Sinanation

Ca’d'Oro is a new upscale restaurant by the successful entertainment group, Doors. These guys manage anything from a nightclub to restaurant chains and in my opinion have been expanding close to a viral Starbucks-scale around the hills of Istanbul. Despite the common belief that chains lack the flavor and attention one gets at an original location, the doors group continues to maintain an over-mediocre customer satisfaction in all its establishments. The only problem I have with this vision is that it leads to great losses in originality. I am happy to know that I can expect the same good food I got in Bebek over in Nişantaşı. Yet, I am completely turned off by seeing the same furnishing and decoration in a neighborhood I think is different from the last one I visited. That is I believe a complete violation to the unique characteristics of all the different areas we get to wander around Istanbul.

So, I was a bit biased with my expectations when my friends told me about Ca’d'Oro. This place was not created to be turned into a chain and that lead me to think that like all the other “one-of-a-kind” Doors establishments (for example: the London’s Famous Japanese, Zuma in Ortaköy – brought to Istanbul by Doors) Ca’d'Oro would be painfully expensive. I was right about the wine list (cheapest bottle starts at 100 TL.) but mistaken about the food (with an average of 20 TL. per plate).

This place is inside one of the coolest and gallantly renovated buildings found in Karaköy – once belonged to the historic Ottoman Bank and now owned by the non-profit innovation organization called SALT. The entrance hall will take your breath away and make you forget all the degraded streets you pass through to make it inside. The restaurant found in the back is a completely modern, icy, fully-windowed, rectangle structure expanding into the ancient city. It looks too-dark-to be-cool inside, but the individual lighting found at each table takes the worries away once seated for dinner.

Focus on the appetizers. Order the fried goat cheese, the crispy tomato risotto, the cheese pide, the artichoke and the pizza. Yes, you won’t have any room left for the main course and that’s good thing. The flavor and thus the satisfaction is hidden in the appetizers and the rest of it (until the dessert) is nothing but disappointment. Get the chestnut merengue toopped with ice-cream for desert.

Reservations are a must at Ca’d'Oro.

This awesome dish is intended more for the Turkish crowd as some of the ingredients are only found in Turkey (more specifically in Istanbul). Yet, you can certainly replace them with the things you can get and like in your own country.

Ingredients:

• Focaccia Bread from Mangerie in Bebek
• Thinly sliced veal tongue from Santral Şarküteri in Bebek (yes it is what it is, but also undeniably delicious and yes I am a carnivore)
• String cheese sold at any fromagerie inside the supermarkets
• The famous Ayvalık cheese from Ayvalık, Balıkesir
• Black olive paste (the one I use is produced by Fora) or White truffle olive oil (from Fortnum & Mason in the UK – an amazing recent addition to the classic recipe by my girlfriend)

Preparation:

Cut the Foccacia into thinner pieces using a bread knife. It is essential to keep the slices as thin as possible. If not the dense Focaccia bread that will take away from the taste of other ingredients. Grill the slices in the toaster for less than a minute to give them a bit more crunchiness. Put in a few drops of the white truffle oil or spread a nice portion of the black olive paste on the insides of the slices. Lay the thinly sliced string and Ayvalık cheese and the veal tongue (to your taste) in the middle. Cover the top slice and grill inside the pre-heated toaster.

Deliciousness served on a white breakfast plate.

I had the opportunity to visit the historic Bahar Patisserie in Nişantaşı last afternoon to shop for some chestnut candy. I remember going into this place as a child and sticking my chubby face all around the displays hoping to get my hands on all the cakes and chocolate. Not much has changed over the years. Bahar is still a legend although it hasn’t successfully transformed into a super famous chain like its competitors. Seeing it in good condition made me wonder what the reasons behind such a lag could be. The taste is still there in my opinion but there is a serious problem in presentation. I got out with a small Bahar souvenir to show you how bad the problem is. I couldn’t resist. It was the last one on the shelf and I had to have it.

I think this is some kind of a completely unproportional gay basketball player who is actually going bold on the back of his head, but sports healthy long red hair in the front. His patch of curly hair is casually glued together at the top with the residual glue chunking out at the sides. He is stuffed with little stone-like chocolate inside his hips and has a hole on the back that could be used as a temporary piggy bank.

What kind of a sick creative person comes up with such a design? I totally get the “playful doll + delicious sweets + save your money while spending” idea for the kids, but I am utterly shocked by the final product. If you say “the doll is a disaster, but there is still good chocolate inside” think twice. Since the chocolate inside looks like little stones, the kid who eats them will probably grab a few actual rocks thinking they are also edible goodies: From the bakery to the emergency room with love.

As I cheerfully play with the hair of my monster I can’t help but think about its little customers. I feel sorry for the kid who goes in and reaches up for this transvestite toy just because he/she has playful curly hair. Parents beware. Bahar please please take action and come out with some “decent” inspiration for our future generations.

Not much to say about this chalet-like calorie bomb factory. It might be a typical tourist attraction but still deserves a well planned Sunday brunch visit. Zip your mouths at breakfast and save all the room for this place. The pancakes are (unlike their American peers) much thinner but come as big as the size of a regular dinner plate covered generously in whatever topping you requested.

Simply yummy. The Pancake Bakery

Amsterdam should not be regarded as a food Mecca, but if you dig deeper you are bound to find some diamond in the rough. The city is obviously frequented mostly by the younger funky crowd looking to have a bit of fun and spend the least amount of money while doing that. So it shouldn’t be surprising to run into numerous cute but not so full restaurants all around town.

The quality food here consists of well cooked crustaceans and meat. Almost all the good restaurants will serve some kind of a filet mignon and/or lobster as the main ingredient in their dishes. For dinner we have tried 3 recommendations: Bo Cinq, BBQ Castell and Envy. Red Restaurant was also in our list of musts although we couldn’t make it there. Reservation is a must for all.

Envy is a must among all the other restaurants you will be recommended (despite its somewhat rude staff). Be aware that this is a 1 Michelin Star restaurant that well deserves the good points.The interior is a semi-serious full black corridor decorated with design lighting and neatly filled freezers. The open kitchen is right at the entrance next to the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the canal, allowing the visitors to appreciate the art that is cooking on top of the sleek counters. The menu consists of tapas style fusion food inspired by traditional cuisine. The main ingredients are the classic meat and/or seafood, but the dressing and the display is genuinely unconventional and the taste is phenomenal. I recommend the chef’s tasting menu paired with a good pick from the extensive wine list.

Bo Cinq is that hip bar/lounge/restaurant the young residents are craving to stop by after a hard day’s work. Although the bar and the lounge areas are spacious and have somewhat of an intriguing decoration, the restaurant area is tough to like. It consists of separated dining rooms where nobody gets to see anything other than his/her companions. The food is influence by the African cuisine. I took the red beetroot julienne served with feta cheese in crispy kataifi dough with apple and orange dressing as a starter and greatly recommend it. For main course definetly go for the bocinq wagyu burger with panfried duck liver. On another note, we found out (a little late) that the owners of Bo Cinq followed up on their success with another venue called Lion Noir. The photos online display a much more interesting interior decoration and the menu looks equally impressive.

BBQ Castell is the steakhouse heaven of Amsterdam. The interior of this well aged legend resembles a comfy living room with comfy leather corner sofas and spacious coffee tables. Get the ribs as a starter and then the filet mignon. If you are looking to go into a food coma (which we did) order the ice cream with chocolate sauce to share.

Do you ever notice how chalky your teeth get after a spinach meal (especially cooked spinach)? I like the veggie but I hate how it strips away my teeth’s precious glittery enamel. A bit of online research shows that it is the oxalic acid found inside the spinach leaves that cause this chalky feeling. The long cooking causes the cell walls to break infusing out more acid, thus increasing the earthiness we get in our mouths.

Despite the revelation I will continue supporting Popeye’s vision, but at least now I know the main ingredient behind the nasty spinach teeth.

Finally made it to this popular Karaköy restaurant a few nights ago after a visit to one of the most exhausting art biennales I have ever been to. I am glad I took the dinner here as it was the most delicious end to a gloomy exhibition tour.

The interiors of Lokanta Maya reminds one of the Fig & Olive chain in New York with its sleek modern look, icy marbles and organic coloring. It is a small place with a sophisticated crowd (at least when we were there). I reccommend you start with the impressive house special Mücver, octopus, grilled hellim cheese salad and the amazingly delicious oven-baked crispy goat cheese. We had the ribs with couscous and the chicken with a beet risotto as main dish. Both were delicious. The deserts looked equally impressive but unfortunately there was no more room for them (you might want to keep a tiny gap for the sweets). Despite the perfect food, the service at Maya still needs a little bit of an upgrade. The waiters don’t seem to be as attentive to the guests as the cooks are the to food.

Reservations are recommended for lunch and/or dinner.

Happiest Burrito moment since I got back from New York. A million thanks to Chef Eko! I will see if I can get the recipes for the amazing ingredients inside my baby burrito (probably still being digested even after a few days). Even the sour cream was homemade. Chipotle would be jealous.

This corner steak bistro is within walking distance to my office and one of the quickest and most delicious lunch spots around Nişantaşı. If you are around the neighborhood, I say stop by for a light bite. I recommend the selection of Köfte (Turkish meatball) (even the chicken one is great), the 200 gr. Bonfile (sirloin) and the walnut & roasted pepper salad. Everything is served with a small side of  delicious homemade spicy tomato paste. Walk-ins are welcome and the prices are well below average.

The famous Italian creamery that was started in 1890 by the Giolitti family recently opened a corner shop on Rumeli Avenue (no: 1-3) in Nişantaşı. There is an unaccountable popularity in Italian ice cream shops around Istanbul. The first one I tried out was in Bebek (called Cremaria Milano). Both places have great quality ice cream with numerous flavors. My favorites at Giolitti are the white mint, pistachio and the green apple. I say give them a try if you are ever around one of the neighborhoods.