Grecian earn rests on Ottoman stall

GFC has driven ex-foes together, writes Lunch’s Amy Hughes

Istanbul – where eats meet waist

Megan orders tea in perfect Turkish and we sit down on stools where I learn that Turkish tea is the perfect thing to wash down halvah. I forget about everything else I’ve tasted, and relish the moment.

After some quiet time absorbing the history of the courtyard, and licking my lips of the halvah, we head up to the residential Fatih neighbourhood to try Boza, a fermented millet drink at a cafe with original tile floors dating back to 1876, and art deco mirrors. The place has been kept intact.

Bosphorus hotel strictly off the straight and narrow

At the edge of the Bosphorus, on the Asian side of Istanbul sits the Sumahan on the Water Hotel. This is a place for those in the know, literally. It’s bad enough most Istanbul cab drivers make fake promises of knowing their way around, but read out the Sumahan’s address, just outside the Cengelkoy neighbourhood and you’ll be surprised just how many times they stop to ask directions.

360 Istanbul a revolution in concept dining

There is only one place to go on a Friday or Saturday night in Istanbul. 360 is a restaurant, bar and club named after the amazing, wrap-around view of this penthouse location overlooking the Bosphorus and all the way out to the Sea of Marmara. Ask anyone and they’ll tell you it’s at the top of the Misir Apartment building in one of Istanbul’s busiest shopping areas, Istiklal Street.