Istanbul - (AFP) - On Tuesday evening, the Michelin Guide awarded its first ratings to restaurants in Istanbul, celebrating the spirit of innovation and modern traditions in the Turkish city, most notably a two-star rating for a restaurant.

The international director of the Michelin Guide, Gwendal Pollnik, indicated that five of the city's restaurants located on the Bosphorus Strait, which are distinguished by their culinary heritage due to their location between the Aegean Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the Anatolian plateaus, have now obtained Michelin stars and 53 others are recommended to be visited, which "reflects the richness of the culinary field." It is open to the world.

Chef Fatih Totak's "Turk" restaurant received two Michelin stars for its reinvention of traditional Turkish dishes based exclusively on local produce.

After working for sixteen years with top chefs in Asia, including Paul Perrier in Singapore and Rene Redzepi in Copenhagen, Fatih Totak (37 years old) returned in 2019 to his hometown of Istanbul to open his own restaurant.

The guide gave the restaurant a two-star rating in celebration of Totak's "devotion to its region and roots" and to highlight its "dishes that are often enhanced by smooth, citrusy and smoky flavours".

“We are making history,” Tutak said, stressing that “every chef dreams of having this distinguished classification.”

Among the four restaurants that received a one-star rating, Zeynep Pinar Tasdemir's "Araca" won a Michelin star for "a menu focusing on seasonal vegetables and fresh herbs," and "Nikol" which features traditional dishes infused with Middle Eastern spices.

In addition to "Araca" and "Nicole", the one-star restaurants "Mikla" and "Neolocal", which are located in the former Ottoman Bank headquarters in the Galata district, are characterized by Anatolian dishes that blend "tradition with modernity", according to the Michelin Guide.
Neolocal has also been awarded a "Green Star" rating for its "green efforts and initiatives".

The Michelin guide said, "Chef Meksut Ashkar and his team of young people have invested in particular in protecting and promoting Turkish cuisine and Turkish environmental factors that some see as endangered."

In addition, ten restaurants were awarded the "Babe Gourmand" rating, which highlights restaurants that offer high-quality dishes at reasonable prices. This classification is considered important in Turkey, which is facing a severe economic crisis and inflation of more than 83%.