Worth Every Visit

Writer Pauline Suaco Juan tells us why she can’t get enough of the Turkish capital.

- Pauline Suaco Juan

What makes Istanbul a food destination to add to your bucket list?

They have sophisticated, creative chefs who push the boundaries of Turkish cuisine. Mikla (www. miklarestaurant.com), Turkey’s highest rated restaurant (number 51 on the World’s Best list), helmed by Turkish-Finnish chef Mehmet Gurs, is reinventing the Anatolian kitchen. More satisfying for me, though, are spots along small streets and narrow alleys, which serve home-cooked meals featuring recipes that have been handed down from generation to generation. Istanbul is a street-food paradise, and you can eat your fill from food carts to markets to little storefronts. Culinary Backstreets (www.culinarybackstreets.com) has catalogued and collected the stories of these unsung cooks, designating “Culinary Backstreets Superhero” to those with the most fanatical following. You can try these bites via a food tour from Istanbul Eats (www.istanbuleats. com), which will give you an overview of how Istanbulites eat.

How would you describe the food scene there?