The first time I tried Uyghur food was actually in Shanghai during a lovely food tour in which you can read more about here. I remember being shocked that this glorious Islamic food even existed in China in the first place. At that time, I mainly remember having kebabs and a Middle Eastern style bread. Fast-forward about 4 years and I’m living in Istanbul and in desperate need of some authentic Asian cuisine to give me the spice fix I needed! After a year of living in Istanbul, I had come to the conclusion that although Asian food definitely exists in many places in the city, it’s not necessarily always tasty or authentic. Occasionally yes you’ll find some decent Korean restaurants for example, but most commonly no especially when it comes to Japanese food.

Luckily during my research, I stumbled upon an area with a large population of Uyghurs which was in the Fatih district of Istanbul. Here is where I discovered several restaurants that serve this delectable Uyghur cuisine! My first stop was the Tanrıdağ Restaurant. When I walked up, I noticed right away that it was filled with Chinese Uyghurs and not a lot of Turkish people, so I knew I was in the right place!

There were so many dishes that I wanted to try but we were only two people so I had to choose wisely, especially because the portions were huge. We started by drinking a pot of green tea. The caffeine high I get from tea seems to be a different and a more long lasting high than that of coffee. When the food finally came I was buzzing like a bee from the tea and ready to consume! First was an incredible cucumber salad, then a few meat dishes with flavorful sauce, and lastly a piece of their Napoleon cake with just the right texture.

The general theme of the meal was perfectly seasoned dishes that were exactly what I was looking for! Although I had never had any of these particular dishes before, being that I’ve lived in other parts of China, I was delighted with the use of spices which I knew well such as Sichuan peppercorns. I love spicy food, that being said, none of these dishes were over the top with the spice level. Balancing all these flavors perfectly is a true artform and that is why I’m going out of my way to write this article altogether!

The service was also fairly warm for this culture and part of the world. When the staff saw how excited I was about the food, they even offered some of their hand-pulled noodles free of charge!

I hope one day I can make it to the Northeast region of China to try this food in its birthplace. I also hope the culture still exists in the future considering what is happening in the country now. If you love authentic Chinese food, enjoy a bit of spice, and are in Istanbul, definitely pay a visit to Tanrıdağ Restaurant. This would be a great place to try Uyghur food for the first time or to enjoy it again if you already know it!

Tanrıdağ Restaurant

Restaurant

Molla Gürani, Millet Cab No 104/B,Findikzade,34093 Istanbul, 34093 Fatih/İstanbul, Turkey

Phone: +90 212 631 17 68

During my second stay at the Park Hyatt Istanbul Macka Palas I got a chance to eat at the new Nusr-Et Restaurant. Since my last visit five years ago, Nusret Gökçe has purchased the hotel and placed a beautiful new restaurant on the rooftop. To be honest, from seeing the funny memes I had no idea what to expect when it came to the actual food and service quality, but I was excited to find out!

Atmosphere

To start off, we need to discuss how beautiful this restaurant actually is! Everywhere you turn, you see beauty. It’s all very well lit too which makes it great for taking photos, as you would expect as the owner got his fame from social media. Everything is glitzy and glamorous and dotted with Nusret’s personal artwork.

There are both indoor and outdoor seating. The interior is mostly white with red accents and the outdoor area is mostly blue with white accents. Both lovely. The outdoor section has a retractable roof but it was closed as it was quite chilly during the my fall visit.

Service

First and foremost I noticed right away how many staff members were floating around the Nusr-Et Maçka Palas Restaurant. There were tons and we were quickly approached upon arrival and whisked away to a table. Throughout the meal, the staff did a lovely job and making sure all our needs were met. The sommelier was especially friendly and enjoyable to have small talk with as well.

Food and Drink

Now time for the main event! To get started, I ordered the beef tartar and the smoked salad which were both recommendations from our server. From my first bite into the beef tartar, I knew that this was going to be a great meal. It had the perfect balance of saltiness, tartness, and fat to make my head explode. To be honest, while living in Turkey, it hasn’t always been easy to find food that is seasoned right, but lucky for me, they nailed it here. The salad was also just bursting with enjoyable flavors.

I accompanied these two items with a 2009 Catena Zapata Argentinian Malbec. The wine is definitely on the pricier side but had to go for it because of what was to come. We were off to a glorious start folks!

For the main courses, as you would probably guess, I went for more beef, 700 grams to be exact! The restaurant has a wide variety of lamb options as well but personally I’m more of a cowboy. After living in Japan over the last few years, the “Kobe” steak caught my eye. Unfortunately, this didn’t turn out to be actual Kobe beef, but still came highly recommended so I went for it. I ordered this and I believe it was the Dallas Steak. My recommendation would also be the “Kobe”.

I was blown away by how good everything tasted and how perfectly it was cooked. I paired the beef with their deep-fried onion, spinach, and of French fries. I savored each bite and sip. Heaven!

To finish off the evening, we went for a golden HAVUÇ DİLİMİ and golden cappuccino. The gold is pretty to look at, but obviously doesn’t do anything for flavor.

Conclusion

When it was all said and done, the Nusr-Et Maçka Palas Restaurant is way more than internet hype. To be honest, this was right up there with some of the higher-end steakhouses that I’ve visited in my life. Well done Mr. Gökçe. If you’re looking for a fantastic piece of meat in a beautiful setting, try the Nusr-Et Maçka Palas Restaurant in Istanbul, Turkey atop the Park Hyatt Hotel.

Nusr-Et Maçka Palas

Restaurant

Harbiye Mahallesi Maçka Caddesi No 33/B Maçka Palas Sisli, Istanbul 34367

Phone: +90 (0212)2305258

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!

Feriye

Restaurant

Yıldız, Çırağan Cd. No:44 D:No:44, 34347 Beşiktaş/İstanbul

Phone: +90 (0212) 227 22 16

The Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul At The Bosphorus has several food and beverage outlets to consider and during my most recent stay (which you can read about here) I had a chance to enjoy two of them. The first I tried was Aqua, which you can read about here and second was their traditional Turkish kebab restaurant called Ocakbaşı. Ocakbaşı Restaurant is located directly on the Bosphorus Strait which offers beautiful panoramic views. Throughout the evening we were taken care of by the wonderful Eyüphan who truly provided top-notch service!

The dinner feast started off with a bit of Turkish Raki which is an anise flavored liquor that is simply delicious. It is clear and when mixed with water turns a pleasant milky white. To accompany this lovely drink we were brought a cheese plate, pickles, and fresh bread. What more could one ask for? Off to a great start!

Up next was the Turkish Meze, which are small side dishes with a variety of flavors. For me, these were the clear winner of the entire evening! The spicy yogurt, known as Atom, was simply magnificent! Some of the others included eggplant, hummus, octopus, turnip salad, and stuffed artichoke hearts. All were really lovely and paired perfectly with Raki. I think I could eat this every day!

Now it was time for the main event, Turkish BBQ. I asked our friendly server Eyüphan to put together his favorite meat dishes and he included Adana, lamb, and chicken. I paired them with a glass of Turkish red wine. For me, I needed a bit more kick so asked for extra spicy yogurt to eat them with.

To finish off the evening, we sampled three desserts which included Künefe, baklava, and rice pudding.

Overall, the meal at Ocakbaşı Restaurant was enjoyable. My favorite parts were the service, view, and meze! If you’re looking for a lovely waterfront restaurant in Istanbul then try Ocakbaşı Restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul At The Bosphorus.

Ocakbaşı Restaurant

Restaurant

ÇIRAĞAN CAD. NO. 28, 34349 ISTANBUL, BEŞIKTAŞ, TURKEY

Phone: +90 552 381 1111

While staying at the Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul At The Bosphorus I had a chance to have an extensive dinner at their Aqua Restaurant. Aqua is the property’s main restaurant and is also where breakfast takes place. The interior of the restaurant was undergoing a renovation that would finish in October, so we sat on the terrace, but probably would have either way. The hotel and restaurant sits directly on the Bosphorus Strait and at any time of day offers a picture perfect setting. Be sure to read my separate in-depth article on the hotel here.

My dinner was at sunset which was especially colorful. The views in all directions were glorious!

To get the meal started, we went with a few cocktails that jumped out at us including the Botanist and the Bling Bling. My personal favorite was the Botanist which was bursting with flavor and included peppercorns and cucumber which were an interesting combination.

To start with food I ordered the seafood soup, meze platter, and arugula and artichoke salad. This was a perfect way to begin a glorious food adventure. Nearly every bite from the three dishes was fantastic! I loved jumping in between dishes to sample all of the flavors.

Up next was another round of cocktails and I was sure to try their Istanbul Negroni because I am a huge Negroni lover. This was flavored slightly differently than a traditional Negroni, something I would definitely have again!

Soon after the cocktails came the octopus, grouper, and seafood tajine. The octopus was the most tender I’ve ever had in my life, and I have had literally hundreds! I would highly recommend you to try it yourself.

We finished off the evening with two desserts which included an apple tart and mixed berry dessert. These had beautiful presentation and both lovely with tea.

Throughout the evening the service was exceptionally good at Aqua. The food overall was quite tasty as well as the cocktails. These features, matched with the lovely setting, were hard to beat. Long story short, I definitely enjoyed my evening at the Aqua Restaurant inside of the Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul At The Bosphorus.

Aqua Restaurant

Restaurant

ÇIRAĞAN CAD. NO. 28, 34349 ISTANBUL, BEŞIKTAŞ, TURKEY

Phone: +90 552 381 1111