Why simply have a cultural experience when you can have a gastronomic, cultural and entertainment experience all in one? After a trip to one of the many meyhanes that play Turkish folk or its related musical cousin fasil – which combines strains of classical, gypsy and folk – it’s not hard to see why Western-style pop hasn’t come to dominate Turkey’s music culture completely. Kallavi, a meyhane, in the ritzy suburb of Levant a few Metro stops north of Taksim, is one of the best places to go to hear fasil. As your meal progresses and increasing amounts of raki are consumed, the fasil band trots out and skilfully starts building up the tempo until the little reserve that the Turks possess is completely swept away, along with the tables, in an orgy of handclapping and jigging about. Reservations recommended.