Blogs

If you've ever eaten Anatolian, you know what a Turkish delight it is, and Istanbul (not Constantinople) is certainly jam-packed with places to shovel it in. But on Akbiyik Caddesi, a popular restaurant row in Sultanahmet near the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace, Dutch-born Cordon Bleu alumna Eveline Zoutendijk set out her shingle with a slightly more focused purpose than merely getting tourists fed.

Sure, at Cooking Alaturka you can certainly pull up a chair and feast on goodies like lentil and bulgur soup with dried mint and red pepper, or a tomatoey lamb stew with smoky eggplant purée, all amid fresh, mod décor accented with Eveline's own paintings (main courses 18-20 Turkish lira, four-course menu 40). But the big difference here is that she and chef Feyzi Yildirim have taken a leaf from the proliferation of cooking classes throughout Europe, becoming the first and still one of the few and most accessible such venues in Turkey.

For 65 euros you can take classes running two to 2 1/2 hours, offered in English (with other options French, Dutch, and Turkish), either in the morning or the afternoon, then sit down and tuck into your five-course
handiwork with local wine. Afterward, check out the little shop stocked with ingredients you may not easily find in your own country. Classes are held Monday through Saturday except in winter, when it's two or three per week.