As fall approaches (due to global warming the wait feels like it has been forever) I find myself enjoying the city and what it has to offer…

Previously I had written about my areas of interest.

I love eating and having a luscious glass of wine accompanied by a beautiful setting and a tune that complements my moment of pleasure…

The idea of pleasure got me thinking…

Is it hard to be happy in this day and age?

Or do we make it harder than it already is?

Frankly, I enjoy small things in life…

Food does not necessarily have to be fancy schmancy… Simplicity gives you the “real deal.”

As the great Coco Chanel once said, “Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it’s not luxury.”

Since a couple of restaurants which are near my house in Yenikoy have been selected by Michelin (not to mention the many local bars and cafes which are perhaps just as good but are not as well known) I find myself trying out dishes and drinks that seem like a “piece of heaven.”

Food is only a part of the experience in Yenikoy, of course. If I were to compare Yenikoy to anywhere else I would probably say it resembles Alexandroupoli, Athens, Lisbon… In fact, probably any town in the Mediterranean has similar architectural features… Churches, cafes, bars, a piazza-like park with little shops for immediate needs…

No wonder why I feel like I am in Greece at times…

This town has four Greek Orthodox churches including one that belongs to the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The other three belong to the Patriarchate of the imperial city of Constantinople…

Two Armenian churches, one Catholic and the other Gregorian (Armenian Apostolic)…

A synagogue which stands strong with a community that keeps it alive…

And two mosques that were made after the late 1960s.

Of course not to mention many Ayazmas (places of worship which were built close to water for purposes of healing and curing ailings).

I know, I know…

With a global rise in xenophobia and an intolerance for anyone who does not resemble us, seeking a romantic sense of unity amidst difference is unrealistic…

Still…

I love hearing church bells ring in a city or region where the ancient inhabitants and their culture of the past struggle to survive… I love seeing the chic dressed elderly leaving the synagogue after a Shabbat prayer…

An Eid prayer which gathers the locals together…

From romance to pleasure once again…

These days I am into eating clean—as they say… So less processed, healthy food types… Well, please do not get the wrong idea! I love food! Period! I like exploring new territories… However these days I find myself sticking to a benign style of calming my hunger down.

That is absolutely why I love frequenting Molka Cafe where Chef Sevtap Dilekci serves bowls which look like they contain flavors of joy… Here, they mix internationally well-known dishes with familiar tastes of Istanbul. I inhale the salmon bowl (mixed greens, quinoa, edamame, cucumber, avocado) with a nice glass of white (Pasaeli Sidalan) wine. Their extensive selection of teas and fruit/vegetable juices is impressive by any standard. The faint rhythm of jazz suits the place well…

The next location worth mentioning is The Red Balloon, where the design is modern but subtle, warm yet relaxing… The dishes come as pieces of art… Colorful and intricate… Salads, fusion of local dishes with an inventive twist… My favorite(s) being the seafood pasta, all the salads, and their eggplant mucver. When I end up stuffing my face, I ask the bartender to surprise me with their cocktails (my latest favorite made with basil and mastica) to crown my meal with alcohol. The music fits the chic and stylish dishes with its eclectic tune… I seem to always find myself Shazaming the DJ’s choice of music…

Uh-oh!

I am filling up more space than I am supposed to!

I still have more to say about cocktails, music, art and other treasures…

As I leave until the next time we reunite I ask you kindly to find your area of preserving pleasure…

A glass of wine, a bite that makes fireworks explode in your mouth, a song, a book, a poem or a piece of art that captures you and stops your breath…

Whether it is sipping a glass of raki, listening to George Dalaras sing S’agapo, with closed eyes imagining your childhood, or just gazing off the Bosphorus alone in the rain…

Till next time.