STREETS OF STYLE
Positioned at a crossroads of commerce for millennia,
Istanbul’s inhabitants have trading in their blood. For the
city’s legion of aspirational shoppers, Nisantasi must seem
like heaven. With an atmosphere that makes everyone feel
like a million dollars, the neighborhood’s main thoroughfares
are constantly abuzz with purchasers, people watchers, and
those parading their own sense of fashion.
Nisantasi’s compact layout and traffic-choked streets
mean the wisest of explorers always travel on foot.
“I always advise visitors to wear comfortable, chic
outfits because you never know who you’ll bump into in the
boutiques of Nisantasi,” says Gila Kumru, sales and
marketing manager at The House Cafe, one of the
neighborhood’s most popular eateries.
Be sure to breathe in haute couture perfection along
Abdi Ipekci Street, considered Istanbul’s most expensive
address. Here, shoppers feast their eyes and deplete their
bank accounts at Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Chanel, and Prada.
Take in Turkish department stores Beymen and Vakko for a
concentrated high-end fashion experience.
As well as shopping for big names, it’s also worth
checking out some of Nisantasi’s homegrown, pret-a-porter
boutiques.
CULINARY QUARTER
Nisantasi is where the well-heeled shopper meets the
expense-account lunch. Home to some of Istanbul’s best
cafes and restaurants, visitors have endless choices for fine
snacking and dining.
One of the best ways to start any morning is to
breakfast at The House Cafe. Now an Istanbul chain, these
upmarket eateries started life in Nisantasi. The original, on
Atiye Sokak, has expanded to include a spacious new dining
area and a lush back garden — all realized by local design
firm Autoban — and serves up the best
menemen
(Turkish-
style scrambled eggs) in town.
English speakers have Turkey to thank for coffee: both
the word, and the drink itself. Coffee has been an important
element of Turkish culture for centuries. Servicing a
burgeoning wave of coffee connoisseurs, Nisantasi is
overflowing with recently opened boutique coffee shops
offering artisanal coffee. Sam Cevikoz’s Ministry of Coffee
on Sakayik Sokak is the pick of the bunch, with a great range
of specialty microbrews.
Having been located in the same spot for 35 years,
Nisantasi̓s Park Samdan restaurant is something of a
gastronomic institution, and is always popular for lunch and
dinner.
“We like to think Park Samdan sets the standards in
Turkish, Italian, and French culinary excellence in Istanbul,”
says owner Ersoy Cetin. “Our Head Chef Huseyin Gursoy is
always on the lookout for new and exciting ingredients.”
Gursoy himself recommends the
risottolu dana kaburga
(beef ribs cooked with homemade teriyaki sauce and wild
mushroom risotto), while Turkish classics like artichoke
cooked in local olive oil and luxurious offerings such as
lobster, fillet of beef, and salmon carpaccio are always
popular with overseas visitors. The
kadayif
(oven-baked
shredded pastry soaked in syrup) is also divine, but
frequently requires a spot of belt-loosening.
CITY OF THE FUTURE
Despite boasting some of the world’s finest architectural and
artistic heritage, Istanbul doesn’t trade on old memories or
former glories. Following the demise of the Ottoman
Empire, its renaming as Istanbul and the removal of capital
city status, this ancient metropolis is once again in the
ascendancy.
A city of contrasts, Istanbul is Turkey
’
s social, artistic, gastronomic,
and commercial epicenter.
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PHOTOGRAPHY: DANIEL ALLEN / GETTY IMAGES(ROBEDERO, BEN PIPE PHOTOGRAPHY, ERSIN BISGEN/ EYEEM, TEMPURA) / TOP PHOTO GROUP
