While in Istanbul, we were excited about the mezes (small plates) and eating fresh seafood.

Our first night, Gabe selected a restaurant in old town with a view of the Sea of Marmara.  We enjoyed a cold meze plate to start, and for mains, Gabe had lamb shish and me a fish shish.   The mezes were so-so but the shish was delish.  The setting was really serene.

Teras
Ahırkapı Sokak Cankurtaran
Hotel Armada

The second night, we went to a fish place.  We ordered a salted sea bass to share, and were wowed by the presentation.  The staff was exceptionally great and we really enjoyed sitting out in the street, watching a typical evening in Istanbul’s old city.

Salted sea bass

The fish coming out of its salted carcass

These little guys were wowed too.   Notice the pairs of eyes on either side of me.   I am constantly entertained by the cat beggars in Greece and Turkey’s coastal cities.

Fish House
Alemdar Mah. Prof. K. Ismail Gurkan Cad. No:14  
Sultanahmet, 34122 Istanbul, Turkey 

For lunches & snacks, we filled our tummies with street food and shish.

Fish sandwich from Eminou

Bread rings….Image courtesy of instanbuleats.com

Note to readers:   We know we didn’t venture out of Sultanahmet (old city) which we heard is crucial for seeing the true Istanbul culinary scene.  However, for our 48 hour stay, we figured it was easiest to stick within walking distance vs. figure out the tram system or take a taxi.  We loved our “first taste” and hope to come again to Turkey for a more authentic sense!