• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

By Root 880 0

says, walking past several packed communal tables to reach her husband, Vasif Kortun, who’s sitting in the back of the room under a large mirror decorated with a butcher’s diagram of a cow. Vasif, one of Europe’s most respected contemporary-art curators, is the founder and director of Istanbul’s avant-garde Platform Garanti Contemporary Art Center. He is also co-curating this year’s Taipei Biennial and collaborating with the Nobel Prize-winning Turkish author Orhan Pamuk on an installation based on Pamuk’s much anticipated new novel, Museum of Innocence.

In between bites of fennel-and-apple sausages, smashed potatoes, and a T-bone steak dripping in its own juices, Defne and Vasif talk about food, art, and Istanbul. Vasif describes the growth of the city’s contemporary-art scene: Two new modern-art museums—Santralistanbul and Istanbul Modern—have opened in the past four years. Defne mentions some of her favorite Istanbul restaurants, including Kantin, which has a chalkboard menu of Turkish dishes that changes daily and might include cinnamon-spiced rice pilaf with mussels and calamari. And she raves about Changa, a fashionable restaurant that she recommends for its modern reinterpretations of Turkish dishes, like pan-fried beef tongue with mustard sauce.

“It’s definitely an exciting time for food here—the city is in an experimental adolescent stage,” Defne says. “But we still need more markets, a good culinary school and more risk takers.” With Defne helping to nurture other risk takers, Istanbul is ready to grow up.

DEFNE’S RESTAURANT FAVORITES

Boğaziçi Borsa A local institution, famed for classics like braised lamb with eggplant. (Lütfi Kırdar Kongre ve Sergi Sarayı / +90 212 232 4201 / borsarestaurant.com)

Kantin Turkish-inspired comfort food, like rice pilaf with mussels and calamari. (Akkavak Sokak 16/2 / +90 212 219 3114 / kantin.biz)

Mangerie A rooftop café in the stylish Bebek area, serving perfectly grilled sea trout and elegant snacks. (Cevdetpaşsa Caddesi 69, Bebek / +90 212 263 5199)

Dükkan Defne’s lively steak house specializes in dry-aged steaks and house-made sausages, which are also sold at her butcher shop two doors away. (Fatih Sultan Mehmet Mah. Atatürk Caddesi 4, Armutlu / +90 212 277 8860 / dukkanistanbul.com)

Changa Its outpost in the Sakıp Sabancı Museum offers Scandinavian style and updated Turkish dishes like pan-fried beef tongue with mustard sauce. (Sakıp Sabancı Caddesi 22, Emirgan / +90 212 323 0901 / changa-istanbul.com)

Develi The Samatya outpost, near the airport, is Defne’s favorite: “I’m not a fan of modern, lighter kebabs. A good kebab should be at least 40 percent fat, as they prepare them there.” (Gümüsyüzük Sokak 7, Samatya / +90 212 529 0833)

Cibalikapı Balıkçısı Defne loves this cozy restaurant’s fish meze: “I get the wild-herb salads, stuffed calamari, and lots of bits and pieces of cured fish.” (Kadir Has Caddesi 5, Cibali / +90 212 533 2846 / cibalikapibalikcisi.com)

Poached Eggs with Baked Feta and Olives

TOTAL: 30 MIN

6 SERVINGS

Defne Koryürek created this recipe, aka Eggs alla Kortun, when she and her husband, Vasif Kortun, were living in New York City in the ’90s. He loved the combination of toasted bread, poached eggs, sizzling feta, and olives, so she decided to name the dish after him. When they returned to Istanbul, Koryürek opened a café, Refika; this was one of the first things she put on the menu. She says, “To our delight, it sold like crazy!”

6 3-inch squares of rosemary focaccia, halved horizontally

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

10 ounces feta cheese, cut into 6 slabs

Aleppo pepper or ancho chile powder, for sprinkling

6 large eggs

salt

18 pitted kalamata olives

1 tablespoon chopped sage

Preheat the broiler and position a rack 6 inches from the heat. Bring a large deep skillet of water to a simmer. Brush the focaccia with olive oil and broil until lightly toasted. Put a slab of feta into each of 6 individual gratin dishes. Drizzle each slab with 1 teaspoon of the oil. Sprinkle lightly with Aleppo pepper