Ena’s Little Black Book on the Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet. Yasin the concierge, the best couscous of my life, and what the best concierges actually do.
I don’t remember his name. I remember the couscous.
At least, that’s how this story began.
During our first stay at the Four Seasons Sultanahmet, we asked the concierge where we should go for lunch. He could easily have pointed us toward one of Istanbul’s well-known restaurants, made a reservation and sent us on our way.
Instead, he walked us to a little restaurant nearby.
What followed was the best couscous of my life. Pearl couscous, tomato, vegetables, a little spice and fresh mint. Nothing elaborate. Just ridiculously, memorably good.
Naturally, there is a photograph of the couscous. Somewhat inexplicably, there is also a photograph of the concierge. Apparently, documenting the man responsible for one of my favorite meals in Istanbul seemed important. Writing down his name did not.
Fifteen years and countless failed attempts to recreate that couscous later, I pulled out the old photograph while putting together this Little Black Book. On a whim, I zoomed in.
There, on his name badge, was the answer.
Yasin.
Perhaps that is what the very best concierges do. They don’t simply tell you where to go. They quietly lead you toward the places that become part of your memory of a city.
It took me fifteen years to recover his name.
I never forgot his recommendation.
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