TRIBECA

Patrick and I were honoured by the presence of Edinburgh Lunch Quester and great friend Blythe Robertson today as we made our way to Tribeca in Yenikoy. Just off the coast, squeezed between two side streets, Tribeca has a 'secret garden' quality about it. A small entrance leads past an open kitchen, a display case bearing arguably the best bagels in Istanbul, a cozy corner and out into a sizeable garden.


There, under large white umbrellas and some very cozy looking cats, we perused the menus. With its bagels, pancakes, smoothies and mocha-chocolate-chip coffees the restaurant has a distinctly American theme, but those looking for something lighter on the calorie side won't be disappointed either (a section of the menu is dedicated to the 'light options').

Mina's Verdict:

Very Berry Smoothie with Strawberries, Raspberries and Pineapple Juice

I started off with a Very Berry Smoothie which was nice and refreshing (although the taste of pineapple didn't quite come through), then had a bit of the Three-Cheese Bagel that the guys ordered for the middle. YUM is the word for the cheese-olivepaste-sundried-tomato filled bagel which is absolute perfection for someone who can't decide whether to have a late breakfast or skip right to lunch. The fries that came with the bagel were also lovely (thin and crunchy with just the right amount of salt) although I only managed to get a fork full before they vanished (thanks guys!).

My main course was delicious too! The creamy sauce of the Cheese and Mushroom Tortellini was light, the pasta was cooked just the right and the mushrooms were great. Often mushrooms are overcooked (in which case they release their water and get soggy -not so good), but the chefs at Tribeca got this pasta plate just right and left me feeling happily full.

Cheese and Mushroom Tortellini 

Patrick's Verdict

Tribecca is located in the sleepy, upmarket Istanbul district of Yenikoy, tucked away up a side street.  It has a small seating area inside and a much larger one outside, very shaded with the occasional sleeping cat in the corner.

The menu is fairly comprehensive with a focus on well-made fast food type stuff - pizzas, burgers and bagels etc.  I opted for the pepperoni and cheese bagel with fries and a drink called a chocolate chip freezer.   The drink was cracking - ice cold coffee with whipped cream and chocolate chips which promptly sunk to the bottom in a delightful manner.  The bagel was also very tasty with lovely spicy Turkish pepperoni and overflowing with three different types of cheese.  As for the bagel, there was a choice of maybe a dozen fresh homemade ones - I plumped for the garlic one - a wise choice!  The fries were thin, crispy, covered in a spicy salt and pepper mix and, most importantly for me, not greasy at all.  Yum!  

Chocolate-Chip Ice Coffee

If you like well made, unpretentious food, at a decent price in a nice setting, then Tribecca is a good bet.  Oh, and they have free wifi and an array of coffees with which to while away the hours!

Blythe's Verdict

Four Cheese Pizza

It's hard to articulate just how exciting it is to be here to celebrate the start of Lunch Quest: Istanbul with our excellent Istanbulian questers.

Istanbul has become a second home to me, over the past couple of years. I just love it here, and each time I arrive all I can think is that I should have booked to stay for longer. I'm already plotting my next trip here ;-)

And given that Tribeca has been an absolute staple with each of my visits, it seems only fitting to start my Turkish questing by joining Mina and Patrick here for a tasty lunch after some light shopping.

Tribeca has a wide range of dishes on offer, from noodles to pasta to pizza to bagels to a dizzying array of salads. From what we were served, it seems like they're an excellent all-rounder.

I opt for pizza, choosing the four cheese topping. We settle upon one of their bagels, spilt four ways, as a communal starter. We have a little thirst theme going on, though, so we open with smoothies and iced-coffee. My chocolate-chip-topped glass has rich coffee depth, feeling decadent yet delicate, and never drifting in to over-sweetness.

The quarter of bagel and fries prove an excellent starter, reminding me of previous samplings from their array of bagels, made on the premises in a comprehensive range of varieties.

My pizza is to a similarly excellent standard. The thin crust base is as light and crispy as the naan's at Mithas, and the blend of cheeses (don't quote me here, but I'm thinking mozzarella, a cheddar, something salty like a parmesan, and some particularly flavour-filled slices of brie) works very nicely.

Overall, Tribeca demonstrates a really solid understanding of a number of different cuisines, executing dishes very well, and providing the dinner with a reall sense of confidence that you can order pretty much anything and be sure to receive a quality dish. That's no mean feat, you know. I can think of a good few places in other countries that attempt this trick, but crash and burn in an all-consuming ball of flames. The guys at Tribeca should be applauded for matching skill with ambition.

Scores

Mina scored Tribeca:
4/5 for food
3/5 for presentation
4/5 for setting
4/5 for service
giving an overall score of 15/20

Patrick scored Tribeca:
4/5 for food
3/5 for presentation
4/5 for setting
4/5 for service
giving an overall score of 15/20

Blythe scored Tribeca:
4/5 for food
3/5 for presentation
4/5 for setting
4/5 for service
giving an overall score of 15/20

Today's Lunch Questers were: Blythe, Mina, Patrick


We drank: iced coffees, smoothies,

We ate: pepperoni and cheese bagel, tortellini with mushrooms,  4 peynir pizza.

We wore: purple polo, jeans, classic gold accessories, espadrilles.

Total bill: around 150TL, around 50 pounds



Tribeca Yeniköy
Kapalı Bakkal Sokak. No: 5
Yeniköy / İstanbul
Tel: 212 223 99 19
Email: yenikoy@tribeca-tr.com 

www.tribeca-tr.com