On our brief visit to the Asian side of Istanbu...
On our brief visit to the Asian side of Istanbul, we wondered around trying to find the recommendation for our hotel hosts. What we encountered was a great surprise and experience as there was a huge book fair and exhibit at the old train station. We noticed a restaurant and immediately requested an outside table with a view of the festivities. While the servers were not proficient in English, we managed to order from the Turkish menu. Earlier, we had stopped and had Turkish coffee and a treat so we were not terribly hungry. We decided to share a Shepherd's salad ("Tomato,cucumber,green pepper,onion,parsley with lemon juice and olive oil") and an entree, The Sultan's Favorite ("Diced chicken served over pureed eggplant (aubergine) with yellow cheese,covered in tomato sauce and served with grilled tomato and green pepper"). We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch along with Turkish beer and the excellent service. Later, we ventured inside the restaurant and noticed the walls filled with photos from the past including many actors and dignitaries. The owner who was an elderly man gestured that we take a photo with him. Everyone was very welcoming and we left thinking that we had found a treasure.