Avlu maps Türkiye’s seven regions onto one table

The beauty of Avlu’s culinary vision lies in its refusal to flatten Türkiye into a single gastronomic story. Executive Chef Özgür Üstün’s Fall Winter 2027 menu arrives as a deliberate act of listening, each dish speaking the dialect of a particular corner of Anatolia. The menu unfolds across seven regions, each with its own agricultural heartland, its own techniques passed down through generations, and its own relationship to the land.

What distinguishes this approach is the deliberate centering of women led cooperatives whose hands bring these ingredients into being. By sourcing from these collectives, Avlu does more than secure exceptional produce; it weaves economic empowerment into the fabric of every plate. A single menu becomes a conversation about geography, heritage and the people who sustain both.

The kitchen’s interpretation of contemporary Anatolian cuisine arrives without artifice or nostalgia. Instead, each region’s voice emerges with clarity: the earthy depth of Southeastern spice work, the seafaring traditions of the Aegean, the pastoral generosity of Central Anatolia. On a slate plate, a dark red sauce curves around a golden crusted square; on another, creamed grains catch ruby crescents of chilli and herb oil. The restraint of the plating itself becomes part of the message. Nothing announces itself. Everything breathes.

Avlu sits within the Four Seasons Hotel Sultanahmet, positioned to draw from Istanbul’s position as a bridge between continents and cultures. Yet this menu turns inward, toward the villages, the markets and the cooperative houses where Türkiye’s regional identity still lives most vividly. The Fall Winter collection opens the conversation: seven regions, one table, and the quiet knowledge that some of the most nourishing food arrives when a kitchen chooses to step back and listen.

Imagery courtesy of Avlu at Four Seasons Hotel Sultanahmet (@fssultanahmet).