part 9 of 17 of my trip to Istanbul. The series intends to give more than just a I-saw-this-and-did-that review. It aims to share the voice inside my head as I explore a world I’ve only read in books.

Chora Church

On the fourth day of my Istanbul trip there was no sun and no morning haze. JC and I went upstairs to the terrace and claimed our usual table. It was a chilly morning and the rain drizzled on my breakfast. By the time we were ready to leave the hotel, it was a waterfall outside. The Putin-looking manager at the front desk to call a cab for us. We thought the day would be a well spent hiding out in the Chora Church. Unfortunately, so did every single tourist in Istanbul. All of Istanbul seem to have come to the Chora Church to hide out from the rain.

The Chora Church (pronounced Cora) is located in the Edirnekapi district of Istanbul. It is a small Byzantine church that was converted into a mosque during the Ottoman Empire. The interior is plastered with beautiful mosaics and frescoes. They extended from wall to ceiling. Everything was above eye level for me. I was forced to crank my head to a 90 degree angle to appreciate the beauty. I appreciated it well until I started getting dizzy from spinning around in an attempt to take pictures, which constricted blood circulation to my head. Below are a few images from the church:

The Virgin and Child Parecclesion

Anastasis