Hip Istanbul, a hot view & good people.

So let's talk about the good stuff in Istanbul. The free people. The scene that has [a little more] money and knows where to go.

The evening started of at a friends place. He rents an apartment in the groovy district Cihangir. It has everything one could want from a [temporary] place. Lovely old paintings on the stairways, where the teeth of time have left there marks, the stains of water leaking and many a dent of all the people and goods going up and down in the never ending struggle for life and security.

The details in the apartment all tell a story or two. About the original intent and the good & the bad. The attempts to improve or to restore. All have left their traces.





Later that night I went to a place called 5.Kat [in English: the fifth floor]. What a lovely view! Great view over the Bosporus and an even better crowd. Then enters the owner: Yasemin Alkaya. She just to work as an actress and now runs one of the hottest bars|restaurants in town.

She cooks, waiters, hosts and entertains her guests with such ellegance and style that it was love at first sight for me. I will be back here, as often as I can.

Other places:
Sabahattin Fish!
Develi Kebab
Changa International
Ulus 29 see and be seen

With thanks to Erdal Gökyıldırım for his tips and comments :D

GOOD NEWS: Cervelat-Krise passed!

Life saver: The Brazilian Zebu*-cow-intestine can be imported into Europe again.

After the bovine spongiform encephalopathy crisis it was verboten to import specific parts of the cows into Europe.

Since the Cervelat.CH needs the best available bowels for it's perfect curve & taste, only the Zebu's intestine can do. Thank G*d this is allowed again.

* Well actually it is more [5/8] Chanchim, but they look like Zebu.

Anne Sophie Pic élue Chef de l'année!

She is world famous for a long time, as her dad, and her grant father too, but still it is quite remarkable that she has now been rewarded the honorable title of "best cook" in the world.



Finally a woman that _really_ belongs in the kitchen!

De beste bestel pizza in Amsterdam

Is duidelijk Ristorante Collina 020-6382440.

Heerlijke Calzones della casa & een vegetariese pizza Guattro formaggi con spinaci gegeten.