Happy Holidays from Istanbul
Happy holidays! S and I are currently in Istanbul, Turkey, stuffing our faces for a week. S’s parents are with us and we’re happily spending our days (when we’re not eating) checking out cool homeware, furniture, and antique shops in hopes of finding some gorgeous pieces for our new home.
We’ll post a long Istanbul dining and shopping guide at the end of the trip, so please check back regularly.
In the meantime, I hope all of you had a very merry Christmas and are gearing up for an exciting new year.
About Aun Koh
Aun has always loved food and travel, passions passed down to him from his parents. This foundation, plus a background in media, pushed him to start Chubby Hubby in 2005. He loves that this site allows him to write about the things he adores--food, style, travel, his wife and his three kids!
cool. what’s that in the photo?
Dear Aun, please visit the Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul while there and meet my good friend Mehmet Gok, Executive Chef of the hotel. I am sure he can give you some good tips
Merry Christmas and a good Holiday!
Chris
oohhhh.. I sooo envy you!
Last week you’re in Bhutan, staying in Uma Paro, and now you’re in Istanbul. *sigh*
I’m stuck in my office ;(
Will be waiting for more stories (and food)!
Happy holidays!
welcome to istanbul, the city where two continents meet. as an istanbul resident i reccomend you the well-known restaurant “SUNSET” in ulus. it has a wonderful view and also has a “real ” wine cellar, with an international cuisine . it is comperatively expensive, but worths. enjoy your stay and happy new year !
Merry Christmas
Enjoy Instanbul……by the way there used to be this coffee shop on baghdad avenue that had the best pastries…specifically a baklava style cake…..to this day I can still taste it with a strong cup of turkish coffee. Enjoy.
S
Hi Aun – I am so excited to hear that you are currently in İstanbul (my hometown). I hope you have a great time and enjoy the great food city has to offer. Please make sure to eat at Beyti and Çiya (otherwise a foodie’s İstanbul trip will never be complete). For cool homeware and antiques, I would suggest that you visit the district called Çukurcuma (pronounced tschukurjuma). Paşabahce (pashabache) in Kanyon shopping mall (the one on the top floor) has pretty amazing stuff, too. I can not wait to hear more about your trip. Best wishes!
Hi CH, I’m just envying your lifestyle and constant travels! Bring back lotsa photos and interestingly, you are talking about getting new stuffs for your new home. Maybe in future you can do a post, sharing home and decor related tips? Happy new year!!
Don’t forget to visit Haci Abdullah restaurant in the Taksim area for the best trad Ottoman fare…yummy. And some people might doubt the cleanliness, but there are fewer pleasures than a grilled fish sandwich from one of the bobbing boats near the Galata Bridge. Grilled mackerel, chillies, tomatoes and lemon juice. Yumm.
how wonderful! i’m so jealous — have a great new year’s!
that photo looks insanely delicious! happy holidays!
great pic. somehow i keep staring at it right this moment tht’s half 2 in the morning, and even though I have no idea what it is, I wanna eat it!! Thanks for continually sharing these amazing pics; hope u’re having a wicked time in turkey and have a great new year’s too. cheers!
The pastry in the picture is called baklava, I believe you can get pretty lousy ones around the world as well. It doesn’t compare to the real stuff 😀
If you like chocolate, drop by “Gezi Pastanesi” gezi patisserie in Beyoglu Taksim, from my experience, they are the best chocolate you can get in Istanbul, much better than neuhas/godiva or the likes. I think a critic/gourmet agreed but I forgot his name. Anyhow that’s it. There are thousands of good restaurants over there. (I’m currently in the us, now I’m homesick :D)
That baklava looks amazing. The colors are so vibrant…I love seeing the world via other people’s blogs! 🙂