Istanbul_ The Collected Traveler_ An Inspired Companion Guide - Barrie Kerper [196]
Çırağan Palace Kempinski, Beşiktaş (Çırağan Caddesi 32 / +90 212 326 4646 / ciraganpalace.com). Hotel of choice for many heads of state, sports stars, singers, movie stars, royalty, and at least one former astronaut (Neil Armstrong), the Çırağan is the only imperial palace hotel in all of Turkey and is a sponsor of Istanbul 2010. It was once the home of Sultan Abdülaziz and was designed by the noted Armenian palace architect Nigoğayos Baylan. During this time (1863-1867) it was customary for sultans to build their own palaces rather than using those of their ancestors. The Çırağan Palace is the last such example of this period. In May 1876, Abdülaziz was found dead (possibly by suicide) in the palace shortly after he was dethroned. He was succeeded by his nephew, Sultan Murad V, but Murad only reigned for ninety-three days before he was deposed by his brother, Abdülhamid II, though he lived out his days here under house arrest until his death in 1904. After several nonimperial uses, the Çırağan was finally restored in 1991, and a large, modern hotel was built next to it in the garden.
The hotel was then and is now palatial in every sense. It’s luxury defined, and romantic—the hotel hosts a great number of extravagant weddings every year—and surely has the most to-die-for swimming pool in the city (it may have been Istanbul’s first infinity pool). The Çırağan underwent a second renovation in 2007—the previous renovation had apparently been criticized for not being faithful to the period—and now the adjacent sultan’s palace is a lavish abode consisting of all suites (twelve of them).
Before the Four Seasons Bosphorus opened in the spring of 2008, there was talk about it possibly surpassing the Çırağan Palace. As wonderful as the new Four Seasons is, I consider it to be very different. The Çırağan Palace is magical. You feel like royalty yourself when you walk around inside this wedding cake of a building. I doubt this feeling can ever be erased, no matter what a future interior designer may envision. In addition to the Çırağan’s Laledan Restaurant and the Gazebo Lounge, its award-winning Tuğra Restaurant—serving classical Turkish and Ottoman cuisine—is a favorite with locals, too, so make sure to reserve.
The hotel’s breakfast buffet is rather renowned among hotel guests, and one of its signature dishes is menemen (Turkish scrambled eggs with tomatoes and feta). A few years ago, this recipe was featured in Gourmet, and I’ve been making it ever since. I love it. It’s great for a few people or a crowd. And it’s yet another way to immerse yourself in Turkey before you leave and when you come back. The public relations staff of the hotel has graciously allowed me to share the recipe with you:
Menemen
2 ripe tomatoes
1 green bell pepper
1 small onion, chopped
7 tablespoons unsalted butter (I prefer to use olive oil, or a combination of butter and oil)
6 ounces feta cheese
8 large eggs, beaten lightly with a fork
chopped parsley, to taste
Peel and cube tomatoes.
Cube finely the rest of the ingredients.
In a copper sauté pan that will hold all the ingredients (well, okay, I don’t have a copper pan, but you’ll have to just trust me that in a regular skillet this turns out delicious), melt the butter and sauté the onion over moderate heat, stirring until softened. Then add the bell pepper and feta.
Add the eggs and stir and cook until they’re fairly firm, but the entire dish should be slightly moist due to the vegetable juices.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Serve immediately with chopped parsley on top. (I also can’t resist sprinkling a teaspoon of Turkish red-pepper flakes on