Kokorec
This is the ultimate streetfood – you’ll be guided to the best stalls by the queues of locals, and the alluring smell of the sausage-­‐like roll of meat turning on a rotisserie like a horizontal doner kebab. Eat it as the locals do, standing, sliced into a fresh bread roll. “What is this?” you’ll ask in amazement as you lick your fingers clean after devouring the herbaceous, greasy meaty meal, before the vendor reveals you’ve just eaten lamb sweatbreads and other offal, doused in garlic and herbs, then wrapped in intestines. A bold move for a reformed vegetarian!

Simit
Call it a Turkish pretzel, call it a Baltic bagel, simit is the ultimate way to start your day. The Turkish word for breakfast is kahvalti, literally “after coffee”, so head to the city’s Spice Bazaar after your morning caffeine fix and buy a warm, sesame coated doughy simit from one of the glass carts and a plate of kaymak (fresh buffalo milk clotted cream) that comes drizzled honey. Tear the simit and dip into the creamy kaymak, close your eyes and you’re in heaven.

Kebab
No city does kebabs quite like Istanbul – in quality of proliferation, and when it comes to the city’s most popular kebab joints, they’re a world apart from the takeaway spots you visit at 2am on your way home. Antiochia is an upmarket restaurant in Beyoglu, renowned for their sis et, beef kebabs. Zubeyir Ocakbasi in Beyoglu is a temple to all things cooked over coals. Start with mezze, then order adana kebap (spicy minced lamb) expertly turned and cooked to perfection by the grill master sitting behind the flames. If you’re feeling ballsy, order koc yumurtasi, ram’s testicles. Turkey’s national beer, Effes, or a glass of raki (aka rocket fuel) will help wash down the meat.

Lamb
This has to be one of the city’s favourite meats, and the best place to try it is at Surt Seref Buryan Kebap Salonu, a restaurant in ‘Little Kurdistan’ in the shade of the city’s ancient aqueduct. Lamb is slow-­‐cooked over coals in a pit in the ground, until the meat is fall-­‐apart tender under a crispy layer of crackling. It’s roughly chopped then served on a warm pizza-­‐like flatbread, which soaks up all the juices. Warning: you will roll out of Buryan with your jeans a little (or a lot) tighter around the waist.

Home-cooking
So your Turkish isn’t good enough to get you an invite into a local’s kitchen? Fear not, Ciya Sofrasi on the Asian shore of the city offers Turkish comfort food from legendary chef/owner Musa Dagdeviren. The casual eatery is a favourite with locals, and while the food changes daily, you can expect hearty, honest fare every visit, such as kuru fasulye (tomato stewed white beans served with rice), dolma (vine-­‐leaves stuffed with rice, cheese and caramelised onions) and tiny bulgur wheat and beef meatballs in a fragrant broth.

Lahmacun
This is Turkey’s answer to the pizza – a thin wood-­‐fired thin dough crust topped with a thin layer of minced meat, chilli and fresh herbs. Roll it into a wrap and eat it like a kebab, or have the vendor cut it into quarters for you. Instead of a Coke, sip on a bottle of pickle juice – the pairing is quite perfect!

There’s lahmacun on every corner, but if you want to try the city’s best, hunt down Ismail Kebapcisi in the Tophane district. Manti Manti, like us, come in all shapes and sizes, but don’t be fooled into believing bigger is better. The most distinguished manti makers pride themselves on their ability to hand roll the most diminutive dumpling.

Manti are like ravioli – meat-­‐filled dough parcels boiled until tender and served in a rich tomato sauce and a drizzle of garlic yoghurt. Bodrum Manti in Arnavutkoy is open 24 hours (and has views over the Bosphorous), so you can get your manti on at any time of day.

Cig Kofte
Kofte, they’re those herby oval-­‐shaped meatballs right? Yes, but cig kofte are for the more adventurous eater. They are raw (cig) meatballs (kofte) made of beef, lamb or veal that is kneaded until a smooth paste with bulgur wheat, tomato and pepper paste, herbs and isot, smoky dried pepper flakes. The kofte are served in iceberg lettuce cups, and are surprisingly fresh. I recommend the cig kofte at Zubeyir Ocakbasi in Beyoglu and Sur Ocakbasi restaurant in the Fatih district’s pedestrian square.

Baklava
Clichéd, I know, but this this nutty, syrupy, flakey pastry desert flies at anytime of day. Gulluoglu in Beyoglu district on the shores of the Bosphorus has been satisfying sweet cravings since 1949, and has that old-­‐school patisserie feel. Order at the shiny counter and add a scoop of dondurma (Turkish ice cream) to your pistachio or walnut baklava. Develi Baklava near the Spice Bazaar offers regional Gaziantep sweets, ranging from the classics to indulgent bulul yuvasi (nightingale’s nest), a pastry filled with kaymak (clotted cream) and pistachio. The must-­‐order is katmer, a sweet gozleme-­‐style pastry stuffed with pistachio and kaymak, made to order and served warm, it’s dangerously delicious.

Didiem Senol’s zucchini fritters
Chef Didiem Senol’s modern Turkish restaurant, Lokanta Maya in the waterfront Karakoy district, is one of the city’s hottest tables (just ask Matt Preston, who sent me there). The interior is all sleek wood, glass and mood lighting, and the menu offers refined versions of classic dishes. Didiem’s zucchini fritters have sped to cult status – they are a mainstay on the menu and the recipe is scrawled in ink on one of the floor-­‐to-­‐ceiling mirrored walls, making them a must-­‐eat Istanbul dish. So what’s all the hype about? It’s a simple recipe of zucchini, goat’s cheese and lashings of fresh parsley and dill fried in hazelnut oil.