After a day at Princes’ Island, we returned to the mainland. This time landing on the North side port the Kabatas Seaport, which was unfortunately on the wrong side of where we needed to be. But I was pumped. Tonight’s meal stretches beyond the norms of skewers, rotisserie and other basic food served around town. The dinner tonight is going to be at Neolokal. A dining institute that seeks to show gratitude to mother nature and her produce by serving genuine products using traditional techniques. This way, the finest details are not missed and tradition preserved. As the head chef says “if we do not protect our food, the generations to come will not have anything left in their hands”.
Tonight my colleagues and I feasted on a shared course that stretched the evening. Straight from the menu:
But before we started; was a serve of rye fermented with yeast the same age as the restaurant.
BUTTER; parsley, olive oil & shiitake powder
HOUMUS & fresh herbs, tahini “piyaz” cream
PASTRAMI & DRIED MEAT raki & fig jam and fig vinegar cream
FRIED MUSSELS, walnut dip and poached onion salad
MARINATED BLACK SEABASS with strawberry raki terrine, fennel salad and salicorn
SURPRISE GARDEN TASTES, from our garden with vegan and vegetarian options
“MÜCVER” fritters with shrimp and salicorn, turmeric & pepper & salicorn yogurt
TARAMASALATA & HADDOCK, bottarga powder, raki beets
“KISIR & TARTAR”, turnip, mustard and turmeric & cauliflower pickle
Beet & “KARGI TULUM”, cheese, purslane
LAVENDER OCTOPUS, lemony potato cream, lemon zest and orange powder
The appetisers were an interesting journey with mixed emotions with some very obvious hits and misses. My favourites that night were the Hummus, Pastrami and the Beets. All of which were executed flawlessly. The Hummus for example boasted a stunning presentation but never for once lost its flavours. Instead new textures were introduced with the fresh herb “garden” and crisps. The Beets on the other hand play a strong fusion between an Aussie favourite and the traditional cheese which was an Istanbul produce. Sweet,earthy and tart, the salad knocked me off my socks.
For the mains we shared:
BLACK SEABASS, zucchini & flower, baby potatoes & lentil
LAMB SHANK, üveyik wheat pilaf cooked with apple and onions, apple pickles & crisps
"KATMER" & "TİRİT", “tarhana” yogurt cream, dried “tarhana”
BEEF, pulled tacos <-- I made this up, I did not get a name for it haha.
The mains for me did not leave a lasting impression. The lamb shank and pulled beef were especially poor in execution. These two had very minimal seasoning and did little to highlight it usually tender flesh. I wanted a little more flair from the Turkish mob. Perhaps a hint of smokiness to match with a melt in your mouth shank. Or, a juicy pulled beef with a garlicky chilli yoghurt. It might be just me but I wanted flavour. I wanted the meat to be better. For this part of the course, I enjoy the fish heaps! Even the vegetarian Katmer & Tirit, a by-product of leftover bread was creative and equally impressive in presentation. Meat, shame on you lol.
BAKLAVA AND WALNUT CANDY, ricotta pistacchio & walnut cream, molasses tahini halva
Rose, coffee, cardamom PUDDING and meringue
YASEMIN’S CAKE berries and pistacchio croquant, pudding cream
The dessert bit of the dinner was a definite happy ending. The cake is a recipe by the chef’s mom, Yasmine and was handed down to him. For me, it was delicious. A soft fluffy inside topped with a luscious butter-cream like coating. It was a little sweet but extremely pleasing. This was yummy! The Baklava on the other hand looked stunning. I have never seen something so well presented before. More importantly, its nothing like any Baklava you have ever had. This was not overly sweet, the crushed pistachios still fragrant and pastry crisp.
Overall, the meal at Neolokal met my expectations in Istanbul. The food is different in many ways yet tasty. Some of my colleagues found that several dishes had been altered so much that the essence of its main ingredient seemed lost. While that was true, it is common for this style of dining that an element sometimes loses its original form to better pair with is surrounding. In other words, it adapts. The service at Neolokal was good and attentive, without a single moment of neglect. Even when I was confused, the maitre’d would gladly answer my questions. The finer details of fine dining is fused with tradition in this leading culinary institute. Its flavours are bold, renditions modern and ingredients international. No wonder the word Neolokal stems from the English word, the New Local.
The night finished with a long walk through Istiklal Avenue and across the bridge. A good 5km work out back to the hotel but it was every bit joy. Istanbul is an amazing city.
So much to offer both day and night as you would expect from a big city. Sure the booze scene is not as vibrant as its Western counter-part but who needs booze :P?!
My joker colleagues by the plant market:
WenY
The night finished with a long walk through Istiklal Avenue and across the bridge. A good 5km work out back to the hotel but it was every bit joy. Istanbul is an amazing city.
My joker colleagues by the plant market:
WenY
