Delve deeper into Izmir’s surprising and growing fine-dining scene

From regional wine to homegrown ingredients, Izmir Province has many pioneering culinary offerings - (Isabey Vineyard)

Women peel tomatoes under early morning sunshine in a large walled courtyard that resembles The Mad Hatter’s tea party. Beds, baths, lamps and mirrors are strewn around a smattering of dining tables, conservatories, piles of vintage dinnerware and crates of vegetables.

The temperature is in the early thirties, the focus at restaurant Asma Yaprağı is on the tomatoes – it’s coming to the end of the season so they are being peeled, chopped and simmered into endless jars of sauce.