Cezayir means Algeria in Turkish and stands for excellent cuisine in Istanbul. The restaurant with the North African name is well hidden behind the Galatasaray High School and offers a state of the art blend of couscous and kebabs modernised and improved.

I bring my visitors there when they think they know all about what Turkey has to offer in terms of grilled meat, fish and mezze starters. Cezayir takes them to the next level.

Take the crispy pastry rolls (börek), which you will find in many Turkish restaurants. In Cezayir they are as thin as a pencil, twice as long and they come with pastrami served sticking from a small glass with a shot of a slightly spicy tomato sauce. And then, oh boy, there is the chicken liver pate made with whisky and pistachios. Usually it goes down very well even among those of my friends who don’t appreciate chicken liver or whisky.

From the list of main courses the sirloin with yoghurt and pita as well as smoked salmon with dried rose petals are all time favourites.

It all comes with an extensive wine list and an unusually knowledgeable and pretty good English speaking staff.

Cezayir, Hayriye Caddesi 12, Galatasaray; Beyoglu; Istanbul

 

The Büyükada Island is a short 45 minutes boatride (with a fastferry) from Istanbul’s European shore, but a world apart. It’s the major of the Prince’s Islands in the Marmara Sea and an oasis alone to the fact that it has no cars.

Arriving in Büyükada is like arriving in any Turkish fishermen’s village, aside from the fact that the Asian side of Istanbul with its smog and high rise buildings is clearly visible across the water.

One has to hire a horse carriage, rent a bike or simply walk to get to the other side of the island – or to the Greek monastery on the hill top – to really appreciate the getaway and enjoy the rare silence.

Since horses are the main means of transportation and as abundant as taxis in mainland Istanbul, you may for once relax and not feel like a lazy tourist when sitting in the carriage. Just enjoy. The many horses in the island not only provide access to the far corners, but also a very rural scent of horse dung.

Although the island has no real beaches it’s a favourite weekend destination for Istanbullus eager to get their minds far away in a short distance. Either they go for daytrips or stay in rented houses or hotels while spending their day time in one of the plenty private swimming pools accessible with admission.

Büyükada, conventional and fast ferries leave Istanbul’s European shore from Kabatas, and the Asian shore from Bostanci.

For further info go here.