Get Forked for less in Istanbul

Nevizade sokak at night

There are plenty of reasons to love Istanbul: its long warm summers, its location by the sea at the point where two continents meet or the proliferation of historic buildings which feature on the list of things one is supposed to see in a lifetime. However, for a glutton such as myself, Istanbul offers more than enough to justify the journey on that count alone. Moreover, if you find yourself there without many liras to your name, as we did, it need not affect your enjoyment of the city's culinary delights.

Though I generally prefer cities to the countryside, even for a holiday, some places are incomparable in their atmosphere and style (and have bloody good restaurants). Whenever I visit one of these cities for the first time, I irritate Mr Fork by declaring a desire to either move there or, if it has been a truly successful trip, to rearrange history so that I can be from there. I mention this merely to illustrate my sincerity when I say Istanbul is a marvellous place, peerless in its happy mix of cultures and lately top of my list of places I would leave London for.

It was a spur of the moment trip: a coincidence of cheap hotel, airmiles and my birthday. Spontaneous and fun, this nonetheless left us trying to find ways to enjoy excellent food in the city without breaking the bank: we hadn't really budgeted for a holiday. We need not have worried: our best meal in Istanbul was one of the cheapest and the only time the bill slid beyond £25 for two was when I got overexcited and ordered a bottle of wine. Wine avoided, it was easy to eat extremely well without resorting to backpacker levels of self-denial.

A queue forms outside the fabulous Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi Selim Usta

One of the easiest ways we found to eat well, without impoverishing ourselves, was to stick to the staples of Turkish street food; our decisions supported by a little pre-reading to pick out the smarter choices. As well as the plentiful supply of simit, there are pide and lahmacun, and enough kebabs to fortify even the hungriest of travellers. Lunch straight off the plane at Tahiri Sultanahmet Köftecisi Selim Usta was an example of this. Located in the heart of touristville but frequented by locals, it serves up springy, slightly charred köfte with a bean salad, spicy sauce and plenty of bread: all for 10 lira (about £4 when we visited). As well as offering great food (provided you enjoy minced lamb), it provides the opportunity to watch the grill masters at work in a location that is almost as steeped in Istanbul's history as Sultanahmet itself.

Sultanahmet's finest köfte

In a similar vein, we took a break from some half-hearted browsing in the Great Bazaar to eat at Kara Mehmet Kebab Salonuu in a quiet space just off one of the bustling passageways of the main bazaar. For 20 lira, we enjoyed an excellent spicy adana kebab and a generous beyti kebab served with a dollop of sour but creamy yoghurt. The cooking was excellent but it greatly was enhanced by a convivial atmosphere stemming from the steady stream of regulars who popped in for tea and a chance to join the card game that steadily expanded over several tables during the course of our lunch.

Beyti kebab in the Grand Bazaar

Another affordable choice was sampling the meze on offer at the meyhanes along the Nevizade Sokak in Beyoğlu. Although an enjoyable, raki-fuelled evening is always guaranteed in this part of town, our visit was particularly lively because it coincided with local side Fenerbahçe's victory in the Turkish championship and the ensuing boisterous celebrations. The food was a little less exciting than the crowd but nonetheless good: a selection of small plates including a ceviche-esque dish of fish marinated in basil, a spicy salad of roasted peppers, parsley and dill, and respectable dolma filled with pine nuts, rice and meat.

Beer and meze on Nevizade sokak

However the two highlights of our trip were found a little way from the crowds: on the wrong side if the tracks in Sultanahmet and over the Bosphorus on the Asian side of Istanbul. The priciest of our meals, a deceptively simple supper of meze starters, fish and wine on the side of a quiet run down road behind the touristy part of town, was the sort of meal that will linger in the mind long after the food is gone. Grilled aubergines and a simple purslane salad to start, followed by crisp fried calamari and a seabream so fresh it must have been caught that day - it was all straightforward, unpretentious cooking and perfect for it.

Perfectly grilled fish at Ahırkapı Balıkçısı

My favourite, although Mr F preferred the fish, was a trip across the water to Kadıköy to browse the food shops along Güneslibahce sokak and pay a visit to the much lauded Çiya. The places along Güneslibahce sokak were wonderful: glistening piles of fish, their gills proudly opened to show the freshness of the fish; a specialist honey store with tanks full of combs; and a pickle shop whose walls were lined with jars of chillies and every sort of pickle imaginable - including pine cones. At the end was Çiya Sofrasi, an inventive Anatolian restaurant which is rightly regarded as one of the best places to eat in the city. The food is laid out for the diner to pick what they want: starting with a plentiful salad bar (think Ottolenghi not Pizza Hut) and moving to candied fruits by way of some enticing vats of hot dishes. There were aubergines stuffed with bulgar wheat and doused in yoghurt, cabbage leaves stuffed with meat and rice and a bowl of chickpeas, spinach and lamb that had been stewed with yoghurt. More aubergines, this time cooked with garlic, tomato and herbs were rich, earthy and delicious: the sort of thing that one ought to eat every day and be healthier and happier for it. Finally, a seasonal dish of lamb cooked with sour green plums we had seen piled on every fruit cart in the city. Rich with lamb but with a fruity sour undertone complemented by cloves of wet garlic, it was easily one of the most intriguing things I have eaten. It was at that moment that I moved from wanting to live in Istanbul to wanting to be Turkish: just so that I could eat lamb and plums every May. Including beers, tea and a lot of food, the bill came to 45 lira - that's less than £20.

Beautiful cooking at  Çiya

Physically and culturally in both Europe and Asia, Istanbul's diversity and charm make it well worth the slightly longer flight from London for a weekend break. Indeed, I can think of few other places where one can eat so well for so little. One need not even invest in a guidebook, for the fabulous Istanbul Eats provides a wonderfully comprehensive guide to the city's eateries. I cannot think of a finer place to spend a few days avoiding the inevitable process of ageing in the company of a kebab.

Pickles

Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi Selim Usta

Divan Yolu Caddesi 12

Sultanahmet

Kara Mehmet Kebap Salonuu

Iç Cebeci Han 

Grand Bazaar

Nevizade Sokak

Beyoğlu

Ahırkapı Balıkçısı 

Keresteci Hakki Sokak 46

Sultanahmet

Çiya Sofrasi (there are three Çiyas on the same street)

Caferaga Mah. 

Güneslibahce Sokak 43 

Kadiköy