360 Istanbul - Senses Restaurant

Dining in pitch darkness. This is how 360 Istanbul ’s new restaurant Senses is marketed. And you indeed dine in pitch darkness. I went to this restaurant last Saturday with two friends. Would I go again? No. Would I recommend it? Yes, the experience is definitely worth a try, albeit a bit expensive for what it’s worth in my view.

Senses is created after the concept of similar restaurants in Switzerland and Berlin. Where in Switzerland the waiters are also blind our guys in Istanbul have taken advantage of technology and are serving with night vision goggles, which unfortunately have little blinking lights that are distracting from the full experience. But not to worry. It’s still pitch dark!

The menu is a five course fixed menu for a price of 125 TL including wine pairing. I do not want to disclose the details of the menu as a huge part of the fun is discovering the food using all your senses except your sight. Dinner is served with two kinds of wines and both are excellently paired with the food. The red is a dark, full bodied wine. The white is dry with hints of pears. I didn’t like the white by itself but it went amazingly well with the main course. And you get unlimited refills!

Guests are briefed before the dinner about the set up. You are told about the configuration of the dinner table, how to get a waiter’s attention (by raising your hand), and strongly encouraged to take care of your natural needs before entering the dining room as it is not recommended that you leave the place until the dinner is over. You are also forewarned that you will most likely try to compensate for the your sight’s absence by talking…and so will everyone else…and that this is exactly what happens. This is why they also recommend everyone to speak with a lower voice but that of course does not really happen.. This is actually an unfortunate thing as the room gets very loud and a bit more silence would be much more welcome to enjoy the dark atmosphere, the food and the company. You are then provided with a black apron and led into the room, curtain after curtain, holding onto the shoulder of the person in front of you.

Guests are encouraged to eat by hand. This makes your experience significantly richer as you real feel the texture of the food. The menu has been designed with a wide range of tastes and textures to give you a diverse experience and challenge you along a large spectrum.

In short I recommend the experience. The food was very good although I think one tends to expect something completely out of this world at a restaurant like this and I can’t tell you that this was the case. But don’t get me wrong. The food was delicious, although I have no clue what it looked like. Things had layers, you had to open certain packages, mix it with this and that….all to enhance your sightless dining experience. And the chefs certainly deserve an applause for this.

Linguine with white wine clam sauce

I had written earlier about how hard it is to find white pasta sauces in Turkey, especially those without cream. I went to Pastarito on Friday. I looked for a white wine clam suace linguine, but no luck. Instead I orderd a shrimp lemon risotto as I was looking for something light, with seafood and hints of citrus, everything you would find a good white wine clam sauce. So I made it at home tonight. Here is the recipe:

From foodplay

Heat a medium to large sized skillet.
Add 1/4 cup olive oil. When the oil is hot, add 1 tablespoon of butter and melt it in the oil.
Add 1 small finely chopped onion and cook for a minute. Add 5 cloves of garlic, also finely chopped and cook for 5 minutes on medium heat.
Add 1 cup of chicken broth or clam juice if available, and 375 ml (half a bottle) of dry white wine.
Mix in 1 tablespoon of red pepper flakes (optional). Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and simmer until the liquid is reduced by about half.
Add 1/4 lb cleaned clams (or mussels) and 1/4 lb of peeled and deveined medium sized shrimp. I would rather cook this with clams in their shells and with no shrimp but this is all that I could find.
Mix in 1/4 cup of chopped parsley and cook for about 3 minutes or so- be sure not to overcook the seafood! Remove from the stove.

To serve, you have two options. In the first option, you can simply cook the pasta according to the directions on the box, place a serving of pasta on a plate and pour the sauce over. Garnish with chopped parsley, red pepper flakes and parmesan cheese.

In the second option, which is highly recommended, you can cook the pasta one minute less than the time given on the box. Drain the pasta and add several servings into your skillet with the sauce and toss the pasta to coat it with the sauce. Then place your servings on plates and garnish with chopped parsley, red pepper flakes and parmesan cheese.

From foodplay

Membrillo and Manchego

Quince is a difficult fruit with surprises. It's not easy to eat fresh. And it's cooked taste doesn't resemble anything of the raw fruit. My grandmother used to make quince marmalade. I used to miss this when I lived the in the US and could not find a substitute for it. The only thing that came close to was membrillo, or also known as quince cheese, the spanish sweet accompaniment to sharp cheeses. Membrillo is just like quince marmalade but indeed like cheese as you can make it in blocks and slice it to create the perfect marriage between a slice of manchego (or Turkish aged kasar cheese if you can't find manchego) and this sweet, fruity jelly with citrus and vanilla hints. Here is the recipe I used for membrillo:

From foodplay

Peel, core and slice 5 large quinces. If you don't care so much about a transparent clean look you can leave them unpeeled.
Place them in a big pot together with some lemon peel (about 5 centimeters, or two inches long)
Bring to boil and simmer them for about 30 minutes in just enough water to cover the slices.
After thirty minutes the quince should be very soft, if not, boil for another 10 minutes.
Fish out the lemon peel and mash the quince, either through a seeve, with potato masher or an electric blender.
Measure how much the pure is in terms of volume and return the mash into the pot
Add an equal amount of sugar, probably around 600 gr for 5 large quinces
Add the juice of half a lemon
Add a teaspoon of vanilla powder
Cook on low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar and to keep the membrillo from burning. Becareful about the bubbles as the mash gets thicker. Once the color is turned into a dark orange or red and the consistency is right, turn off the heat and prepare for molding.
You can check the consistency by placing some mash on the back of a wooden spoon or spatula and running your finger through it. If the two sides stay separate and don't ooze back into each other then you are done.

Lightly grease a shallow baking pan, ideally with sharp corners. I used butter to grease mine. Pour the mixture into it and let it set. Once it cools, place in the refrigerator for a few hours for it to further set.

You can then slice your membrillo in square blocks and wrap them in wax paper or clear plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

From foodplay

Serve with your favorite sharp cheese. Must try it with manchego. I also like it with brie and camembert.

Shrimp Tapa with Chilis and Garlic

We used to have shrimp cook-off nights when I lived in Washington DC. Unfortunately it's hard to find the right size of shrimp in Turkey, but I finally found a website from where I can order the perfect sized shrimp. So I start my series of shrimp tapas recipes.



The first recipe is a very simple Spanish influenced recipe that is adaptable for different variations. It is very important that you have the right size of shrimp and adjust your cooking accordingly. The trick is to not overcook the shrimp while still achieving the right color.

Wash, peel and de-vein 8 medium or large sized shrimp.

Chopped 1 dried chili, and wash two dried chillies
Coarsely chop three cloves of garlic, or you can slice them lengthwise
Optional few small slivers of fresh ginger
Chop 3 scallions into 3cm pieces

Heat a medium sized stick pan- It's better not to use teflon because it may start smoking
When the pan is hot, add 1/4 cup of olive oil
Optionally, you can also add 1-2 tablespoons for butter for additional flavor
Add the garlic and chili, and ginger if desired, after a minute or two, when the oil is hot but not smoking
Cook for two to three minutes
Add the shrimp when the oil is still hot but not smoking, reduce heat to medium
Do not touch the shrimp so they form a crust on the bottom- leave them alone for two minutes.
Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper
Using a spatula, flip the shrimp and slightly stir the rest to avoid burning the garlic and chilis
Add the green onions, and cook for another 30 secs or so. The shrimp was already cooked for the most part, this is just to add color again.



Place in a bowl. Decorate with chopped green onions and dill and serve while hot. Make sure to prepare some bread on the side to dip in the juice. The juice from the shrimp, mixed with olive oil infused with garlic, chili and ginger is not to be missed!

Karakoy Lokantasi

I had the pleasure to eat at Karakoy Lokantasi this past Friday. It was the perfect place to catch up with friends over a delicious traditional meal in a quiet setting that filled with good energy. It's in walking distance to Istanbul Modern, and if you venture to Galata Tower and even Eminonu.

The atmosphere of the restaurant would make you believe that it has been there for decades. The blue tile walls and the old style stone floors give the place an authentic feel. Yet the restaurant is only 10 years old and has moved to its new home only a year ago. Situated over two floors in historic Karakoy Wharf, amidst plenty of street parking, Karakoy Lokantasi is just far enough from Beyoglu to attract only the crowd that really cares about the food and the chance to chat with friends.

The food is traditional meyhane fare, with olive oil dishes, sea food mezes and fish. We had a variety of mezes and skipped the main dish. Our dishes were accompanies by Beylerbeyi raki (Karakoy Lokantasi boasts a diverse many of Rakis for the enthusiast). Among the mezes, I highly recommend fish pastirami (balik pastirmasi), a dried salty fish dish, topik- the traditional Armenian dish (I think I had the best topik of my life at Karakoy), sun dried tomatoes in olive oil, and char-grilled octopus.

There is no question about which desert you should get. Peynir tatlisi with kaymak- Cheese desert (I think this name is misnomer for this desert in Turkey because it looks more like a pastry ball) with cream. We asked for one portion as non of us felt like desert. When we saw the serving size we were shocked....It was a medium sized ball....just one ball. But as soon as we tasted the desert we understood how special it was and why it was served as only a single ball. I don't even like desert that much but I would go back to Karakoy Lokantasi simply for their Peynir Tatlisi alone.

I highly recommend this place to anyone who likes traditional food, a traditional setting and calm environment. Incidentally, we had the pleasure to meet the owner and operator, Oral Bey, who is the source of normalcy of this fancy restaurant. Oral Bey walks around, greets his guests, chats with them, and towards the end of the evening, sits at a table on the main floor and just minds his business doing the day's accounting. We didn't have a chance to chat about this with him but the word is he is one of the best connoisseurs of olive oil in Turkey!

Now if you plan to have lunch at Karakoy Lokantasi, you can completely forget about my review as the restaurant turns into a bustling power lunch restaurant for artists, businessmen and local shop owners. I will need to visit the restaurant again for lunch to write a review of its other personality.

Karaköy Lokantasi
Address: Kemankes Caddessi, Karaköy
Telephone: 90-212-292-4455
Map:

View Karakoy Lokantasi in a larger map

Chilli Chicken with Figs and Candied Orange Rinds

I like to create new recipes with the fresh ingredients of each season. This year I experimented with figs. This recipe is a tasty recipe that brings the deep hot flavors of dried chillies together with the sweetness of fresh figs...kind of like North African dishes.



8 chicken thighs, de-boned and skinned (cut into two pieces if they are too large)
4 ripe fresh figs, quartered
4 chillies, chopped
1 large onion, thinly sliced (half moons)
1 cup of dry white wine
2 cups of chicken broth
1 cup chopped scallions
2 table spoons chopped cilantro (to decorate)
Sugar glazed orange rinds

Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable or canola oil in a large skilled (preferably non-teflon)
Brown the chicken thighs on both sides, about 3 minutes on each side in the hot oil, set aside.
Add the onions to the skillet while the skillet is still very. Cook the onions stirring occasionally for about 3 three minutes, letting the onions brown.
Add the chillies cook for another minute
Add 3 of the quartered figs and cook for another minute or two, until the figs have softened and deformed
Add the white wine to deglaze the pan
Add the chicken broth and chicken pieces
Bring to boil and simmer for 15 minutes.

Serve over rice or pasta. Decorate with fresh cilantro, quartered pieces of the remaining fig and candied orange rinds.

From foodplay

Zesty calamari pasta with artichoke hearts

I have difficulty finding pasta with white sauces in Turkey. My favorite pasta in the US was linguine with white wine clam sauce. Turkish restaurants are more fans of tomato based sauces. I hope one day we will see more white wine based sauces which I find lot better suited to summer meals and more gentle on the subtle flavors of seafood. Here is a recipe I created - with no wine to my surprise as well. It has citrus flavors, and Asian after taste and it brings out the flavors and aroma of calamari.

Prepare 500 grams of pasta according to directions on the package. I used fettuccine in this case.

Chop the calamari into small squares or short strips
Marinate with the following while preparing the rest:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 table spoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon pepper flakes
1/2 tablespoon mustard powder
Juice of a lemon
(1/2 cup dry white wine, optional)

1/2 a medium sized onion, sliced into halfmoons
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
Fresh ginger, about the size of 3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 red bell pepper, sliced lengthwise
3 pickled artichoke hearts, chopped into 1 inch square leafs


Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a pan
Add 1 tablespoon butter, let melt
Saute the onions and garlic for a few minutes, follow by sauteing the ginger
Add in the artichoke leafs
Add the calamari, keeping the marinade separate
Cook for a about a minute, then add the marinade, add 1 tablespoon of sugar
Reduce heat, and simmer for three more minutes. Try not to overcook the calamari.

Pour over pasta. Serve with fresh green onions or cilantro. Garnish with parmesan.

Baked Breakfast Pasta?

I woke up this morning to a light rain- which was a very refreshing way to start a hot summer day. I was too lazy to walk out of my building to pick up bread or tortillas for breakfast- I was craving for bread and cheese. So I came up with the following recipe with some leftover pasta (which I figured was basically strings of tortilla).

3 cups of leftover spaghetti, chopped into small pieces
Mix with
1/4 cup of feta cheese
1/4 cup of gruyere cheese
1/4 cup of tulum peyniri (or any other white cheese, saltier the better)
1/2 cup of chopped parsley
1/4 of an onion, finely chopped
3 scallions, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all of the above and place in a pyrex that could fit into a toaster oven. Drizzle some olive oil over the mixture.

Blend two eggs with a 1/4 cup of milk. Pour over the mixture in the pyrex.

Crack two eggs on top and place in your toaster oven for 15 minutes, until the eggs reach your desired consistency. Longer if you prefer your eggs fully cooked.

Compund Butter - add your own twist

Butter. I used to really dislike butter when I was a kid. Then as a boarding student I discovered the combination of butter and honey, when I was 11, in my protest to eat eggs and pursuit to gain some weight. Then I rediscovered butter when I started to cook, when I learned that I had to watch for my cholesterol and could actually shed a few pounds. I usually try to stay away from it to the extent I can. I think it is a too easy way of adding flavor to any food…and I think restaurants take advantage of this all the time. But compound butter is something else. It allows for creativity and can surprise your guests with new twists on plain main ingredients. Here are three compound butter recipes.

All recipes follow the same basic method. Bring butter to room temperature and fold in the other ingredients using a fork. Refrigerate in a small serving dish (a glass bowl, a ramekin, etc), or roll in wax paper (to be sliced before serving), or create shapes like cookies.

Tequila, jalapeño, lime
Serve with flank steak, fajitas, grilled shrimp
2/3 cup butter
1 chopped fresh jalapeño (or any other hot pepper)
3 tablespoons of tequila
Zest of a lime
Juice form ½ lime

Lemon, garlic, parsley
Serve with any fish. Would be perfect with grilled sardines!
2/3 cup butter
¼ cup chopped parsley
Zest from ½ lemon
Juice from ½ lemon
2 cloves of chopped garlic
Black pepper to taste

Dill, capers, white wine
Serve with smoked or grilled salmon
2/3 cup butter
¼ cup chopped dill
¼ finely diced red onions
¼ cup capers
¼ dry white wine
Black pepper to taste

You can try your own variations. Hint: It’s almost impossible to go wrong with butter, fresh herbs, citrus and your favorite drink!

Gazpacho, with an optional kick

Gazpacho. They say today will be the hottest day in Istanbul this summer. 35 degrees Celsius, or almost 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat seems to usually kill my appetite, at least for fried stuff, or pastries, or any meat dishes. But there are also dishes that are best enjoyed in the heat, and can even make a hot summer day in the city a lot more pleasant.

Gazpacho is one of those dishes that is perfect on a steamy day--it's refreshing, healthy, and delicious! I was trying to describe it to friends who’ve never heard of gazpacho before and I said imagine the juice of a fresh salad with plump tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers and slightly salty vinaigrette. I owe my love for Gazpacho to Suzan Bishop of Annapolis. I used to work for Suzan as a gardner and I learned how to make Gazpacho from her and her beloved husband Jeff. We enjoyed it after long hot summer days in Annapolis.

The recipe I want to share is a variation of Jose Andres’s recipe from from his book Tapas: A taste of Spain in America. He credits his wife Tichi for the recipe.

2 pounds, or a kilo of red tomatoes (I try to buy the tomatoes in advance and leave them on my counter, even a sunny spot, for a few days to allow them to fully ripen)
1 cucumber
1/5 green bell pepper (1 full pepper if you are in Europe ☺, American sized bell peppers are huge!)
1 hot pepper (could be a jalapeño, or a couple of the small Thai hot peppers)
1 garlic clove
2 table spoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
¾ cups of extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons of salt

Most recipes call for peeling the tomatoes. I like the chewy texture of the soup and I leave them unpeeled. Cut and quarter the tomatoes, discarding their cores. Place them in the blender. Peel and chop the cucumber in a few large chunks, and add to the blender. Cut up the pepper in large pieces, peel and cut the garlic cloves into a few pieces. Blend all of it together until it almost reaches your preferred consistency. Then add the oil, vinegar and salt, and reblend to mix it all together.

It’s hard to wait for the next day to enjoy it, so pour your self a glass or a bowl. But I highly recommend chilling the rest in a non-reactive container (a glass pitcher for example) over night in your fridge. The taste is infinitely better after the flavors blend.

You can serve in small cups before a party, or in bowls or glass cups as a soup appetizer. Garnish with chives and with a little additional olive oil.

Smoked Salmon Pasta

We started to smoke our very own salmon! More on that later. We organized two blind tasting and wine paring events and our salmon won both times, from five different tasters at each event, hands down! The credit goes to our friend David Shipman who handcrafted the salmon. Anyhow...we had left over salmon from the tastings-- of course not our salmon, but those that lost the tasting...commercial smoked salmon. Here is a quick recipe to make the most of that salmon that is not so great....I think great salmon is best enjoyed uncooked...Simple and plain.

This recipe is easy, quick (15 mins) and tastes and looks great. Here is what you need:

100 grams, or one package of smoked salmon
500 grams, or one box of pasta (I used tagliatelle)
4 table spoons of olive oil
2 table spoons of butter
1 finely chopped medium onion
2 cloves of garlic
3 table spoons of drained capers
4 ounces of cream cheese (approx. 6 table spoons)
2 cups of dry white wine
3 table spoons chopped parsley
1 table spoon red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil the pasta according to directions on the box
Heat a medium sized pan over medium heat
add the olive oil
when the oil is hot, but not sizzling, add the butter
when the butter is hot add the chooped onions and garlic and cook until translucent, about 3-5 mins.
Add the capers and cook for about a minute.
Add the wine and reduce by half
Add the cream cheese and mix it in until it melts
Add in the red pepper flakes and reduce heat as low as possible and simmer
When the pasta has cooked, add the chopped salmon into the sauce and cook for another minute or two....not too much!
Pour over the pasta
Garnish with fresh pasley and serve.

You can serve additional capers on the side. You can also skip the pasley and instead serve chopped pasley, dill and other garnishes (maybe lemon or orange zest) to the table and let your guests create their own variations.

Artichokes and a Sivas Kangal Dog

We visited a trout farm that belongs to a lovely couple, friends of family. I am only posting pictures to share the artichokes and one of three baby Sivas Kangals that had just arrived to protect the farm-- it was very difficult not to succumb to their looks begging for food. But they have to grow up to be tough guardian dogs...no fancy artichoke dishes for them. The artichokes are a classic Turkish dish made with olive oil and served cold. Recipe can be shared with those interested.

Lamb three ways

From foodplay

1. Rosemary scented potatoes and roasted pepper ratatouille, with rosemary lemon drizzle
2. Mint tabouleh and dill, cumin yogurt sauce, with mint lemon drizzle
3. Mushroom garam masala and date-cilantro basmati, with cilantro lemon drizzle

Fried Rice

My favorite fried rice was from a Thai restaurant in Philadelphia. What made it so special was that the vegies seemed a bit over sauteed and the rice in someplaces was a bit burnt. The secret was their wok was very very hot! I now found a teflon coated cast iron wok that retains heat incredibly well and yields the same flavor that I miss from those Thai days.

As in most stir fries, this dish will cook fast. So it's best to prepare all of your ingredients in advance.

Cook two cups of rice (preferably the night before. Make sure it's cool if you cook the rice the same day):
Rinse two cups of jasmine rice (this gets rid of the access starch and keeps the rice from becoming clumpy)
Add 3 cups of hot water (normally you would use 4 cups, but a little undercooked rice works best with fried rice), and birng to boil
Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

In a small pan on the side, scramble two eggs, and place them in a bowl.

Heat your wok....be patient and let it really heat up....and keep it on high heat through out the cooking process.
Add 4 tablespoons of canola oil
When the oil is hot,
Add 1 large half-moon sliced onion, stir fry for 3 minutes
Add the following according to your taste after the onion
1 thinly sliced red bell pepper
1 thinly sliced green peppper
1 thinly sliced carrot
1 cup of chopped brocooli
Add the rice, in small batches, and mix with the veggies and make sure it's full coated with the juices
Add 1 cup of green peas and/or 1 cup of snow peas
Add the scambled egg
Stri fry it everything for two more minutes.
Add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
and 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Stir fry for one more minute and take of the heat
Mix in a cup of thinly sliced green onions
And serve

You can always ad shrimp in the stage where you add green peas if you like shrimp fried rice. Make sure not to add shrimp at the begining to avoid overcooking them.

Nova Lox- Simple, light, tasty summer breakfast

I love this simple combination bringing together the freshness of cucumbers and tomatoes together with salmon's rich smoked taste. I only wish we could easily find bagels in Turkey. My friend executive chef David Shipman smokes the salmon for us at his home in Istanbul....and I never imagined smoked salmon could taste this good until David home-smoked the first batch.

Toast a few slices of bread (or better yet bagels if you can get them)
Put a thin layer of cream cheese on the toasts
Garnish with thinly sliced fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and red onion
Place the salmon above them.
Add salt and pepper to taste and top with capers.
Enjoy