We were going to have dinner at the Istanbul last night and wandered down at around 7.30pm.
It looked closed....no lights on, no sign of any staff, and the chalkboard outside that reads something like "Sorry to guests, we are not open until 6pm of our opening night" confused us a bit.
We weren't sure if it meant not open at all until then, or just not open until 6pm on that day....as the place was a bit like the Marie Celeste, we thought maybe the former.
Anyway, we ended up going to Izela which was fabulous as always....and noticed there were lights on at the Istanbul as we walked past on our way home. It was a shame as I was looking forward to trying the food from the new chef; another time, I guess.