Tasting Istanbul

Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed

On 29 January this year, Istanbul Restaurant Dhaka was inaugurated in a breezy corner of Gulshan 2. With a climbable miniature Bosphorus Bridge adorning the entrance of the restaurant at House 10, Road 113, it's a building you can't miss.

As you walk in, you will be greeted by an usher dressed in traditional Ottoman regalia and find walls adorned with Turkish paintings and photographs. Istanbul Restaurant has already earned an excellent reputation for its quality food and boasts a high-profile clientele.

Venue
The restaurant is lavish in space and has two floors with three sections and a terrace with the promise of hookah for the future. The walls are simple but laced with Turkish designs, photographs and paintings from Istanbul. The first floor is divided into two or three parts, with a luxurious conference area, a regular seating area as well as a patio. The restaurant is also one of the rare eateries which has a prayer room facility.

Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed

Yasar Koc, the Managing Director, has given meticulous attention to the details of décor, and it is evident in the miniature castle and the blue star-studded ceiling of the conference hall.  The interior brick wall with tiny windows and lights give an impression of having meals in a Turkish village.

Sitting atop the terrace, you can find a miniature replica of the Cappadocia, bizarrely shaped mounds of volcanic rock that were deposited by now extinct volcanoes in Turkey.

Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed

The top floor is designed to be a cafeteria where there would be Turkish snacks and finger food. There is also a children's corner with the design of a castle. The interior decoration is also inspired from the famous Monte Carlo Casino in South Africa.

The food
The dishes are for individual serving but provide generous portions.  They have a wide assortment of appetisers and their bread and hummus is immaculate. Their specialty, however, is the meat-based food -- juicy and delicious.

The mixed kebab plate is highly recommended for kebab lovers as it stays true to the Turkish flavour.

Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed

Yasar also highly recommends the sizzling beef curry, which he introduced in response to a Bengali customer's suggestion for including a curry-based, juicy, beef dish. He is also partial towards dishes with eggplant, which is largely untapped in Bangladeshi cuisine in his opinion.

There is an assortment of desserts, but Kunefe, a dessert served hot and made from cheese and a pastry dough, takes the cake (no pun intended). Try their mocktails; they are prepared from carefully selected organic fruits, foreign as well as local. However, the absence of Turkish coffee was slightly disappointing, though they serve authentic Turkish tea.

Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed

Prices are slightly on the upper end, ranging around Tk 300-1200 although reasonable in proportion to service and quality of experience.

Hospitality
Waiters are quite well-trained as well as friendly and well-versed on not only the vision of the restaurant but also about Turkey. Yasar Koc happily proclaims the friendliness that he encourages in the work culture in the restaurant.

The restaurant, in fact, has a vision to be more than simply a food-serving entity.
Yasar hopes to host monthly seminars on various educational topics free of charge, and also utilise the space to exhibit photographs and/or paintings. Currently, the restaurant sells authentic Turkish yoghurt and cheese, prepared right in the restaurant. The restaurants visionaries are extending the produces to a shop to open in Jamuna Future Park and hope to mass market them one day.

Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed