BIG PLATE

We open Lunch Quest Istanbul with a restaurant located in the Istinye Park Mall. Sounds...busy? The mall certainly is, but Big Plate is tucked away out of sight of shoppers in a back section of the building that can only be reached through a private elevator.

Located on the roof top, the restaurant is in a half covered area surrounded by potted plants and wood furniture that gives the place a 'garden' feel.  The lounge music, funky bookcases and murals done by prominent local artist Sena Cevik add a touch of the eclectic.

Mural by Sena Cevik (www.senacevikz.com)

Mina's Verdict:

I was really impressed by the service. Our waitress (Suna) was polite, efficient and all smiles. She brought us bread and dip to begin with (a mix of olive and tomato bread which was good, the olive oil dip was a little bland) then took our order promptly.

Not wanting a starter (though there was plenty of choice), I ordered the Aegean Pizza. It looked delicious, smelled wonderful and tasted good. The base was thin and crunchy, the tomatoes particularly fresh and juicy and it was really filling. Although the combination was good and the tomato sauce had a nice herby oregano flavouring, I wasn't completely wowed by the dish.

Aegean Pizza with cherry tomatoes, black olives, green peppers and feta cheese

Full up on 'cheesy goodness' as fellow lunch-quester Blythe Robertson would say, I let Patrick judge the dessert and ordered a double espresso. The coffee was good. Really good (I love my coffee!) And the biscotti that came with it was a real surprise; a combo of pistachio, raisins and hazelnuts.

My Double Espresso on the left, 'Brazilian' Cappuccino in the middle, Patrick's Mint Late on the right.

As a side note I have to say, I was most intrigued by the glass Patrick's Mint Late came in which was handleless and heat resistant. Wavered between being outraged at the thought of drinking hot coffee from a handle-less cup and awed by the prettiness of the glass.

Patrick's Verdict:

Big Plate is a nice plate to sit for lunch.  The atmosphere is relaxed and there is ample opportunity to people watch.  The menu is written in both English and Turkish which is always handy and contains a decent selection of pizzas, pastas, turkish food and brunchy-type stuff.  I was a bit hungry so opted for a pepperoni and jalapeno pizza.  It arrived fifteen minutes later and was perfectly crisp, with not too much cheese, tasty Italian pepperoni and nicely spicy jalapenos.  I was happy.  What did mystify me slightly was my fresh lemonade, which tasted of oranges.  This may be because of the half orange sitting in my glass.  Hey ho, it wasn’t bad, just not lemonade! 

Raspberry Lemonade on the left, Fresh Lemonade on the right

Anyway, there was plenty of room for pudding.  I plumped for the intriguingly titled banana carpaccio.  Great choice!  For those who like their sweets sweet, I mean.  Twelve slices of banana covered in sugar and grilled creme brulee stylee.  In the middle was fresh vanilla bean ice cream with a little sprig of fresh mint.  The combinations worked really well and the presentation was excellent although I can see how it would be too sweet for some. 

I washed it down with a mint latte which was mighty tasty.  All in all, a pretty successful first Lunch Quest Istanbul!

Scores on the Doors 

Out of 20 Patrick gives Big Plate:

4/5 for food

3/5 for presentation

5/5 for service

3/5 for setting

giving an overall 15/20

Out of 20 Mina gives Big Plate:

3/5 for food

3/5 for presentation

5/5 for service

3/5 for setting

giving an overall 14/20

Today’s Lunch Questers were: Mina, Patrick

We wore: new (present from my sister) black and white top, canary yellow polo shirt

We ate: pizza, banana carpaccio 

We drank: Sparkling water, lemonade, espresso, mint late.

Total Bill: around 90TL/£32/$

Big Plate

Istinye Park, Istinye

Istanbul

(+90) 212 345 6288

http://www.bigplate.com.tr