I haven't written a review in a while - my husband has me galavanting around - and lucky for me - he snagged a reservation for NYE at NOLA on our visit to Istanbul.
I must say - this place is DARLING.
I can't give it a "real" review - because we ended up here happenstance. A blizzard came through NYE weekend and we were staying adjacent to Galata Tower and were concerned about traveling and celebrating and drinking and the snow.
By the grace of the Holy Spirit and my husband we got a reservation "online." We stopped in to confirm our reservation and there were no issues, just warm welcoming smiles.
Unbeknownst to us (because we did not ask), the menu was prix-fixe. Lucky for us - the menu was perfect - and included a very large piece of tenderloin as a main course (I do think there was another option).
This is one of the few restaurants I actually enjoyed the cocktails - so much so I went without wine until the sparkling wine arrived at midnight.
The ambiance at NOLA, is sexy and contemporary - and LOVELY. The service at NOLA IS LOVELY and charming and welcoming. The servers were so lovely, as the courses were made of multiple components and the presentation so elegant, they took their time slowly to tell us in English all the components of each plate - it was really endearing and we felt very welcomed.
Did I mention the servers are very sexy unto themselves - yes indeed. Bonus points for smiling, sexy, servers.
NOLA is def on my list of recommendations for Istanbul sexy nights. I did note that another reviewer from Los Angeles (LOL) complained about the neighborhood - we stayed in that neighborhood - it is beyond safe, and free of "homeless people" - in fact there is a very lovely Turkish wine bar just around the corner, and a famous tea shop - so he may have confused this restaurant with a different one for sure - and anyone whom has been to Istanbul knows that the area around Galata Tower is extremely safe.
All that to be said - see you soon NOLA. read more