Nişantaşı (Beymen) Brasserie & Biber Bar: Abdi Ipekçi Street/Nişantaşı "Classics"!

Dear readers,

I had promised you a couple of posts back that at the beginning of 2012 I would "catch-up" on articles I was unable to post because of my crazy schedule in December! I'm almost done and this is the last one on the "eating and drinking" front - then I will be preparing articles on the Grand Bazaar and What's "Up" in Istanbul/Part 3 and then I will once again be current and hope to remain that way. In fact, tonight I am visiting another new eatery and will be giving you info on this new and hip spot in Asmalımescit in a few short days - hopefully!

In a way I'm happy that I have some time off from "real" work so that I can devote some time to my blogs... also, I just posted a new one to Luka's blog yesterday. Luka is my Maltese Terrier and he has things to share with you too but from his perspective. If interested to see what he has to say, please visit http://lollifeofluka.blogspot.com. Now, if I don't give him a plug - he'll get very angry at me!

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I've said this before, but I'll say it again, because there are undoubtedly first time visitors to my blog... Nişantaşı is by far one of the hippest and trendiest neighborhoods in Istanbul!

The most popular street in the Nişantaşı-Teşvikiye-Maçka triangle is no doubt Abdi Ipekçi Street. The street is about 6-7 city blocks long and it is home to some of the major top Turkish and International brands to include Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Prada, Chanel, Ermenegildo Zegna, Escada, Marina Rinaldı, Patrizia Pepe, Valentino, Alexander McQueen, Brioni, Godiva, Marks & Spencer, Vakko, Beymen, etc.  Additionally, in the last few years, it has also become home to a vast number of eateries - from the modest to the expensive. Throw in a smathering of other shops (cosmetics, home accessories, leather goods, etc.) and Abdi Ipekçi Street is one of the most vibrant streets in town!

In my humble opinion, Nişantaşı Brasserie (also called Beymen Brasserie as it is at the entrance of the Beymen Department Store) is the "queen" of the street for culinary delights!

The brasserie/cafe/bar opened in 2004 and hasn't looked back! It might sound like a cliché, but I have been a customer since its opening! First, it was my job to keep up to date with the newest openings in town because of my job as the General Manager and Editor-in-Chief of The Guide Istanbul (from 2001-2010), but then I just continued visiting regularly because I enjoyed the food, service and ambiance!

One of the main reasons behind the success of Nişantaşı Brasserie is its successful owner Metin Fadıllıoğlu. Mr. Fadıllıoğlu is a prominent name on the culinary and nightlife scene in Istanbul for over 35 years and is also the owner of Ulus 29, a fine dining restaurant (open since 1993) on a hilltop in Ulus overlooking the Bosphorus and Asian shoreline. His bio is quite long, but suffice to say, he has been part of many other popular venues around town in the past too.

Recently - on November 30th - I attended a party at Nişantaşı Brasserie to celebrate what I guess we can call their "face lift"!

Nişantaşı Brasserie Party (November 30, 2010)

When you're around that long, it does become necessary to make changes. And, that's what the popular eatery did!

So, what changed? Some minor changes were made to the indoor decor, but most importantly, the menu was expanded!

Until a couple of months ago, the menu only included French and International treats, but now sushi/sashimi, pizza and pasta have been added to the menu along with some additional items to their otherwise extensive menu.

Sushi @ Nişantaşı Brasserie

We had a chance to taste the sushi selections at the party and they were excellent considering it was very crowded and let me tell you, it's not easy to serve plate after plate of sushi at these types of parties!

The party was a resounding success - I attended the party with my best friend Nur, sis Meltem and brother-in-law Ibrahim and we ran into lots of our friends too! In fact, the very next night, I went to dinner at Nişantaşı Brasserie with my good friend Bennu and had a great time!

As I dubbed Nişantaşı Brasserie the "queen" of Abdi Ipekçi Street, then the "princess" of the eatery is Ayşegül Perksoy!

Ayşe Perksoy - Manager/Nişantaşı Brasserie

I met Ayşegül when the eatery first opened and she was then the assistant manager. After a few years, she left - moved to the USA for a while - then returned to Turkey - was at Ulus 29 and then this past summer at Ulus 29's summertime only venue in Göltürkbükü, Bodrum and now she is back at Nişantaşı Brasserie. She is wonderful with the customers and treats everyone the same - whether you are a regular or first time visitor! Some of the staff at Nişantaşı Brasserie has also changed and they are all friendly and efficient.

So, I highly recommend that you visit Nişantaşı Brasserie on your next trip to Istanbul. And, if as a resident, you haven't had a chance to go yet, plan to go during the day or night - you will have a good time and enjoy good food and drink!

Now... I would like to give you some more general info on NB before going on to my next venue.

Nişantaşı Brasserie is located at the entrance to the Beymen Department Store which is on the corner of Abdi Ipekçi Street in Nişantaşı square and adjacent to my favorite store - Louis Vuitton!

Beymen Department Store

Nişantaşı Brasserie has indoor and outdoor dining areas which are open year round with heaters outdoors, so if you're a smoker, you're in luck!

You can go to the eatery for just a cup of coffee, breakfast, snacks, lunch, drinks, dinner... it's up to you.

The prices aren't exactly cheap, but they're not unreachable either! It just depends on what you eat and drink...

But just to give you an idea.. breakfast treats (omelets are very good) range from 14-18 TL; Snacks (spicy chicken wings, tacos, etc.) 22-38 TL; sandwiches (Croque Monsieur/Madam, Club Sandwich, Tuna fish, etc.) 21-25 TL; Starters (French Onion Soup, etc.) 18-58 TL; Salads (Goat cheese with red beets, Chicken Caesar, Duck Salad, etc.) 28-44 TL; Specials (escargot, steak tartare) 28-40 TL; Pasta/Risotto (penne, tortellini, etc.) 18-29 TL; Pizza (4 kinds) 24-34 TL; Fish (salmon, sea bass, jumbo shrimp) 40-52 TL; Main courses (Duck, Lamb Shank, Dry Aged Steaks, etc.) 30-60 TL; Sushi/Sashimi - 9-46 TL; Wines by the glass (Turkish and International) 14-20 TL; classic cocktails 25 TL, special cocktails 27 TL; Beer (domestic and international) 15-20 TL; coffee/tea 6-20 TL; soft drinks 3-15 TL; and desserts which also include a section with "sugar free" delights! 17-18 TL.

So, as you can see the prices aren't outrageous and once again, depends on what you select to eat and/or drink!

Nişantaşı Brasserie is open daily from 10:00am to midnight. It's a good idea to make reservations for lunch or dinner. (Abdi Ipekçi Caddesi No. 23/1 Nişantaşı; Tel: (0212) 343 04 43-44.

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The second "classic" venue on my list is Biber Bar! Biber means pepper in Turkish and their logo is that of a pepper, but with a cocktail in his hand!

Biber Bar "re-opened" several years ago at No. 36 on Abdi Ipekçi Street. But, Biber was "the" most popular bar in town in the late 1990s! At that time it was located a few doors down on the same street, but it was half the size of what it is now. Once again, just like at Nişantaşı Brasserie, I have been a long time regular at Biber and went there for the first time in 1996! I'm not kidding when I say we used to go with my friends at least 3-4 times a week! They would open at around 6:00pm and the crowd would die out by the latest 9:00-10:00pm. From there, we would head over to Mezzaluna (a couple of doors down) or to Papermoon for dinner and from their to Şamdan for dancing till the morning! Ahhh! Those were the days! But, I can no longer do that now as I'm 16 years older, but more importantly there are so so many more places to go to compared to then! It was a wonderful time... everyone knew each other or made some friendships there (some of who I still keep in touch with till today!) and we used to travel in flocks from one venue to the other!

When Emre Ergani decided to re-open Biber, he not only got the old-timers together, but a totally new generation, expats and visitors to Istanbul also discovered Biber Bar! A few words on Emre... if I'm not mistaken, Biber was the first place he owned (he had a partner). Through the years, he became a big name in the nightlife scene and is the owner of Blackk nightclub in Kuruçeşme, Bianca Beach in Bodrum and also manages the venues at W Lounge. I probably left out something because he is involved in so many places! He's only in his early 40s, so he started out in this business very young!

The elegantly decorated "new" Biber has a very long elgant bar in the indoor section with comfortable seating and a separate terrace (where smoking is permitted as the windows are kept open - there are heaters on the walls)...

Biber Bar

Biber Bar terrace

Also, as of this year and the new configuration on Abdi Ipekçi Street, Biber has a nice sized outdoor seating area right on the street.

I don't go to Biber Bar as regularly as I used to, but I make it a point to visit at least several times when it's open from October - May. The bar closes for the summer when they "move" to Alaçatı in Çeşme for the summer season.

The last time I was there was on December 6th... again with my best friend Nur, sis Meltem and brother-in-law Ibrahim. We opted to order a bottle of red wine, but obviously there is a very extensive cocktail menu...

Biber Bar

The wine list is not up to my standards, but this is a problem in a majority of the venues around town as I mentioned earlier. However, this is a bar and the majority of the customers prefer drinking cocktails or beer, so I can't complain!

With your drinks, you are served mix nuts, a plate full of pickles and green olives (talk about getting thirsty!) and throughout the evening, some finger foods are served gratis...

Biber Bar also has a very extensive snack menu - everything from burgers and wraps to other bar snacks are available. We orderered duck and beef wraps and they were delicious! However, the French Fries were a little too salty for my taste, but then again, I don't like salt much, so I might not be the best judge on this matter!

Duck & Beef wraps at Biber Bar

Biber Bar is a great place to go before or after dinner ... it is open daily from around 6:00pm until 2:00am. The music played is great (not so loud that you can't hear each other talk) - no techno here! The service is efficient and the prices medium to high.

Don't be surprised if you see some of the same people from Nişantaşı Brasserie at Biber Bar and vice versa... if you like one, you'll like the other place too!

Hope you enjoy your evening out at two of my fav places on Abdi Ipekçi Street!

Dani

PiPa Restaurant and Nişantaşı by Night: Pre New Year's Eve

Dear readers,

As I mentioned in my previous blog article, December was a very busy month for me with work and my little Luka getting sick, but I still did find the time to go out - albeit not as much as I would have liked too! I hope to make up for this in the New Year and have already started on my quest!!

Besides Ca'd'oro, another new restaurant I visited in December was PiPa in Nişantaşı. This fairly newcomer burst on the scene about a month or so ago and in a very short time, the "buzz" was that it's a wonderful new Italian restaurant!

So, since I was meeting my very good friend Nur for a night out before New Year's Eve, we decided to first to go to Nişantaşı to see the decorations and then have an early dinner (7:30pm) at PiPa on December 28th.

We met at Nişantaşı Brasserie (I will be writing about this place in my next article) for a quick drink and then started walking around Abdi Ipekçi Street which looked absolutely gorgeous with all the decorations! In fact, there was a red carpet on the street too, so of course, like the rest of the crowd, we took lots of pictures and below are some examples...We also walked along Atiye Street which is a side street off of Abdi Ipekçi and closed to traffic which was also very nicely decorated.

Me (left), Nur (right) - Abdi Ipekçi Street

On the "red carpet" on Abdi Ipekçi Street

Abdi Ipekçi Street square

Atiye Street

A big kudos goes to Mustafa Sarıgül, the Mayor of the Municipality of Şişli! He has done and continues to do a fantastic job in ensuring that the areas he is responsible for are always in tip top shape and efforts to renovate and rebuild many of the neighborhoods in his jurisdiction are continuing...

Just a small footnote for those readers not familiar with Istanbul - Nişantaşı and especially Abdi Ipekçi Street is the Fifth Avenue or in my opinion.. the Avenue Montaigne of Istanbul. The 6-7 city block long street is home to Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Prada, Brandroom, Jo Malone, L'Occitane, Vakko, Beymen Department Store, Godiva, and so so much more!

After our brief walk, it was now time to head to PiPa. So, we walked back up along Abdi Ipekçi Street where it intersects with Rumeli Caddesi and after crossing the street, hung a left and then the first right to Süleyman Nazif Sokak. We weren't sure exactly where on the street this new restaurant was, but simply, it is only a few steps up the street - on the left hand side over an indoor parking lot.

Not knowing what to expect, we walked up the stairs of the apartment building it is housed in and were greeted by a hostess at the entrance behind a desk... the hostess confirmed our reservation (don't go without one as they are usually packed), our coats were taken to the coat check room and then the hostess escorted us down a long narrow very elegantly decorated hallway lined with all sorts of wines to the main dining area...

PiPa hallway

And...we were like WOW! as we entered the main area. The first thing we saw on the right hand side in front of us was an open kitchen with the chefs at work and in front of the kitchen was a long high table with communal seating. From there we entered the main dining area and another wow! The walls were covered with floor to ceiling glass, right in the center was a rectangular bar with seating and the dining tables were scattered around a bi-level platform. I took a picture... it's not the best, but since it was crowded, I didn't want to bother the other diners by disrupting their fun or meals.

PiPa

PiPa's glass lined walls

We were amazed at how big the space was and the high ceilings... who would have thought that a place in an apartment building could be so large, but we later found out that this was once a level of the parking lot, so that made sense!

Although we had reservations, we were asked to wait at the bar and knew there was a small problem. A portion of the bar is also allocated for dining and has very comfotable seating because your feet or not dangling from a bar stool as it's on a platform. We ordered a bottle of wine while we waited. The wine list is okay, but like in most others venues around town, I always find the wine lists lacking in selections and the prices a bit higher than what the wine is worth. The bottle we ordered was a Kavaklıdere/Selection (Boğazkere) and it was 95TL. With the wine, we were served a plate of real Parmesan cheese pieces instead of mixed nuts which I personally think is a much better idea!

We were finally escorted to our table at 8:00pm. What had happened was that an "unexpected" VIP group had showed up without a reservation and had to be accommodated, so they had to rearrange and juggle the customers with reservations. This of course is a very "a la Turca" incident and didn't make me very happy, but the food and efficient service did make up for it by the end of the evening!

PiPa - which is the first two letters of pizza and pasta has a modest sized menu. Unfortunately, due to the dim lighting and although each table has it's own elegant lighting hanging from the center of the table, it was very difficult to read because the menu was black and the menu selections were written in a light yellow (if it was white, it would have been much easier to read).

As can be expected, we were told that pizza is their specialty. But, normally, I don't prefer to eat pizza at dinner, although I love it! We weren't in the mood for pasta either, so when our waiter informed us that there was a meat and fish "special of the day" - we opted for the Grilled Tenderloin of Beef. We also decided to share an appetizer - Breasola.

While we waited for the food to come, we were served homemade bread with olive oil and sea salt on the side...I usually stay away from white bread (there is no whole wheat or dark bread), but it was too good to pass up!

Then the Breasola arrived...

Bresaola with slices of Parmesan cheese on a bed of Mediterranean greens

And.. it was very very good and cost 27 TL. The portion was more than enough for two people and most importantly, the quality of the breasola and Parmesan cheese was topnotch. Also, it was on a bed of Mediterranean greens which were seasoned just right with a vinaigrette dressing, so nothing extra had to be added to give it a kick. This is usually overlooked at some other eateries, but properly prepared at PiPa.

Our main course was Grilled Tenderloin of Beef...

Grilled Tenderloin of Beef

It was served on a bed of baked potatoes (with the skin removed) with a side of caramelized onions and toasted garlic bread. It is usually never easy to cook such a thick piece of meat the way you want it in a very busy kitchen. However, Nur wanted hers medium and I wanted mine medium-well and they were both cooked just right. This dish cost 52 TL! It was kind of expensive and since it was a special of the day, we hadn't asked the waiter the price. However, I personally think that in Turkey when there are specials that are not clipped on to the menu, the waiter should tell you the price off front, like they do abroad, so that there aren't surprises at the end of the evening. Normally, I have no qualms about asking the price myself, but for some reason, it slipped my mind.

Although we really didn't have room for dessert  - we said "what the heck", it's the holidays and ordered a Tiramisu (can't remember the price exactly, but it was between 15-17 TL)...

tiramisu

Although the tiramisu looked very good and it was homemade and fresh, it didn't taste as good unfortunately. It's important that real mascarpone cheese is used and that was evident, however, the rum content was not sufficient so it tasted too sweet... just with a little twicking (rum!) it will definitely taste better!

As with all good things - there are also downsides at PiPa, but nothing that can't be fixed. First, because of the high ceilings and the very nice and modern decor, there is a problem with the acoustics and the noise bounces all over the place! Also, PiPa definitely needs a new sound system and DJ! The speakers are not strategically placed and instead of hearing the music, you just hear a "thump thump thump"... but then again, the music played is not really suitable for such a lovely place and definitely has to be worked on! I'm sure the owners are aware of these issues and will do whatever is needed to fix them.

All in all PiPa, is a very nice place and incredibly you feel like you are in a restaurant in the USA, instead of on a side street in Nişantaşı over an indoor parking lot! I definitely recommend that you try it - but definitely make reservations!

PiPa is open daily from noon to midnight and the kitchen closes at 11:00pm. (Süleyman Nazik Sokak No. 7/B, Nişantaşı; Tel: (0212) 225 74 72; www.conceptmasters.net)

Finally, there is an outdoor terrace for smokers...

If you do go to PipA based on my blog write-up, please let me know. Would love to get some feedback! Enjoy!

Dani

Off the Beaten Path: Ca'd'oro Restaurant & SALT Galata...

Happy happy New Year dear readers!

I would like to start off with the classic well wishes for the New Year to all of you and hope that 2012 brings you lots of joy, laugther, good health, prosperity, travel and a very very minimal amount of sorrow and ill will! We have to admit, where there is good, there is bad and vice versa - but always always - the good should outweigh the bad - so always having a positive attitude is my motto!

The month of December was a really crazy time for me and I just noticed that I haven't had a chance to write a new post since December 8th!

First, I had a major book project which I had to totally concentrate on to complete... I translated a romance novel from Turkish to English. I won't go into the details now, but will give you more information once I get word from the author that it is being published - so cross your fingers and toes!

Secondly, my darling little maltese terrier Luka got ill on December 13 - the evening after I went to C'a'd'oro and SALT Galata. Nothing major, but more of a nuisance for him. Shortly, he had to have stitches and wear a god awful bubble over his head for 10 days and go to the vet for 7 days for shots! That's why I haven't been able to write any new posts on his blog either, but will be catching up on that too as he's a little upset with me for falling behind. But, if you still haven't had a chance to read the articles already posted, visit http://lollifeofluka.blogspot.com - I'm sure you'll get a kick out of it!

I finally finished the book on December 26, but only sent it to the author yesterday because I wanted to do one final read through to make sure all the "t"s were crossed and the "i"s dotted!

New Year's eve was very nice - I cooked and had my immediate family (we were 6 people in all) over because, frankly, I hate going out on New Year's Eve! Every place is overcrowded, prices are sky high and food and drink are mediocre compared to other nights.

The New Year started with a bang and I have been busy for the last few days - but not with work. Instead, just running around town to do errands with my sis and also for my mom. After a rainy couple of days during and after the first of the year, we've had sunny sunny days in Istanbul - but alas, the rains will be back with us for at least 3 days starting on Friday!

If you are a follower of my blogs, you know I work as a freelancer and translate anything and everything (books, brochures, menus, websites, etc.) you can think of from Turkish to English. Currently, I have finished all the projects I had and am now giving myself some time off to just relax, catch up on my blogs and just enjoy life for a week or so before I start up again! I have sooo many articles to prepare for both of my blogs and will be bombarding you with stuff in the next couple of days!

After a very long intro - let's now get to the post at hand!

Istanbul is in full swing for the fall-winter season and many new restaurants, cafes, museums, galleries, hotels, etc. have opened or will be opening. I have fallen behind a little in visiting most of the new venues, but do plan on making up for it in the New Year.

However, on December 13 I had a chance to visit Ca'd'oro Restaurant and SALT Galata ...

SALT Galata

SALT Galata opened its doors to the public on November 22, 2011 and was founded by Garanti Bank. Located on Bankalar Caddesi (which translated means a street with banks) in Karaköy, previous to SALT Galata, it was home to the Ottoman Bank Museum. However, even before that... this landmark building was designed by Alexandre Vallaury, a French Levantine architect to house the Ottoman (Osmanlı) Bank which was inaugurated in 1892.

The Ottoman Bank closed once it was merged with Garanti Bank in the late 1990s and the building was converted and was home to the Ottoman Bank Museum which opened in 2002 and housed the bank's archives and was also used as a research center.

Several years ago, the museum closed its doors for renovations. The building's façade and interior - a mix of neoclassical and oriental styles was still pretty much maintained, but with some major new structural interventions were made indoors to bring it up to date and to conform to its new identity (and it looks great!).

Nihal, a good friend of mine, Nihal and I decided to meet for lunch as we hadn't seen each other in months! She was away most of the summer and then before you knew it, it was December when we had a chance to schedule a get together!

We decided that we wanted to try Ca'd'oro as it had just opened and we knew that it would be good because it is managed by the Istanbul Doors Group (Zuma, Anjelique, A'jia, Da Mario, Vogue, Kitchenette, Mama, Carotta), a group that includes some of the best restaurants and cafes in town!

Ca'd'oro is off the beaten path because it's not a place you will find as you're walking down the street or in a trendy part of town! You have to know where you are going to go there!

As it's name suggests, Bankalar Caddesi was once home to all the major banks in Turkey. Today, there are still some bank branches there, but the majority of the shops sell all sorts of lighting and lighting fixtures for the home or office.

The SALT Galata building is right next door to the Central Bank of Turkey and once again, there isn't a huge sign on the door that says SALT.

Since I live in Levent, I decided to take the metro to the area instead of taking a taxi to avoid sitting in traffic. Also, a taxi ride would have probably cost me over 20 TL anyway whereas a ticket for the metro is only 2 TL! I got on at the Levent station, got off at Taksim, the last stop and then transferred to the Şişhane train on the other side of the platform.

I exited the metro at the Şişhane/Kasımpaşa exit....

Şişhane/Kasımpaşa metro exit

and walked down one block in the opposite direction of the picture above to the beginning of Bankalar Caddesi in Şişhane. Hang a left on this street and after walking down about 5-6 city blocks, SALT is on the left hand side of the street.

I arrived at about noon and sat down to have a cup of coffee with Sima Benaroya, SALT's Director of Communications and Administration, who has been a long time friend (over 10 years and someone who I hadn't seen in a very very long time!) as I waited for Nihal to arrive.

We sat in the cafe section of Ca'd'oro which is very simply decorated with one wall lined with books and magazines and the other a floor to ceiling window which overlooks a lovely terrace. This floor of the restaurant also houses their open kitchen.

Ca'd'o'ro open kitchen

Ca'd'oro cafe

Sima started giving me info on the museum and restaurant. The restaurant is managed by the Istanbul Doors Group, but the space is owned by the SALTand they also named the restaurant. Ca'd'oro which means golden house is also called the Palazzo Santa Sofia and is the name of a palace in Venice, Italy. An appropos name for a restaurant in a museum I think!

The cafe section opens at 10:00am and the restaurant, one floor above, at noon.

Nihal arrived and we chatted with Sima some more before she had to run off to a meeting. We decided to eat first and then tour the museum, but I'm sorry to say, we never got a chance to do it! Sorry Sima - I promise I will the next time I come! As Nihal and I hadn't seen each other in a long time, we had so much to talk about that we didn't realize where the time went and we had to make a mad dash out of there as we had other appointments afterwards. However, at the end of this article, I will give you some more info on SALT.

The main restaurant section is very nicely decorated with white tablecloths and floor to ceiling windows with a lovely view of the old city. Unfortunately, some of the view is blocked by some of the older buildings nearby.

Ca'd'oro Restaurant

Ca'd'oro Bar

View from Ca'd'oro

I'm sure the view, lighting and decor is much more impressive in the evenings with the old city as a back drop!

The restaurant also has a lovely terrace which will open once the weather is more suitable, however, since it was such a wonderful sunny and mild day, as the day progressed, customers sat outdoors to have coffee or a meal (including us - we had our coffee and cigarettes on the terrace after our meal).

Ca'd'oro terrace

Also, besides the terrace adjacent to the restaurant, there is another one on top of the restaurant itself... this space will open in the summer - can you imagine the glorious view from there?

We sat at our table by the window and while we looked over the menu, we were served a bread basket with an assortment of yummy bread and a dish of olive oil with balsamic vinegar.

The menu is pretty straightforward and includes a short list of selections from International and Mediterranean cuisines. I didn't take notes so I can't give you some examples except for what we ordered - but I can say the prices are medium to high. There is a separate wine list with a selection of domestic and international wines. Personally, I found the prices high for by the bottle and especially for by the glass.

To sum up, the food was very very good, but the service was a little choppy. But, I guess that's because they were only open for a short few weeks. I'm sure the service is more efficient now - or at least I hope it is!

Nihal and I ordered one appetizer to share: artichoke hearts with haricort vert, watercress and red beet sauce! It was absolutely delicious! Who would have thought that a beet sauce could add such texture to this dish!

Artichoke hearts with haricot vert, watercress & red beet sauce

For our main course, we ordered the same thing: Grilled salmon with a side of potato graten. This dish was absolutely heavenly - especially the thinly sliced potatoes!

Grilled salmon with potato graten

The salmon was cooked to perfection and very moist. Instead of salad greens, they only served parsley which was an excellent idea and the lemony sauce delicious!

We didn't have room for dessert and like I mentioned earlier, we moved to the sunny terrace and had coffee, but we did hear that the desserts are also very good - next time!

We had a lovely lunch at Ca'd'oro and I'm sure you will too! Whether you go for lunch or dinner, I highly recommend that you make reservations, because although they are off the beaten path, they already have a following!

Additionally, Ca'd'oro has an a la carte brunch menu on Sunday available until 4:00pm. The list includes the classics: pancakes, French toast, toast sandwiches, Turkish cheeses, omelets, poached eggs, jams, freshly squeezed juices, etc and prices range from 5 TL to 19 TL.

Ca'd'oro cafe is open Tuesday - Sunday fron 10:00am to 2:00am and the restaurant from noon to 2:00am. Don't forget, museums are closed on Mondays!
(Bankalar Caddesi No. 11, Karaköy; Tel: (0212) 243 82 92)

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Additional info on SALT (www.saltonline.org; Tel: (0212) 334 22 00)

(photos supplied by SALT Galata)

1) SALT means absolute or sole in English.

2) The aim of SALT is to (and I quote from their pamphlet): "SALT explores critical and timely issues in visual and material culture and cultivates innovative programs for research and experimental thinking. Assuming an open attitude and establishing itself as a site of learning and debate, SALT aims to challenge, excite and provoke its visitors by encouraging them to offer critique and response".

2) The mult-level SALT Galata houses a Research Center, Open Archive, Temporary Exhibition area, Ottoman Bank Museum, a 219 person auditorium, bookstore and cafe and restaurant. Additionally, workshops are held from time to time and organized by SALT on the first floor. The 4th floor of SALT has been allocated for special event organizations.

3) An exhibit titled "Modern Essays 3/Modernity Unveiled/Interweaving Histories" is currently on display at SALT until January 22 and includes Ms. Gülsün Karamustafa's installation which pivots upon the grade school designs of Schütte-Lihotzky for the Village Institute in Anatolia. For more detailed information, you can visit SALT's website.  

   

Gülsün Karamustafa installation

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One final note - you know you are in a "special" space like SALT when you visit their bathrooms! It's the extra touches that makes some places more unique than others!

I don't know who designed this area, but just take a look at the washbasin!

The water automatically cascades down from the metal tubes and swirls around the labyrinth and the soap dispenser are the handles on the labryinth which you would think are the handles to turn on the water - really cool! I don't know if they have the same set up in the men's room!

Happy reading!!!!

Dani