GQ Bar/Istanbul: By Day...

Dear readers,

Update:  Unfortunately GQ Bar & Restaurant didn't last very long and closed in the latter part of 2013....

I wish I had time to write in my blog everyday because I have so many things to write about, but unfortunately since I work too (freelance), I have to manage my time according to my projects. I am hoping to cut back on my work schedule a little bit this year to concentrate more on blog and travelling - so let's see how that works out!

GQ Bar really should be called GQ Bar & Restaurant because it's name is really deceiving because it is so so much more than just a bar! 

Everyone must have heard of the popular GQ Magazine - well GQ Bar is managed by the company that has the rights to the magazine in Turkey. The Turkish version of the magazine has been in circulation for the past year... and, on the anniversary of GQ Magazine's entrance into the Turkish market, GQ Bar threw a launch party (February 28th) inviting the glitterati of the Istanbul social scene... although, it had it's soft opening a few weeks prior to the party...

Anytime a new and potentially "trendy" restaurant opens in Istanbul, there is a lot of hullabaloo and lots of pre-press coverage and GQ Bar got it's share! However, sometimes the "reviews" can be off base followed with lots of disappointments from "regular" customers of the new venue..

I am happy to report that my first impressions of GQ Bar are very very positive! I had stopped by to see the place in mid-February after having dinner at PF Chang's (my other favorite restaurant) on Nisbetiye Street "row" (I say "row" because this section of Nisbetiye Street in Etiler has gone through a major transformation in the last year and there are cafes and restaurants lined up one after the other in a 3-block radius and there is basically something for everyone in all price ranges) in Etiler and the quick look I got, I really loved the decor and to my pleasant surprise found out that Erol Usta is the General Manager. I met Erol more than  10 years ago and he is a major fixture on the wining and dining scene in Istanbul and has worked at Paper Moon, Bice and Cipriani. So, I was sure that the service staff and management at GQ Bar would be top notch!

Today was one of those days that I wanted to give myself a break from my projects because it was a lovely and sunny day, so I decided to go to GQ Bar for lunch after I hit the hairdresser for a quick makeover!

This was an impromptu decision on my part, so I went alone because most of my friends work and I don't mind dining alone! The pictures you see above were taken on GQ Bar's terrace. There is also a lovely and chi chi elegantly decorated 2-story fine dining indoor section, but since this is "by day" at GQ Bar, I didn't take any pictures of the indoor dining area and will save that for a blog post I will prepare for the venue "by night".

The terrace is open day and night and smoking is allowed because it's not totally enclosed... During lunch the venue wasn't crowded, so I didn't have a problem getting a seat, but I highly recommend that you make reservations for dinner because they are packed in the evenings!

The waiter brought over the menu and wine list and I was very impressed with the selections and the prices! I was expecting that the prices would be outrageous but was pleasantly surprised that they weren't compared to other restaurants in the same category. Additionally, the menu also included a "set menu" for 69 TL. This price includes a starter, main course and a glass of wine or non-alcoholic beverage (served between noon and 3:00 pm).

The wine list was very extensive too, but as with most places - wines by the glass were 20 and 25 TL and I decided to order a glass of Alamos (Argentine) Chardonnay (25 TL) because I had decided to order two seafood starters instead of a main course, which I wanted to save for my next visit - this time in the evening.

As I waited for my starters to arrive, a lovely basket of bread with butter (I sent the butter back so that I wouldn't be tempted to eat it!)... and I succumbed and had a walnut roll ..., but only one!

The first dish I ordered was Tuna Tartare with pickled Japanese cucumber, shungiku leaves and miso vinaigrette - which was absolutely heavenly! 

The portion was just right for a starter, the tuna was very fresh and the Japanese cucumbers added the right "kick" to the dish... and the miso vinaigrette further added a nice touch for a well-rounded array of sweet/sour flavors. The cost of the dish was 27 TL.

The second starter I ordered was  Shrimp & Lobster Spring Rolls with organic honey sambali...

I thoroughly enjoyed this dish too because most places do serve shrimp spring rolls, but I can't think of any place I go to that also prepares them with lobster ... the combination of the two shell fish was very tasty and the spring rolls were served at the right temperature, the sauce I dipped it in added a "zing" and it didn't take me a long time to devour it! The cost of this dish was 26 TL and once again, the size of the portion was just right for a starter.

I did take a look at the dessert menu which included lots of wonderful sounding desserts, but since I had already ate too much, I decided against ordering one (next time) and just savored my meal with a Macchiato (the prices of coffee/tea range from 8 TL to 11 TL).

I wasn't at GQ Bar for a very long time and had arrived at about 1:00 pm and left at 2:15 pm, but not before making a reservation for Thursday night!

Just some more info on "night time" dining at GQ Bar... the venue turns into a bar/club after 11:45 pm on Thursday-Saturday and all the tables are removed in the indoor dining areas so that people can mingle, drink and dance... I also heard that they plan on having live music from time to time.

I thoroughly enjoyed my first visit to GQ Bar where I had a very relaxing lunch, with excellent food service, and soft music in the background!

Please feel free to share your experiences with me when you go! 

Bon Apetit! 

GQ Bar
Nisbetiye Caddesi No. 79 Etiler
Tel: (0212) 265 44 50

Stay well,

Dani

Raika Restaurant & Bar : The newest "Turkish" on the Istanbul scene...

Dear readers,

As I mentioned in my previous post on the Vinkara Wine Tasting I attended at The Marmara Taksim Hotel on February 21st, I wanted to "kill two birds with one stone" and scheduled a dinner with my sister Meltem and friend Nur for the same evening - at the same site! Since the wine tasting was scheduled to end at around 7:30pm... I thought it was the perfect time to finally visit Raika, an independently managed new Turkish restaurant on the 20th floor of the hotel offering panoramic views of the city!

Raika is the newest member of the Istanbul Doors Group and opened in October 2012! And what is the Istanbul Doors Group? Well... they are also the owners of A'jia Hotel on the Asian side of the city, Da Mario Gina and Mama (Italian restaurants); Gigi (French); Angelique, Poupon (nightclub, bar & restaurant), Kitchenette and Carlotta (cafes), Ca'Doro and co-owners of Zuma and Tom Aikens Restaurant, Tom's Kitchen, Tom's Deli! The group also has a catering company and "Doors Academy" (culinary school)! I might have left something out, but as you can see, the list is long, illustrious and impressive!

One of the great things about dining out in Istanbul is that there are now very good restaurants where you can not only enjoy the view, but the food too. For example, the independently owned and managed fine dining restaurant Mikla... located on the top floor and terrace (during the summer) of the Marmara Pera Hotel; Nu Teras (open only during the summer and on the roof of an historical building in Tepebaşı); Vogue (International & Japanese cuisine) high atop the BJK Plaza building in Akaretler to name the ones that immediately come to my mind.     

I made reservations for 8:00pm at Raika but between the traffic in Istanbul, etc etc we  hung out at the bar waiting for my sister to arrive with Nur who had arrived early... and to my pleasant surprise... we had a last minute guest join us! I met Burçak Desombre (a Turk married to a Frenchman... thus the last name!) years ago when she worked at a friend's wine firm and we've kept in touch through the years and the different jobs she's held. Briefly, Burçak is a certified sommelier (or wine steward) and she formed her own company called "Vinipedia Danışmanlık" (Consulting company) in 2011 and organizes all sorts of wine tastings for beginners and wine aficionados alike among other events and also offers consulting services to restaurants! She was also at the Vinkara wine tasting and had come upstairs to Raika's bar to have a drink before going home and I invited her to join us and I'm so glad she agreed!

Sipping glasses of prosecco (38 TL) and a Garrone Bianco (24 TL) for Burçak... we chatted up a storm waiting for my sister to arrive while enjoying the view from Raika Bar which is located to the right of the elevators... 

The Bar & Lounge is spacious with seating at the bar and clusters of tables surrounding the dimly lit interior... In fact, as of February 22nd, (we missed it by one day) there is live jazz music with different jazz artists at Raika Bar every Friday night.

Once my sister arrived, we moved over to the main dining room which is to the left of the elevators... this "wrap around" dining room is quite spacious with split-level dining areas with seating for about 190 people according to Raika's website with an open kitchen...

As we were quite hungry by now, with menus in hand and after being told by the waiter that the concept at Raika was to "share our meals", we set out trying to decide what to order...

Raika specializes in regional Turkish cuisine. The word "raika" means "simple, pure, unadulterated" in Turkish which also coincides with their concept as all dishes are served on "no frills" minimalist plates and all "sides" are extra...

Raika also has a very impressive wine list and each wine on the menu includes an explanation of the wine in Turkish and English and are available in all price ranges. We decided to order a bottle of Paşaeli "Cabernet Sauvignon-Cabernet Franc-Merlot-Petit Verdot" blend (2008) which was a full-bodied wine which went very well with our selections. Paşaeli is a mid-sized Turkish wine producer from the Aegean Region and for the last few years has been producing very good red wines...

We ordered 8 appetizers to share: Jerusalem artichoke braised in olive oil (16 TL); Topik (an Armenian dish prepared with chickpeas, tahini, onions, currants, pistachio and cinnamon) (13 TL); Mucver (patties prepared with wild greens) (22 TL); Lahmacun (thin dough topped with minced meat and spices - like a pizza) (12 TL); Stuffed Chard Leaves (19 TL); Mixed green salad (16 TL); Purslane with strained plain yogurt (12 TL); Roasted eggplant & coriander in olive oil (12 TL)...

For our main course we ordered lamb chops (49 TL) and a side of roasted potatoes in wild herb butter (10 TL). 

Before I make a general comment about your selections, I highly suggest you visit Raika's  website where you will see a copy of their menu and wine list. Additionally, two "tasting" menus are available.

The dishes we ordered were good, however, we felt that the portions were not very satisfying and were suitable to be shared by two, maybe 3 but not more. For example, the lahmacun and mucver we ordered included 3 pieces each and since we were 4 people we ordered an "extra" from each one and were charged accordingly (extra lahmacun 4 TL; extra mucver 6 TL). However, there were 4 lamb chops, so we didn't have a problem there...

When it came to dessert, we decided to order just one to share. However, Merve Yılmaz, the restaurant's assistant manager and I go back for years, and she was kind enough to offer us a dessert too, so we ordered Künefe (warm shredded wheat and cheese), topped with clotted cream (18 TL), a typical Turkish dessert and chocolate souffle. However, we were also sent Turkish style pumpkin dessert by mistake and didn't turn it away...

Which we washed down with Turkish tea and Turkish coffee of course!

Unfortunately, we were a little disappointed with our desserts! The künefe was dripping in butter which was very overpowering; the chocolate souffle tasted more like chocolate pudding and the pumpkin dessert should have had some more syrup and was dry...

All in all we had a lovely evening and enjoyed each other's company and hope to have more dinners like this together to discover new venues to share with you my readers! The bill for our meal & drinks at Raika cost 492 TL (+ tip).

Me, sister Meltem (left); Burçak (right front), Nur (right top)

I suggest that you make reservations for dinner at Raika and it might also be a good idea to try it out for lunch too... I'm sure the view is just as lovely during the day! 

Raika
Tel: (0212) 243 37 73
www.raika.com.tr 

Enjoy & stay well!

Dani

Vinkara Wines/L'Ordre Mondial Wine Tasting

Dear readers,

I don't know if I've ever mentioned this before, but because of my intense interest in wining & dining... I became a member of the Turkish chapter of the Châine des Rôtisseurs (an international gastronomy society established in Paris in 1950 with chapters in over 70 countries) and L'Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs (established in 1963 and an integral part of the Châine des Rotisseurs) which was established to promote the "enjoyment, appreciation and knowledge of fine wines, quality spirits, beers and mineral waters from around the world"... since 2009.

At during different times of the year, each organization plans and organizses dinners, wine tastings, etc at different venues throughout Istanbul for its members (and sometimes guests) and we are also invited to attend different functions organized in other parts of Turkey as well as the world! 

The first event that L'Ordre Mondial organized for 2013 was a wine tasting to introduce Vinkara Wines to its members which took place in the VIP Lounge on the 18th floor at The Marmara Taksim Hotel on Thursday, February 21...

Although I am very familiar with Vinkara Wines and have been working with them for the past couple of years (translating their website, brochures, etc from Turkish to English), I didn't pass up the chance to attend this wine tasting because we were going to be trying their latest vintages...

I don't want to spend time giving you a lesson on Vinkara Wines, so  I highly recommend that you visit their website for detailed information on this highly successful and fairly new mid-sized Turkish wine producer by visiting their website: http://www.vinkara.com

The owners of Vinkara Wines are also the owners of the Marmara Hotels chain, so they had prepared a lovely spread for this event....(normally wine tasting are pretty plain with just some crackers, bread and cheese) which was overseen by Rudolph Van Nunen, the hotel's talented Executive Chef and someone who I've known for over 10 years and met through mutual friends. 

As you can see we were a fairly large group (about 30 or so). The wine tasting was hosted by Mohamed Hammam (President of the Turkish Chapter of Châine de Rôtisseurs); Ardıç Gürsel (owner of Vinkara Wines), Niso Adato (President of the Turkish Chapter of L'Ordre Mondial) and the wine tasting presentation was conductef by the assistant Italian oenologist at Vinkara ...

Mohammed Hammam (top left), Ardıç Gürsel (top, right); Me and Rudolph Van Nunen (bottom  left);
me and Niso Adato (bottom left)

After the introductory comments, we got down to the task at hand!!! 

In summary, we tasted Vinkara's sparkling wine (produced with the méthode traditionelle used to produce champagne); 1 white wine (Narince grapes); and 5 red wines - the majority produced with Turkish grapes (Kalecik Karası, Boğazkere, Öküzgözü) except for the "Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot-Syrah "Reserve" Blend... Also, "Kalecik Karası" grapes are the signature grape at Vinkara because their vineyards are located in the Kalecik Karası district near our state capitol Ankara. 

I've included a picture of the little coasters that included the information on the wines we were tasting which is a fantastic idea, however, not implemented at many wine tastings in Istanbul! Each coaster included info on the vintage, alcohol content, the grapes, grape region and maturation time in oak barrels (where applicable)... and then all you have to do is add your own notes (like I did) on your thoughts of the wine!

The Vinkara and L'Ordre Mondial wine tasting began at about 6:00pm and ended around 7:30pm.... all in all, it was a very successful event and Vinkara's newest vintages are very promising and offer different tastes for wine lovers to try!

A final note on Vinkara Wines... at the entrance to The Marmara Taksim Hotel there is a shop where you can purchase these wines... not only are they available in normal sized bottles, some brands are also available in single serving bottles!

Selection of Vinkara Wines sold at shop at The Marmara Taksim Hotel

Also, some of Vinkara's  brands are sold at most of the major supermarkets around town! So, I suggest you try Vinkara wines and feel free to share your thoughts with me!

Stay well!

Dani

Side bar: since I found myself at The Marmara Taksim Hotel, this also gave me a chance to try out Raika, an independely owned and operated new Turkish restaurant located on the 20th floor of the hotel.... see next post for details!