Poseidon

Cevdetpaşa Caddesi No: 58
Bebek
(0212) 287 95 31/32/33
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Tucked behind Bebek’s famed waffle sellers, is a hoity-toity seafood restaurant called Poseidon. Dropping this name among Istanbulites is sure to bring shocked faces and envious stares. This restaurant is kind of like that hot girl from high school; she knew she was beautiful and that all the guys wanted her—which suddenly made her less desirable. You see, Poseidon knows it’s a primo restaurant, but frankly its pretention runs the risk of getting in the way of a great meal, and even more importantly—a great view.

Don’t get us wrong, our visit on October 30th was a good one. Like all guests, before entering the restaurant we passed by Poseidon’s breath-taking fish stall that gloriously displayed the night’s exotic (and quite pricey) offerings. They had classic Mediterranean fare like red mullet and blue fish, but for those looking for something more adventurous, they had scorpion fish, sea robin, brown meager, and tongue fish. Be advised: adventurous eating comes with a hefty price tag; some of these fish were marked as 120 YTL a kilo.

Overwhelmed with choices, we took our seats on the pristine terrace. The views this restaurant offers of the Bosphorous are a whole new kind of delicious! We began our meal with a simple wine, but Turks will always tell you the best compliment to any seafood is a cold glass of rakı. The white-coat clad waiters presented us with a small selection of mezes to consider. Of them we chose karides soğus (boiled prawns, 8 YTL), ahtapot (octopus, 11 YTL), and the Turkish staple, pilaki (sweet beans served cold, 3 YTL). Once the mezes were delivered, the waiters sprinkled them with a simple oil and lemon mixture. Our selections proved tasty, but left us wondering what all the fuss was about; was Poseidon really the god of seafood restaurants?

Once our main dishes arrived, we had a better answer to this question. The lüfer (bluefish, 38 YTL) proved to be quite exquisite. Filleted and grilled to golden perfection, this dish was tender and utterly delightful. The palamut (mackerel, 25 YTL), however, had a tough time competing with the lüfer. It too was filleted and grilled quite nicely, but the fish itself was a bit tough.

As our meal came to a close at Poseidon, we could not help but feel that the restaurant did not live up to its reputation. Its stunning views were constantly interrupted by businessmen cutting deals left and right. It was difficult to feel relaxed and at ease with the table next to you arguing over what to do with the Bangkok office. In addition, we noticed that the all-too-kind waiters were more than happy to abandon your ship once a higher priority customer arrived. And the food… well, the food was pretty good, but we have a feeling we could wander over to the fish market in Beşiktaş or Kadıköy, get something very similar for a quarter of the price, and be surrounded by much more authentic people. Reservations are a must, and be advised, they charge a 7 YTL cover price per person.

Çok Çok Thai

51 Meşrutiyet Caddesi
Tepebaşı / Beyoğlu
(0212) 292 64 96
http://www.cokcok.com.tr/
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Istanbul’s newest Thai restaurant—Çok Çok Thai—left much to be desired. Despite the restaurant’s polished appearance and high-end location, the food was less than mediocre, and the wait staff was still wet behind the ears. If this eatery wishes to survive Istanbul’s competitive restaurant scene, it must amp up its game.

Don’t be fooled by the menu which promises exotic ingredients found no where else in Istanbul like limes and lychees, the chefs at this restaurant clearly do not know how to use them. Our waiter claimed all the ingredients are specially imported just for the restaurant from Thailand and Singapore, but the one thing they failed to import was a chef.

Our visit on October 24th began with an amuse bouche of fried potato-filled somosas that forecasted very well the meal for the evening: bland with a high chance of dissatisfaction. The drinks too proved to be underwhelming. The 14 YTL Rachel’s Fire with its lychees, pineapples, and limes was bland and ugly in appearance. The 20 YTL Honolulu Confusion overwhelmed the palate with bitter pineapple. Unfortunately any alcohol it promised was completely undetectable.

The appetizer we tried was Pa-pia-thot (fried chicken and veggie spring rolls served with sweet chili sauce—12 YTL), as it came recommended by the waiter as a house specialty. This was clearly the only semi-acceptable dish of the evening. The fried spring rolls were fairly bland, but the chili sauce helped rescue them.

For main dishes, the waiter also recommended Phad Thai Kung Sod (fried noodles with prawns, roasted peanuts, bean sprouts, dried chilies and tofu). Sub-par does not even begin to describe this dish. The plate arrived with a lukewarm serving of mushy, sticky noodles that had absolutely no flavor. Dousing them in all the peanuts and chili sauce that came on the side could not rescue this dish from its inedible state. We have tasted better Phad Thai out of a box (no lie). The 22 YTL price tag of this dish is obviously completely out of line.

We also tried one of the curry dishes—Pha-naeno neua (grilled curried beef steak with sweet peanut sauce, lime leaves, and red chilies—25 YTL). The beef steak, although cooked to a pleasant medium, suffered the same fate of every other dish of the evening—blandness. The curry sauce seemed to be an afterthought that was splashed across the beef, and the pickled vegetables served on the side seemed to be a strange compliment to the dish.

Overall, our experience at Çok Çok Thai was not a pleasant one. If you are looking for a way to throw your money away and still feel hungry, this is the place to visit!

Günaydın

Nispetiye Caddesi
No. 6 Seher Yıldızı Sokağı
Etiler
(0212) 265 02 41
http://www.gunaydinet.com/
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In Turkish, the word günaydın means good morning. But at the Günaydın Restaurant in Etiler, it might as well mean good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight because no matter what time it may be, you are guaranteed to find a meal worth writing home about. To say that the Turkish dining experience has been perfected here may not be too far from the truth, and during our visit on October 16th, we were greatly impressed by the service, the facilities, and most importantly, the food.

Our meal began like any great meal, with wine and cheese. For the evening we chose a deep red, Turkish wine, called Yakut, and İsa, our friendly waiter, provided us with slices of freshly baked lavash bread, Erzincan tulum peyniri (crumbly white cheese), and walnuts to nibble on. We were soon presented with the night’s meze platter from which we chose three winners: barbunya pilaki (sweet beans served cold), haydari (thick, cool yogurt mixed with mint), and Antep peyniri (a delicious, salt-less cheese, served hot and melted). This third meze alone makes a visit to Günaydın worthwhile.

As yet another tasty precursor to the main dish, we were each presented with içli köfte (1 YTL) and fındık lahmacun (1 YTL). Having sampled içli köfte at restaurants across Turkey, I can honestly say that the one I enjoyed at Günaydın was cooked to near-perfection. The small football-shaped, finger food filled with spiced meat and sweet nuts had a golden outer shell crisped flawlessly, while the inside remained warm and soft. The fındık lahmacun was a tasty bite-sized version of the larger staple of Turkish cuisine (flat bread, topped with spiced meat and tomatoes, toasted in a brick oven).

For the main course, we had our waiter suggest the house’s two best kebaps. He recommended küşleme (15 YTL) and Adana (11 YTL). The küşleme was served first, and it did not disappoint. The lamb was tender and juicy, and it left our mouths watering. This dish is simply a must-have. Meat this succulent is a true rarity. The küşleme was a very difficult act to follow, and the Adana kebap was unfortunately not quite up to the task. While the Adana had its trademark spiciness, the ones served at other neighborhood restaurants—namely Yüzevler—are far superior. Although it was by no means a bad dish, there is definitely some room for improvement. We finished our leisurely meal by cleansing our palates with an assortment of fresh and flavorful fruits—oranges, kiwis, bananas, grapes, pairs, and pomegranates.

Günaydın has a modern-chic indoor eating facility as well as a cozy outdoor area equipped with space heaters for chilly evenings. The posh restrooms are also a plus. If you are planning a visit to Günaydın, be sure to give yourself two to three hours to properly enjoy the feast that awaits you. Don’t look at eating here as just another meal; look at it as an event. The food comes with a rather hefty price-tag for Turkish cuisine, but we promise you won’t regret it. Reservations are encouraged.

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