Pinch of Bosphorus

İsmet Baba, Kuzguncuk There are restaurants you visit, and then there are those you remember — not just for the food, but for the way they hold time still for a while. İsmet Baba is one of the latter. Perched quietly in Kuzguncuk, a neighborhood that feels like the city’s slow-beating heart, İsmet Baba is not flashy. It doesn't have a trendy menu, reinvented cocktails, or Instagram-perfect plating. What it does have is soul. The kind of soul that seeps into your glass of rakı as the sun folds itself into the Bosphorus. Here, the meze arrives fast, with no need to order — a parade of tradition laid out in white porcelain: fava, stuffed mussels, sea beans, eggplant salad. Everything tastes slightly of salt and memory. The fish is fresh, grilled simply, and served with the confidence of decades of doing things the right way. The staff doesn’t hover. They know why you’re here. To eat slowly, to listen to the water, maybe to remember something — or someone. It’s not just a meal; it...