Last updated on November 8th, 2024
For the last month and a half I’ve been exploring Istanbul, my new home. Most of my conquests have been focused around food and drink. This has led me to Feriye, a beautifully modern and elegant fine-dining restaurant located directly on the Bosphorus Strait. Actually, the restaurant is located right next to Feriye Palace which is an Ottoman Palace that is over 100 years old. In every direction from the restaurant there are stunning views during all times of day.
Feriye’s dining room is simply stunning and it was great that the roof could retract. I love the circular lights that dotted the ceiling which gave a feeling of elegance. Upon arrival, we were quickly attended to by the very courteous staff. Thankfully, this courteous service continued throughout the evening. To get the meal started we ordered two cocktails. The Espresso Martini was absolutely incredible!
Next was a large variety of Turkish meze. Honestly there were so many that I could have just ate them alone for the dinner. Each dish was fairly unique, offering a good chance to sample several flavors. My favorite out of all of them as a was the octopus with green salad. Most were tasty, but mostly flavors that I’ve experienced before.
Next was a second round of cocktails which included a Spicy Passion and a Mixed Berry. Soon after the cocktails came the appetizers which included shrimp, calamari, octopus with puréed beans, salad, as well as fried liver. For these, the shrimp were my favorite with their tart sauce. Another item I truly enjoyed was the octopus which was super tender! The Turkish really know how to cook Octopus, I’m impressed.
Then it was time for yet another round of cocktails and the main courses. For drink I had an old fashioned and for the entrées I had the sea bass, seafood rice, and beef ribs. These were all splendid but I must say that the seafood rice took the gold medal! It was just so rich in flavor and packed with tasty seafood. The beef ribs were also super tender and reminded me of home cooking.
To finish off the meal, we went with a glass of lemoncello and four different desserts. The traditional Turkish dessert known as Güllaç was my favorite of the four!
Overall, I enjoyed my evening at the Feriye Restaurant. Feriye does very well when it comes to ambiance, service, location, and properly cooking the dishes. By properly cooking I mean that everything we a was cooked to perfection and super tender. To be honest everything I ate was rather enjoyable but some items could have had a bit more of a punch. That being said, all in all, Feriye Restaurant has a lot to offer and I can easily recommend a meal there!
Restaurant
Yıldız, Çırağan Cd. No:44 D:No:44, 34347 Beşiktaş/İstanbul
Phone: +90 (0212) 227 22 16