Ajia

Blythe's Verdict

Ajia is a super-stylish boutique hotel, located in one of the many Ottoman yalis that line the Asian side of the Bosphorus. It is all contemporary minimalism, with a heavy reliance on clean white lines, giving a simple elegant feel.

We were there for a wedding, but needed a little sustenance to get us through to the evening's festivities, so took the opportunity for a little lunchtime quest.

The menu was extensive, a little unstructured, but we settled upon a tuna steak, some buffalo mozzarella, and skewered prawns and scallops.




We demolished the excellent bread basket in record time. It was a very fresh and tasty selection, with flavour-packed dips to add bursts of brightness.


The main courses were eye-catching. My skewer featured a jumbo prawn, encircling two sweet scallops. It rested on a bed of smoked aubergine, with some tomatoes dotted about the place, with a little side dish of rocket risotto.


I'm reliably informed by Mina that the risotto was a typical example of how its generally prepared in Turkey. It was good, but not very risotto-like.

The rest of the dish was first class, with the light smokiness of the patlican working beautifully with the seafood.

Within the context of the hotel's main focus of the day being satisfying the nuptial requirements of our darling Acelya, the lunch was extremely good. There is no better setting in the world than the Bosphorus, but I have to say that I preferred Sumahan's interpretation of that particular classic.

Overall, Ajia is slick and chic, a place to be seen, with quality food to match the style. They even made a good fist of serving al fresco dinner for 270 folk, later that day. But that story is more the territory of Wedding Quest...(now there's an idea;-))


Scores

Blythe scores Ajia:
4/5 for food
5/5 for presentation
4/5 for service
4/5 for setting
giving an overall 17/20

Ajia
Ahmet Rasim Pasa Yalisi Cubuklı Cad. No 27
34812 Kanlica / Istanbul / Turkey
http://www.ajiahotel.com

Alarga Hotel in ASSOS

We've never reviewed breakfast before, but this place just has to be shared. In a tiny three-room hotel right in the centre of the archeological site of Assos is a covered terrace. This terrace, a few hundred feet away from Athena's Temple, is where we were served a luscious breakfast. Beautiful homemade jams (apricot and clove, raspberry and cinnamon, sour cherry...), borek pastries, eggs (however you want them), olives, tomatoes, cheese, freshly pressed grape juice...the list goes on. Everything was absolutely delicious, the place simply beautiful and there as a little bell to ring incase something wasn't to your liking.

If you're ever travelling in the area, stop by. And don't forget to visit Athena's Temple. Even if ancient history is not your thing, the view is worth it!

Alarga Breakfast Spot

Fresh Grape Juice

Fried Eggs 

Home Made Jams, Cake, Olives, Borek and Tomato Salad

Ferdi Baba ALACATI

Located on the Alacati Port, Ferdi Baba has a view of water and sail boats; a particularly nautical place. Lots of nice wooden tables outside with some white booths for those who crave a little more comfort. The fish and mezes are behind glass, so as in many Turkish fish restaurants, there is no menu. A waiter accompanies you as you point out your choices.

meze meze meze!

Mina's Verdict

We had lots of mezes to start. The haydari (yogurt, dill, lemon and garlic combo) was really good and went down beautifully with the warm rolls that our waiter brought to the table. The calamari was excellent; the batter light, the calamari cooked just the right amount so as not to give it that chewy-ness. The levrek (seabass) in lime with peppercorns was good, but could have been served a little bit colder (hot fish is good, cold fish is good, but luke warm fish is a little bit wrong).

Sea Bass in lime and peppercorn

The shakshuka (aubergine in tomato and green pepper sauce) didn't have enough aubergine. The tomato was overwhelming (large chunks) and some of the peppers were very spicy, almost as if the chef forgot to do the taste test before cutting them up. We also had cheese borek, which was good but nothing special. What was pretty different was hallumi cheese wrapped in grape leaves and grilled. It was a bit salty, as hallumi cheese invariably is, but the combined flavours of grilled grape leaf and cheese took me back to my great-grandmothers concoctions (she was originally from Crete, and liked to feed me all kinds of food they used to make 'back on the island').

Overall, a good fish restaurant with a lovely view and obviously popular with the locals since it was chalk full even though its off season now in Alacati.

Patrick's Verdict

So, I had no choice in what I ate at Ferdi Baba, which was just as well as I was properly shattered after a day spent in the back of the car!  My delightful mother in law ordered for all of us from a large glass covered counter containing countless fishy delights.  I manned the well-presented table and tried in vain to stop a cat from jumping on Mina's seat.

Warm roll with dill  yogurt, aubergine in tomato and pepper sauce, stuffed pumpkin flowers and the Sea Bass

Our mezze platter was rather tasty.  The dill yoghurt was especially nice and went really well with the fresh crusty bread.  The aubergine in tomato sauce was not as good as other places but the stuffed pumpkin flowers were innovative and interesting!  I liked them a lot!!  The sea bass was a little overpowered by the taste of the lime juice, but the octopus was really very good, one of the best I have had.  Next up came haloumi cheese melted inside grape vine leaves - again interesting but so salty that it took a pint of water to get rid of the saltiness.  The cheese borek was good but nothing special.

Interestingly presented fish stew concoction

The main course however was rather good.  A huge sea bass cooked in tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, peppers and lashings of fresh herbs.  It came in a huge communal pot into which we delved hungrily!  There wasn't much left by the end!  All in all, a pretty mixed bag.  The fish was good and some of the starters a little meh.

 Scores

Mina's Scores
Presentation      3/5
Setting              3/5
Service             3/5
Food                 3/5
Total                12/20

Patrick's Scores
Presentaion       3/5
Setting              3/5
Service             3/5
Food                 3/5
Total                 12/20

We wore: beach wear and tired expressions

We ate: good fish and mediocre accompaniments

Sailors Hotel Restaurant

In the beautiful town of Alacati, walk past dozens of art galleries, stone houses with lila and blue shutters...take in the creative energy, the flowers bursting out of mounted pots, dripping from wooden balconies...walk over the cobble stones and between the boutique stores and you will find the Sailor's Hotel Restaurant.

lovely stone houses of Alacati

We arrived in warm spirits and after a very helpful waitress suggested a particularly cool spot, placed our orders from an extensive Menu. A pretty wooden bowl full of bread, a little plate of pickles and tiny bottles full of olive oil, sour pomegranate juice and balsamic vinegar were brought to the table in short order.

cobble stone streets lined with art galleries and boutiques

Mina's Verdict:

I had the 'summer pasta' which was very nice. Pasta with fresh basil, cherry tomatoes, roasted pine nuts and famous Izmir Tulum (cheese). Light, fresh and tasty. The pine nuts gave the whole thing a nutty flavour; unusual, but tasty!

Summer Pasta with fresh basil, cherry tomatoes, roasted pine nuts and Izmir Tulum cheese

Next to the pasta, I also had some bulgur salad. It worked really well with the sour pomegranate juice and olive oil. Finally, the double espresso was just right.

Patrick's Verdict:

This restaurant on Alacati's main street is ver cute. A dozen tables outside and a well-stocked bar inside. We sat outside and had a very tasty lunch after a half days doing not very much! I fancied something simple- kofte and potatoes. It came on a rectangular grey plate - 7 pieces of spiced meatballs and a good portion of thick cut chips with a spicy pepper and a nice little side salad. The kofte was very good - well cooked, not fatty and with a great kick. The chips were perfectly cooked, crispy on the outside and fluffy within and the salad was fresh. Thoroughly enjoyable. Cappuccino also tasty - great foam.

kofte and potato wedges

Scores

Mina
Food                3/5
Presentation     3/5
Setting             4/5
Service            3/5
Total score     13/20

Patrick
Food                4/5
Presentation     3/5
Setting             4/5
Service             3/5
Total score      14/20

We ate:        Kofte, Pasta, Salad
We drank:   sparkling water, espresso, capuccino
Price:           about 50TL/18 pounds

Sailors Hotel Restaurant
downtown Alacati (between Izmir and Cesme)
www.sailorsotel.com

Pelit

We can't let our fun of earlier this week pass without a word for the cake that Mina picked up from Peilt (their Istinye Park branch) for our dearest Laila's birthday.

Now, I don't know if you've heard, but I don't really do dessert, but I seem to have been making a few exceptions to this rule, lately. I think it's fair to say that I'm glad my exceptions extended to experiencing this mighty fine item.


Chocolate and pistachio cake; how does that sound to you? Intriguing, perhaps? You'd be right to be curious and your curiosity would be well rewarded. It was an absolutely top-quality piece of cake. It was even better than my homemade Lemon Tart! ;-)

I demolished my piece in record time. My fellow diners were slightly more challenged by its intense richness, particularly after a filling lunch, but it was smiles all round.

Perhaps Mina knows a little more about whether this is Pelit's speciality or whether everything they make is awesome, but I'd certainly recommend trying out their wares, next time you're looking for a little celebratory sweet indulgence.

No scores for this quest - just a recommendation for a great bakery :-)

www.pelit.com.tr
Branches across Istanbul

NUSR'ET

What's a steakhouse meant to look like? How about massive wooden tables, stone walls, an open kitchen and huge frigidaires with large steaks on display? When you walk into Nusr'et it smells like wood. I couldn't say if its oak from the oak smoked meats in the kitchen, or the wood furniture...maybe its some kind of teak table polish. Either way, it smells like rich wood. Just like a steakhouse should.

Mina's Verdict:

We ordered a large salad to begin. Something with corn, tomatoes and tulum cheese; crisp and tangy. Next, I asked for a filet mignon (200-230g). It arrived, perfectly medium, lovely flavour and the bits of sea salt on top was just right. My knife fairly melted through it. Yumm yummm! It was a little worrying that I (who eat steak about once every two months because I'm not a big fan red meat) not only finished my entire plate, but could easily have had a little bit more.

Filet Mignon, Spinach and Baked Patato

Tulum Salad

 To finish there was an espresso (good) and a bit of chocolate & orange tart (interesting nutty base, very good quality chocolate). Loved this place. Really, just absolutely fantastic. I also happened to see some burgers drifting by to other tables and asked our very helpful waiter about them (apparently they are a customer favourite). We'll need to come back and try those a.s.a.p!

Blythe's Verdict:


On the advice of our darling Ayse, we headed for Etiler to seek out Nusret, a steakhouse nestled in a smart residential area. After some fun and games finding the place, we found ourselves seated in a wood-laden meat palace.

Mina took charge (she does that, sometimes) negotiating with the attentive, helpful and knowledgeable waiter to secure us a range of dishes.

After a little salad to whet our appetite, we were delivered our first wooden serving board, with slices of beef accompanied by a baked potato and spinach. The beef was excellent, but it was the spinach that was the real star of this platter. It had been cooked in an artery-hardening amount of butter, but boy did it taste good.

Lamb Chops with Oregano Spiced Fries

Next came excellent lamb chops with fries. The oregano and pepper seasoning was just beautiful. I will be investigating whether it works in other contexts beyond lamb and fries, when I return to Edinburgh.
The next platter returned to the baked potato and spinach accompaniment, with milk-fed lamb fillet as the main feature. It was completely magnificent; party-going-on-in-my-mouth goodness. It was streets ahead of any piece of lamb I've ever eaten, with lingering flavour explosions turning my palette in to a very, very happy place to be.


Now, I'm not a dessert person (did I mention that before?!) but I thought I'd give it a whirl, today. It was worth it simply for the theatre of our waiter enhancing the pistachio baclava with an ice cream filling. The chocolate orange tart was pretty darn good, as well.

Chocolate and Orange Tart

Pistachio and Kaymak Ice-Cream filled Baklava

Coffees arrived to round off an excellent meal and highly enjoyable restaurant experience.


Overall, Nusret has to be near the top of your list of places to visit soon. The quality of the meat is very high and their skill in preparing it is plain for all to see. I have a feeling we merely scratched the surface of the delights that the place has to offer, as well, so look forward to a return visit, next time I'm in the neighbourhood.

Patrick's Verdict:

When leaving the house on today’s Lunchquest, my beautiful, heavily pregnant sister in law Ayse recommended a place to us; Nusret in the upmarket Istanbul suburb of Etiler.  I have to say I couldn’t really be bothered, preferring to eat somewhere on the Bosphorus as its was a scorcher of a day today.  Anyway we drove to Etiler and got lost trying to find Nusret.  We were just about to give up when we saw it.  Thank God we persisted!!

The restaurant was semi-open to the elements but with enough covered areas to make it warm and shady.  The inside is very nice with elegant wooden tables and one whole wall open to the impressive kitchen.  Our waiter showed us to our table and gave us the menus.  My delightful wife explained we were Scottish and the waiter decided to give us a platter of dishes which were not on the main menu.  Hurrah!  First up, we ordered a salad which was big enough for the three of us and had lovely tulum cheese and a pomegranate dressing - an odd but wonderful combination of tastes.

'Lokum' Steaks 

The first (of three) main courses arrived.  Small pieces of expertly cooked steaks (three for each of us) with half a baked potato and the most sumptuous buttery spinach in the world.  We asked for it medium rare and it was exactly medium rare. It came perfectly presented on a large wooden platter which was a nice touch.  It was a promising start.  Second up came two lamb chops (one of my favourite things anyway) and these were among the best.  They came on a huge bone and covered with lashings of oregano, spicy red pepper and sea salt.  They were properly tasty.  Nusret saved the best for last, however.  They produced a dish called ‘milk fed lamb’ which had the same seasoning as before but was the most tender lamb I have ever had - proper melt in the mouth stuff.  I was a happy camper.

Kusleme (milk-fed-lamb)

For dessert, we left it in the hands of our expert waiter.  He brought a chocolate and orange tart which I really liked and pistachio baklava with vanilla ice cream.  Blimey.  He set the plate down and proceeded to expertly saw the large baklava in half horizontally before spreading the ice cream in the middle and replacing the top like a big gooey sandwich.  Happy days!!  Big smiles all round - it was a nice touch.  I followed it up with a cappuccino which was particularly good.

one cappuccino and two espresso's

The place seems to be a place for people watching too with one of the Turkish national basketball team and a TV presenter there at separate tables.  It was extremely good value too, being one of the cheapest on our Lunchquest travels.  And boy is it worth a visit.  If steak is your thing - this is your place.

Scores

Mina's Scores


5/5 Food
4/5 Presentation
5/5 Setting
4/5 Service
Overall Score: 18/20

Blythe's Scores

5/5 Food

4/5 Presentation

4/5 Setting

5/5 Service

Overall Score: 18/20

Patrick's Scores

5/5 Food - meat perfection

5/5 Presentation - innovative and interesting

4/5 Setting - a little difficult to find for non-locals

5/5 Service - attentive without being overbearing and excellent choices made by waiter for us

Overall Score: 19/20

Todays lunch questers:  Mina, Blythe, Patrick

We drank: water, coke

We ate: lots of meat, chocolate-orange tart, pistachio baklava

Total Bill: approximately 195TL/ 70 pounds

Nusr'et Steak House
Etiler Çamlık Mevkii
İhsan Aksoy Sokak No:6
Etiler - İstanbul
Tel: 0 (212) 265 30 37-38
www.nusr-etsteakhouse.com

SUMAHAN Terrace Restaurant

View from Sumahan Terrace Restaurant

Designed by two brilliant architects, Sumahan is an absolutely beautiful boutique hotel on the bosphorus. Every room has a view of the straight, most have their own fireplace and the public spaces (which includes a beautiful library) fairly scream 'design experts!' Out on the terrace, the tasteful decor continues. We were impressed before we even picked up the menus.

guests enjoying their food

Mina's Verdict:


We started off with a taster of mezes. The cold aubergine salad was yum, the thick yogurt was lovely and creamy, the hummus was good, but my favourite had to be the spicy tomato-onion paste ('ezme'). We ate the starters with three different types of fresh rolls which arrived along with small plates of olive paste in a light olive oil.

tomato ezme, aubergine salad, yogurt, hummus

The second course was manti (little bits of pinched pasta filled with spiced mince) which was delicious. If I had any complaint at all, it would be that the portion of the yogurt covered manti's was so big that I didn't have enough room for my main course: yogurt kebab. One word on that plate: Yes! The meat was tasty, the bread underneath was both crunchy and sauce filled at the same time (the way pide under kebab should be!) and the tomato sauce was just the right about of sweet/sour and extremely fresh.

manti with yogurt and tomato sauce

Although I had to skip dessert (was too full!) they looked great, and they brought little heart-shaped brownies and lavender shortbread (creative and great tasting!) with my coffee - thank you very much!

Chocolate Brownies and Lavender Shortbread

Lovely food, lovely ambience and good service. This is exactly the kind of place to bring a first-time-in-Istanbul guest; they'll love you for it (yes Blythe, you better love me for this since I brought you here!)

Patrick's Verdict:

The prime location for an Istanbulian eatery is right down on the Bosphorus, with the gently sparkling water one feet away.  Sumahan is one of those places.  Situated in the pretty district of Cengelkoy on the Asian side of Istanbul, Sumahan is a wonderfully presented boutique hotel.  

We began our culinary feast with a selection of Turkish mezze - starters for everyone to share - and a selection of breads. They were really very tasty - hummus, tomatoey ezme, garlicky aubergine puree and yoghurt infused with dill.  I absolutely stuffed myself which proved to be a bad idea given the gigantic amount of food I then consumed!  The second course was Turkish manti - little balls of pasta dough stuffed with spiced mince, smothered with fresh yoghurt and finished off with a tomato sauce.  The lively conversation around the table died down when the manti arrived as everyone tucked in.  It was cracking!  Light, fresh and wonderfully flavoursome.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Thinking we were finishing dinner I prepared for dessert...yeah, still the main course to go though!!

Crispy Chicken Kebab

I opted for crispy Turkish chicken.  Yum!  Four or five large pieces of chicken, blackened on the grill, covered in spicy tomato sauce and covered in long green Turkish peppers.  Jings, my mouth is still watering.  The chicken was fantastically moist, the chargrilling gave it a great smoky flavour and the portion was the perfect size.  I was a happy Scotsman.

Chocolate Pudding and Ice-Cream

For dessert, I went for a melt in the middle chocolate pudding with vanilla ice cream.  It was a perfect way to finish the meal being both rich and light and the ice cream was wonderfully vanilla-y.  

Sumahan Terrace Restaurant is a great place for dinner.  The setting is perfect for Istanbul, right on the water listening to the waves and the food is properly good local cuisine - I doubt I’ve had better in Istanbul.

Blythe's Verdict:

Sumahan is an absolute gem, twinkling subtly on the Asian side of the Bosphorus in Cengelkoy. A labour of love in the assembly, it matches simple, suave stylishness with killer views across the city, all bathed in an atmosphere of cool chic.

The setting is always going to be the first memory when reflecting upon your time there, and it's so spectacular that there's a sense in which you're praying that nothing about the restaurant is going to detract from your appreciation of that awe-inspiring view. And you know what - they get things spot-on.

We were fortunate enough to be guests, on this occasion, and were treated to beautifully executed dishes, friendly and welcoming service, making for an evening of simple perfections and heady pleasures.

We opened with a simple mezze starter, matching light, fresh bread with a classic array of dips. Everything was on the money, with the yoghurt and dill a particular standout.
We chose from a classic Turkish menu of main courses. I opted for the kebab with yoghurt, which promised pieces of beef and meatballs served with bread and topped with yoghurt.

Yogurt Kebab

But before the kebab arrived, we had a little stop-off in manti town. Manti is a sort of Turkish equivalent of ravioli, featuring small mince-filled parcels, typically served with yoghurt and a tomato/pepper sauce. It's the kind of dish that brings a little whisper of mist to Turkish eyes at its mere mention. There's something intrinsically comforting about it. I'm a big fan, although presented here where you might sometimes find a fish course, it was a little unusual. Our full bellies at the end of the night were largely down to this pleasing little diversion ;-)

Kebabs and other mains arrived, and I have to say that they looked great. Chefiness and kebabs don't play well together, but enough care and attention had been applied to convey the same stylish ethos that pervades the rest of the place. The meat was extremely good, the sauce the perfect blend of support and enhancement, and the dish came together in to gorgeous mouthfuls of Istanbulian goodness.

Now I can eat, but I was comprehensively defeated by the meaty delights. I'm not really a dessert person (the veracity of that statement will be called in to question, at some point), so I was happy just to deal with some good espresso.

Overall, Sumahan is just lovely. We had a beautiful evening, in a jaw-dropping setting, with excellent food, attentive service, and spectacular company. With its fabulous water-front setting, I look forward to docking back there, on a regular basis.

Scores
Mina scored Sumahan:

4/5 for food4/5 for presentation
5/5 for setting

5/5 for service

giving an overall score of 18/20

Patrick scored Sumahan:
5/5 for food
4/5 for presentation
5/5 for setting

4/5 for service

giving an overall score of 18/20

Blythe scored Sumahan:

4/5 for food
4/5 for presentation
5/5 for setting
4/5 for service
giving an overall score of 17/20

We drank: beer, wine, coffees, etc, etc!

We ate: mezze, manti, kebabs, chocolate fondants, brownies.

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

  

MASA

Patrick and I were joined with three guest lunch-questers today: Beyza, Elif and Ayse. After picking out a five person table under the massive parasols over Masa's large outside seating area, we perused the menus.

Although the Menu's (large bits of laminated paper with uninspired layouts and out of focus headings) felt a little out of place at the upscale establishment, no one could complain about lack of choice. Chicken, fish, meat, salad, pasta, pizza; Masa serves it all.

Outside seating at Masa

menu

garlic crisp bread and fresh small loafs with olive oil and balsamic dipping sauce

After placing our orders, we leaned back to watch shoppers amble in and out of the stores around us. The sight reminded me of that Black Eyed Peas song, how did it go? "Dolce & Gabbana. Fendi and that Donna.." Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Ralph Lauren...the Istinye Park 'Meydan' where the restaurant is located has every high end brand you can think of. And so, in the vein of Cafe de Paris Monte Carlo, Masa is people watching central!

Stores surrounding Masa.

Now for the food...

Beyza's Verdict:

I had the Beef Stroganoff Salad and it was really good. They used good quality beef, and the stroganoff sauce which can be a little heavy sometimes was just right. The mustard sauce on the mixed greens was also really tasty and worked really well with the beef. The only thing that wasn't amazing was the potatoes, which were too thin, oily and tasted more like chips than fries.

Elif's Verdict:

I also had the Beef Stroganoff salad and I have to agree that the fries weren't great. I personally liked the crispiness, but some of the pieces were way too thin and it was too oily. The meat was nice and soft, and even though I'm not a mushroom fan, I liked the ones in the stroganoff sauce (which was really nice, although it could have done with a tiny bit more flavour).

Ayse's Verdict:

I had Steamed Asparagus with Parmesan and olive oil as a starter. Although the veggies were great, the portion was a bit small for value and since I'm a big fan of Parmesan cheese, I could have done with a few more slices.

I had the Grilled Veal Cutlet with Vegetable Tagliolini. The meat was perfect, without a single nerve or bit of fat on it. The pasta was more than perfect; al dente tagliolini with a slightly spicy-garlicy sauce with spinach leaves. Loved the food, loved the presentation, loved Masa!

Patrick's Verdict:

So Masa is the place to be seen. It is apparently in the top ten restaurants in Istanbul, and I wondered if this was for the ‘being seen there’ factor rather than the quality of the food. I was wrong. I think. The menu is particularly diverse - Turkish, Chinese, Italian, steaks, really whatever you like.

We shared a starter of asparagus with balsamic vinegar and parmesan, which was very tasty - the asparagus was lovely and fresh and piping hot. For a main course I plumped for a ‘Bistecca’ salad. I have no idea what bistecca is, but it was mighty tasty. After ordering I regretted it as I actually fancied a burger but since everyone else was having a salad-type thing I didn’t want to be the odd one out! Anyway, my choice proved to be a good one.

My salad consisted of rocket, spinach and lettuce in a balsamic dressing which was wonderfully light, with four large slices of tomato on the side (not really needed) and four generous slices of what was essentially steak, expertly cooked and with just the perfect amount of a basil sauce (very interesting and worked a treat!) and four large pieces of fresh parmesan. Now, this all sounds a little much, but the combinations worked really well and I was delighted by my meal, scoffing it in record time.

The only downside of the meal was the coffee. It wasn’t as great as I would expect from a top ten restaurant. And they forgot my biscotti - a criminal offense.

All in all, if you want to be seen eating pretty good food, in a nice setting then Masa is good for you. It’s expensive by Turkish standards but you’re paying to be seen.

Mina's Verdict:

My Goats Cheese Salad was nice. There was a slab of really good Goats cheese (grilled for the shortest time) on a bed of mixed greens. I was a big fan of the Cheese (i'm a big fan of cheese in general), but the salad bit wasn't particularly inspired. The rocket was good, the iceberg lettuce was a tiny bit soggy and the spinach leaves were tasty but baby spinach would have worked better in the combination. The sauce wasn't bad by any means, but the simple olive oil, lemon mix wasn't as fabulous as I hoped. A more interesting sauce (maybe a touch of sour pomegranate extract which many good Turkish restaurants use in their salads) could really have made the dish pop a little more. The little bits of red and orange capsicums and pickles are testament to the chef's attempt to add colour to the dish (which it did!) and his partiality for pickles (a quick look at everyone else's dishes and it seems we all had some!).

At the end of the meal, I had a double expresso and that was my only let down. Foam nice. Colour good. But for those who like their coffee strong, Masa's espresso is weak and watery. As for the biscotti - I assured Patrick he didn't miss out. In Germany I sometimes hear people respond to the question 'how are you?' with the phrase: 'so-la-la'. In my head it equates with a Scottish 'meh'. Both sounds describe the biscotti adequately.

Blythe's Verdict

After reviewing Masa, last week, the guys took us back there to sample it for ourselves and you could instantly see why.

Masa is a Grade A people watching spot, located within a plaza of dizzyingly chic shops. Given this setting, Masa could have gone for something ultra-exclusive and aspirational, like some of the brands with which it's rubbing shoulders, but it seems to fairly neatly swerve that trap.

The menu is intimidatingly large, a popular Istanbul approach to dining, it would appear, and took a good while to peruse. Mina and Patrick pointed us to some of the good and bad points of their previous visit. I ended up torn between the Pizza Fagotto and the grilled quail, opting for the latter simply because I'd eaten pizza in Tribeca, the other day.


The quail arrived very neatly presented, accompanied by wild rice and a little green salad. The salad was nondescript but the rice had a buttery goodness to it that was reminiscent of my cardio-trauma inducing spinach experience in NusrEt. The quail itself was well cooked, tender and moist. The honey red wine sauce brought a little colour but no real flavour or unity to the dish. So, it was a little bit of a curate's egg - good bits and bad bits. I'm glad I went with this option, though, as the pizzas that my fellow diners were tucking into looked like they had been prepared in a very similar style to the Tribeca one that I ate.

Coffees book-ended the meal, with their espresso much better than their cappuccino.

Overall, Masa does pretty well at providing an accessible eaterie among exclusive stores. You're likely to find something to entertain you on their menu that won't be too challenging, so you can focus on the real reason that you're there: to see and be seen

Scores on the Doors

Out of 20 Beyza gives Masa:

4/5 for food

3/5 for presentation

4/5 for service

4/5 for setting

giving an overall 15/20

Out of 20 Ayse gives Masa:

5/5 for food

4/5 for presentation

4/5 for service

4/5 for setting

giving an overall 17/20

Out of 20 Elif gives Masa:

4/5 for food

4/5 for presentation

5/5 for service

3/5 for setting

giving an overall 16/20

Out of 20 Patrick gives Masa:

5/5 for food

4/5 for presentation

4/5 for service

4/5 for setting

giving an overall 17/20

Out of 20 Mina gives Masa:

3/5 for food

3/5 for presentation

4/5 for service

3/5 for setting

giving an overall 13/20

Out of 20 Blythe gives Masa:

3/5 for food;
4/5 for presentation;
3/5 for service;
4/5 for setting,
giving an overall 14/20

Today's Lunch Questers were: Mina, Patrick, Ayse, Elif & Beyza (then Blythe, the following week!)

We drank: Water, Double Espresso

Total Bill: 240TL (around 85 pounds)

Masa

Istinye park, Istinye

Istanbul

0090-212-345-53-24