Orient Express - Kavakli

Very good food in a delightful atmosphere with a fine maitre d' and an old world ambience. A delight to be able to choose one of four languages to order in. I chose French. Expect starched white table linen and a pleasant though brief wine list. Historical building.

This is inside the train station, it's quiet at lunch time, so a good break from the craziness outside. Service is great, that were fast with the food, and the only place, so far, I got zataar. Lentil soup was delicious.

A very nostalgic place. The station used to be the terminus of the Orient Express which must be one of the most luxurious trains ever. Agatha Christie, Lauren Bacall and Vanessa Redgrave come to mind. And Albert Finney of course, starring Hercule Poirot in Sidney Lumet's 1974 movie. Nowadays the trains are gone. To be leftover is a pretty nice restaurant with attentive waiters (the only ones I came across in Istanbul preferring French instead of English), fairly good meals and ... a nostalgic atmosphere.

The stained glass windows of the Orient Express station in Istanbul recall the wonderful times that this luxury train traveled across Europe.The oriental style created by Jachmund was admired at a time when the Orient Express railway was of great interest and influenced the designs of other railway station architects throughout Central Europe.

So good, good prices and super service. Eating in a historical place takes you to 18th century.