My hubby and I were celebrating our anniversary and to be perfectly honest, we were looking for a…read morehole in the wall place. It seems like the best places to eat are these little itty bitty places that aren't fancy, so i had my heart set on finding basic lahmacun or a kebab, but since this area seemed to be mostly upscale-- we were too hungry to spend time and go back to Taksim square or the old town.
We opted for this restaurant because it was located on a quiet street and it wasn't super crowded.
The restaurant had a good ambiance to it-- candle lit, romantic, and we were given an English menu. This place seemed very Americanized-- there were wraps, hamburgers, Italian dishes, beef and chicken entrees. There were only three items on the menu that were somewhat Turkish.
My hubby got sliced beef with yogurt on a bed of crispy noodles. He was very happy with his dish. I ordered the beef tenderloin, with potatoes, and shredded vegetable salad. The beef tenderloin was definitely a good quality piece and they gave me a side of mushroom gravy which was locally grown. The potatoes were unbelievable and probably the best potatoes I've ever had-- the spices and butter flavor exploded in my mouth like it was a firework of delicious happiness.
I really can't complain about the food because the food was delicious, but towards the end of our meal-- I honestly felt like I was abducted by aliens. Two Scottish guys with the crazy outfit and a lady in a red suit walked in started to play the bagpipes. Bagpipes in TURKEY?! It was the most random thing in the world and I couldn't really comprehend why they were there and what purpose they were serving. It looked like a cheap Johnny Walker commercial and I think it would have been nice if a waiter or manager came to us to tell us in advance and at least say, "sorry for this brief disruption." Bagpipes are LOUD and not super pleasant. Violins and flutes are easy on the ears, but I thought I blew an eardrum for a moment. I will attach a picture to this review because I'm sure most of you must be thinking I am on some sort of medication. I promise I'm not making this up! My hubby wanted to tell them all of them to "bugger off, you wanker!" (Or whatever they say in Scotland.) I wanted to do my best Desmond accent and say, "see you in another lifetime, brother." (For those of you who like the TV show, LOST.)
So if I eliminate the freak Scottish performance and factor in the fact that it's somewhat of a pricey place, I give it 3.5/ 4 stars.
