Having missed breakfast at the hotel – it was already lunchtime by the time we got to Topkapi Palace – we decided to have lunch first at an onsite restaurant and happily bumped into the Karakol. The white linen service was a welcome touch. We ordered the degustation appetizer sampler and all of these wonderful plates came out, as well as a grilled beef filet with rice pilaf and potatoes as a main course. Fantastic. And for dessert, the Ottoman platter, which didn’t take long to disappear as well. For a spontaneous lunch it was a meal to remember – definitely fit for any sultan.