I don't expect to be served pizza as one of Istanbul's traditional dishes, but here it comes - thin bread like pitta, with tomato sauce. It's simple and authentic, and I love it.

This is part of my family's first meal in the city, served on the terrace of the Hamdi Et Lokantasi restaurant. The food tastes all the better because of the wonderful view overlooking the Golden Horn, an estuary separating the old and the new parts of European Istanbul.

From my seat, I can see the ships plying the river and watch the traffic, while behind me is the heart of the old city, with its stunning Blue Mosque.

It doesn't take me long to be totally taken by this city, full of mystique, where Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires have each left their mark. After all, where there is great culture, there is great cuisine.

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We're not talking anything like as sophisticated as French food. But what we are eating is good and true to the way it has been for many years, without being messed around. It's subtle Mediterranean cuisine with hints of Asian spices, reflecting the blend of East and West.

There are Greek influences, but not as bland; a Greek guest in the same hotel as us told me that it was “very spicy”. And there are Italian influences, but without all the basil. When I mention to my guide, Burak, my surprise at the lack of this herb, he tells me that I'm more likely to see a pot of it on the table as mosquito repellent or as a hand cleaner.

After lunch, I'm in need of coffee, so we head to a local coffee house, where the air is full of the sweet scent of coconut and apple dispensed from the water bongs that arebeing smoked. They say you can read your fortune in your coffee cup and having drunk the coffee, I can understand that; there's half a centimetre of sediment at the bottom of the cup, while the liquid has a bizarre, earthy flavour, not at all like an espresso. No wonder coffee is drunk only as a digestif; when I tried to get one in the morning, I was advised to have apple tea instead, its aroma sweet and intense with a taste to match.

The good thing about Istanbul is that you're never far from an apple tea, or from food. Walking along the streets to the main sights - the Blue Mosque, the Topkapi Palace, Haghia Sophia - there are people selling corn, roasting chestnuts, touting deep-fried oysters on skewers. By the river we try a fish sandwich: mackerel slapped between two pieces of bread, which is great.

We have an orgy of tasting over the next few days . The simple presentation of the kebabs belies the intense meaty flavour. Of all the kebabs we eat, though, I'd recommend the testi, which is cooked for five hours in a pot in the wood oven.

In the most expensive restaurant we tried, Feriye Lokantasi, the chef had learnt Arabic so he could read, then reproduce, the traditional Ottoman recipes. It's here that we ate tavuk gogsu, a caramelised chicken- breast pudding. It was bizarre to eat chicken for dessert but I guess it worked because the breast, which was diced and served in sweet milk, can often be quite tasteless.

My children, Hope, 2, and Joseph, 4, enjoy it, as they do most of Turkish cuisine. Jo is normally a fussy eater, but he seems to thrive on the tapas-style food. His favourites are ichi kofte, meatballs made from fresh lamb with hints of spice and fresh herbs, as well as the deep-fried squid with a bread and yoghurt sauce flavoured with just a hint of garlic.

The shepherd's salad, a spicy mix of tomato, parsley, red onions, and cucumber, is a hit with children because they mix pomegranate juice with olive oil as a dressing, which makes it sweet with a fresh finish.

Of course, we have to take some of this abundance home with us. In the buzzing spice market, we bargain for rosehip, pistachio and rosewater, as well as saffron. Saffron is expensive and you are taking a bit of a gamble since you don't know if it's good until you get back. Mine looks good, but I haven't used it yet.

And no trip to Turkey would be complete without Turkish delight, which is eaten as a digestif.

There was just room for some tea in our suitcases - some apple, some rosehip. They say they don't add anything to make it sweet, but now we are home it just doesn't taste the same. Perhaps that's a good excuse to return.

Need to know

Michael Caines and family travelled with Exclusive Escapes (020-8605 3500, www.exclusiveescapes.co.uk). Four nights' B&B at Stablesgate House in Istanbul starts at £765pp including flights, based on two sharing. Additional guests in the two-bedroom house would cost £605pp. Prices include flights with Turkish Airlines from Heathrow or Manchester, transfers and a half-day with private guide.

Michael Caines recommends

Balikci Sabahattin Seyit Hasan Kuyu Sokak 50, Sultanahmet (00 90 212 458 1824): At this simple but busy fish restaurant, you're given a platter from which to pick your fish. I had fried turbot along with shepherd's salad - tomato, parsley, red onions, cucuumber and pomegranate juice mixed with olive oil as a dressing; £86 for three adults and two children.

Hamdi Et Lokantasi Kalcin Sokak 17, Tahmis Caddesi (00 90 212 528 0390): A terrace restaurant with a stunning view overlooking the Golden Horn. Its south-eastern cuisine offers great kebabs, and is a favourite of locals and tourists; £76 for two adults and two children.

Pandeli Misir Carsisi 1, Eminonu Square (00 90 212 522 5534, www.pandeli-restaurant.com): This bizarre tiny tiled restaurant is up a lengthy flight of stairs above the entrance to the Egyptian Bazaar. It's open for lunch only and serves a must-try aubergine pie (patlican salatasi) topped with a crispy slice of donah; £125 for four adults and two children.

Feriye Lokantasi, Ciragan Caddesi 124, Ortakoy (00 90 212 227 2216): Themost upmarket restaurant we visited. There is an amazing view over the water, with the Bosphorus bridge overshadowing the restaurant. A must-try is tavuk gogsu, a caramelised chicken-breast pudding, with diced chicken in sweet milk. Beware, it's expensive and although it's worth going for the experience, the food was no better than what we ate elsewhere for half the price; £233 for four adults and two children.

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