Chef Vedat Basaran's fine-dining restaurant is in a palatial 19th-century building that, believe it or not, was a police station during Ottoman times. The menu, taking a cue from the setting, is inspired by Ottoman cooking. Appetizers include zucchini flowers stuffed with seafood salad and wild fennel, and among the mains are sea bass with wild herbs and salmon in a pomegranate sauce. The dining room is elegant, with chandeliers and painted ceilings, but in summer the restaurant sets all the tables outdoors by the edge of the Bosphorus. With the sound of the water flowing by and the picturesque Ortaköy mosque in the background, the romantic setting is hard to beat.
Reviewed by mcmtanyel from New Castle, PA, USA on 7/9/09
Even if they did not serve you any food, just the view of the Bosphorus and the ambiance is worth every penny if you are seated outside. It is a pretty penny, but on top of the out-of-this-world ambiance, you get excellent food and good service.
I have not dined there in the winter, so I cannot vouch for the experience indoors, though I expect it to be comparably exquisite.
Word of warning, though, the Bosphorus can get pretty chilly in the evening even in the middle of the summer so make sure you take an extra layer to put on just in case. But they provide shawls for ladies; gentlemen may avail themselves to the service, too, if they are not embarrassed about wearing a shawl.
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