For a long time now Istanbul has been my favorite Turkish restaurants. Years ago the manager there was a woman called Elif, and she was one of the reasons I went to Istanbul. Efficient and kind, she was a gem. Then, all of a sudden, she disappeared.

I thought she had gotten tired of Tokyo and had gone back to Turkey. Too bad. But I was wrong. She now has a restaurant called Izmir in Asagaya, a few minutes from my house. Entering the place I didn't know she would be behind the counter, but when I saw her I knew I would have a good dinner. And so I did.

After the customary beer, we had mezze, doner kebab, a salad, Turkish pizza and more, and everything was predictably excellent. I cannot but recommend this restaurant, as good as any of its kind. Now Istanbul is no longer the only Turkish restaurant in Tokyo to serve Baklava. Since Turkish restaurants, like Thai restaurants, rarely have original items in their menus, I won't go into details: here too you will find few surprises.

Just one thing: don't forget to book. It's always packed.