Author Topic: Istanbul Restaurant  (Read 3415 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline teetee

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 546
  • Location: Sunny Surrey......sometimes!!
  • Travel broadens your mind......and your waist!
Istanbul Restaurant
« on: October 09, 2014, 15:14:03 PM »
A party of four of us on recommendation from a review on CBF decided to give this restaurant a try on their Saturday night last week.

I drove down there to do make the booking and was advised of the set menu and that the musicians this week would not be the "normal" ones. Not a problem and I arranged for a pick up at 19.30pm in Ovacik.

We were picked up at exactly 19.30 and taken to the restaurant.

The welcome was friendly and the owner explained the format for the evening and told all present, which was probably about 40-50 people that we would not go hungry!

We were told that the starters were help yourself and I must say that the selection, quality and flavour of these starters was excellent and if a selection of these maybe 10 dishes was not enough for you then you could make another, one was enough for us all but not due to their quality.

For the main course our table ordered two meatball dishes and the others one sea bass and one chicken. They all arrived at the same time and in contrast to the starters were possibly the worst food I have been served in Turkey.

They came with the normal rice, chips, cauliflower a little tomato and modeled carrot. The chips, rice and cauliflower were cold on all of the plates and the two portions of meatballs were in fact small patties of what I believe plain minced beef, with little or no seasoning or additional ingredients to add any flavour and had no enjoyable taste.

The other two dishes were BBQ'd fish and chicken which were both dry. Sweets where a selection of either rice pudding, cheesecake or baklava. Three chose the cheese cake which was ok but the slice was so thin it was not capable of standing as a slice but was laid on its side. Two small pieces of baklava were unremarkable.

Now I understand that this was a TL40 per head meal and trying to provide everyone with hot food almost simultaneously is a task, but if providing cold substandard food is the result they should not bother.

This meal went from such a high to such a low in one course and this was a shame.

Finally, I understand that the music here is pretty good, well on this occasion I must say that the singer had a voice so cutting we lasted a while and then moved out from the covered area to seek some peace away from this feline version of a singer. I won't mention the flute!





Offline KKOB

  • Prolific Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 13570
  • I'm hearing the word.... Nonce !
Re: Istanbul Restaurant
« Reply #1 on: October 10, 2014, 06:45:35 AM »
The Istanbul has been putting on a show for the last 16 Saturdays and has averaged 150 guests per night. They accept that they're not going to please everyone everynight.

Offline Lotty

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 2903
  • Location: United Kingdom
Re: Istanbul Restaurant
« Reply #2 on: October 10, 2014, 08:05:20 AM »
We prefer to just drop in for lunch here. The mezes are some if the best we've ever had, absolutely delicious. Everyone is friendly and they even sent us home with a bag of fresh veg when we left last time. I can't speak for the Saturday night supper and show, it's not really our thing.  :)

Offline philrose

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 2318
  • Location: Turkey
Re: Istanbul Restaurant
« Reply #3 on: October 10, 2014, 09:08:04 AM »
If you know how many guests you have in advance, I fail to see why it is a problem to manage to serve a basic meal that is both hot and tasty.
Lets face it 40tl * 150 * 16 (Saturday nights) = 96000tl is not a bad income!

Offline Christie

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 658
Re: Istanbul Restaurant
« Reply #4 on: October 10, 2014, 12:09:03 PM »
We went to the Istanbul in September, there were 200 people there, and although the service was a bit chaotic at times, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.   The meze choice was excellent - could have just eaten that really, then they came round with chicken curry, then our meals were delivered to the table - I had the chicken which I thought was well cooked and I enjoyed it.  Agree the cheesecake was not great but we don't normally have a dessert anyway.  It made a nice change from Calis restaurants.   

Offline JohnF

  • Administrator
  • Prolific Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4322
Re: Istanbul Restaurant
« Reply #5 on: October 10, 2014, 12:13:29 PM »
Now I understand that this was a TL40 per head meal and trying to provide everyone with hot food almost simultaneously is a task, but if providing cold substandard food is the result they should not bother.

It is a task, but hang on a sec...  they're a restaurant.  Thats what they do (or should do). 

No excuse for poor or cold food, especially if they know in advance the numbers and timings.  Its call mass catering and after sixteen weeks you'd have thought they'd got the hang of it by now.

JF




Share me

Digg  Facebook  SlashDot  Delicious  Technorati  Twitter  Google  Yahoo
Smf