Looking for a restaurant pick on your trip to Istanbul? The Çırağan Palace Kempinski—a historic landmark on the shores of the Bosphorus—is now serving authentic Ottoman cuisine in its Tuğra Restaurant & Lounge. Like asitane, one of Luxury Travel Advisor’s favorite restaurants in Istanbul, Tuğra is focusing on historic recipes- literally, the dishes served to the sultans during the height of Ottoman power when ingredients were sourced from all corners of the empire: wild herbs from the Aegean mountains; black cabbage and corn flour from the Black Sea; suckling lamb from Thrace; dried beans from Middle Anatolia; beef from free range cattle of East Anatolia; fresh fish from the Bosphorus.
Here are some sample dishes: 'Oğmaç' lamb broth; trout stuffed with dill, pine nuts, currants and curd cheese; fig and zucchini flowers stuffed with rice, onion, currants and pine nuts; 'Kalbuni' Ottoman Pilaf, served with chickpeas, lamb stew, almonds, black raisins, mastic, saffron and other spices; Grilled Seabass in Vine Leaf.
Chef Ahmet Kara used seasonal and organic local products whenever possible. For more information about the restaurant, visit www.kempinski.com/istanbul.
Photo via Ciragan Palace Kempinski/Facebook