Dinner on the Bosphorus at the Çırağan Palace Kempinski's Bosphorus Grill

I love experiences that heighten the senses. It was with great anticipation that I accepted an invitation to dine at the Çırağan Palace Kempinski's Bosphorus Grill. It's not everyday that one is invited to dine where sultans did, in an Ottoman palace setting, no less.

Earlier this year, I had had my first hammam in Istanbul at the Çırağan Palace Kempinski. Knowing the excellence that the Kempinski Hotel group brought to the operation of their properties, I knew that dinner at the Çırağan Palace Kempinski would be just as divine.

Outside the actual palace,

the gates for arriving water craft

gave a hint of the Bosphorus beauty to come.

Spectacular flowers

greet guests on entry to the hotel:

roses, orchids, lilies, and my favorite:

hydrangeas

I glanced up above the reception desk

to appreciate for a moment

the way one would arrive

at the Çırağan Palace

back in Ottoman times.

 The stately Laledan restaurant

where the weekly Sunday brunch is held.

I would pass through Laledan on my way to the

outdoor Bosphorus grill.

Every inch of the grounds

contribute to relaxing guests.

 

Palm trees and salvia create a

destination entrance

to the Bosphorus Grill.

My hostesses:

Lara and Ciler,

two dynamic young professional

Turkish women who are

superb stewards of the hotel's legacy.

 Lara and Ciler

recommended we try

a Turkish wine from

Bozcadda Island.

 

Corvus Corvus

came from

a high-tech boutique winery

started by an Istanbul architect

and his wife.

They had left everything

to move to the island

and had begun to make wine.

 How romantic.

Children would love the Bosphorus Grill

because the boats come extra close

to see the Palace and the property.

Sezai Erdoğan

is the first Turkish

Executive Chef

at Çırağan Palace Kempinski

in Istanbul,

a pioneering achievement.

Aferin!

 

He is in charge of all the restaurant

and banquet kitchens

within the hotel.

 

Soon after Chef Erdoğan

came by to wish us a good meal,

 Mother Nature added to the evening's enjoyment

by rolling in a mighty thunderstorm

 from the Black Sea:

The storm was so much fun to experience!

The storm came quickly

from the Black Sea,

changed the skies over the Bosphorus

and poured down rain,

and just as quickly,

moved on to the Marmara Sea

at the other end of the Bosphorus.

When the rain stopped,

we went to the banquet area to peek

at what was on offer.

Turkey has extraordinary fruits

during the summer season,

especially Adana watermelon,

fresh melons, apricots, and pears.

 

Notice too, the large Medjool dates

which are

traditionally used to break

a Ramazan fast

due to the amount of sweet, filling, flesh

found in a single date.

That's important for those who have been fasting

since before sunrise.

Eating one date immediately

upon the end of a day's fast

removes the edge of hunger.

 There was a beautiful salad bar.

I resisted.

When in Turkey,

why have salad,

when Turkish chefs

prepare sumptuous mezes

to offer a bit of this and a bit of that?

Oh, and here they are.

Choices upon choices.

Green chicken curry with bamboo shoot

and cashew nut

Sautéed oyster mushrooms with fresh herbs

Grilled baby fennel with carrots

Ratatouille with basil

My final selection of mezes.

Believe me, it was hard to choose.

Looking at the bottom left,

have you even seen smoked salmon and strawberries

paired like that?

That was an idea new to me -

and what a delicious combination.

It was Smoked salmon and avocado salad

with strawberry and balsamic sauce.

 

An eggplant meze up front

because Turkish chefs

know how to make eggplant sing.

This was a Soya marinated,

baked eggplant salad with and fried onions.

 

Fennel comfit with root vegetables,

cinnamon, and star anise

because somehow the Europeans have kept the secret

of how delicious fennel is to themselves.

America has yet to discover fennel

in a big way.

 

Purslane salad with yogurt, garlic and peanuts

(not only is it a delicious salad green,

purslane is a very healthy super food),

also sweet potato salad

 with beef bacon and fresh herbs.

 

Potatoes gratin with truffles -

what satisfying comfort food.

 

The star of the plate was that tiny oven-roasted pear

with ricotta cheese and balsamic dressing.

Wow, it was fantastic.

 After our meze course,

we went back to the grill.

There were roasted lambs and chickens

and vegetables.

Chef d'parti Ibrahim Ünalan demonstrated

how he puts the naan on the side of the oven wall

with his naan mitt -

a detail kids would love

to watch performed

while they peer into the naan oven.

I had never seen this before.

So this is how naan is cooked!

There were so many meats

to choose from for a custom grill.

I choose two delicate lamb chops.

It was a hard choice, because the

pistachio-marinated beef tenderloin

also called out to me.

For those who preferred fish for their grill course,

there was mackerel, and salmon, and prawns

and many other fresh, top-quality choices.

Beef tenderloin

I can get back home,

but lamb done Ottoman-style

is not so easily found

in America.

I made the right choice!

 

 

Our final selection of the evening

was dessert.

What choices!

 Chef Ibrahim shows off

five different kinds of

homemade baklava.

 I think I'll have to try one

 of those small chocolate mousses

in the bottom right corner.

More tortes, cakes, and puddings.

Homemade mango sorbet

accompanied with chocolate mousse

and seasonal summer fruits.

What a beautiful finish to

a lovely dinner

at Çırağan Palace Kempinski's

Bosphorus Grill.

 

To see the entire menu

and price list,

click here.

 

 

 

You may also be interested in:

 

My first Hammam at the Çırağan Palace Kempinski Hotel, Part One

 

My first Hammam at the Çırağan Palace Kempenski Hotel, Part Two

 

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Enjoying Istanbul Waffles

Every city has its famous street food. Istanbul is no different. I don't know how I made it three years without ever tasting one of Istanbul's famous waffles, but somehow I had. It was time to rectify that.

My friend Barb and I had met Internations friends for an afternoon exploring Istanbul's haunted mansion and first art museum in a working office.  After we finished, it was time for a treat. We adjourned to Barb's neighborhood, Bebek, and got in line for waffles (except the girl who was fasting for Ramazan - what discipline!).

There is always a line.

Waffles are beloved in Istanbul.

I admired this Turkish Dad

out making a memory

with his kids.

 We were right behind them

in line.

A waffle maker has to be

even more patient than

a Subway sandwich artist,

because there are even more toppings!

 

First goes on the base cream.

Here are some of your choices:

Nutella, Hazelnut, Dark Chocolate,

Milk Chocolate, White Chocolate,

Caramel, Strawberry, Pistachio,

Banana, and Coconut.

 

I chose Pistachio and White Chocolate.

 Then there is all the fruit.

I chose bananas, cherries,

strawberries, and kiwi.

That was pretty tame

given all of the

candied and fresh options.

 

 

 One last sprinkling

of chopped pistachios.

What I didn't expect

was how warm it would be.

I thought it would have lost its warmth

by the time he assembled it all, but no.

 

One delicious warm, gooey bite after another.

I am not waiting three more years to have another.

An Afternoon of Art and Beauty at the Borusan Contemporary, Part Three

After enjoying a beautiful meal in the Borusan Contemporary museum café, and going up to the 10th floor to see the beautiful view of the Bosphorus from the very top turret in Istanbul's haunted mansion, it was time to explore the art in Turkey's very first office art museum.

This was 1/4 of a Jim Dine painting

with four similar panels.

The color was fantastic.

Every office was full of the most spectacular

coffee table art books.

I could lose myself for hours

just in the books.

These binoculars were in the corner office

so I assume the office belonged to the chairman.

Below, his minimalistic desk.

Someone correct me, if I have this misidentified.

 Color of all hues

uplifted my spirit.

Do they do the same to you?

 

I thought the collection focus

of color repetition

was brilliant.

 The beautiful salon or living room

off of the corner office

had a whimsical, jazzy artwork on the ceiling.

An endearing personal touch.

How could kids resist

even the beauty of this elevator shaft?

What memories this place would create

in the minds of the staff's children.

 

One of the most fun videos in the collection

was in the stairwell.

It showed the furniture and dishes

of a home living room

sliding back and forth on the floor

as a house

was slowly rocked back and forth.

 

I could imagine a child

standing in front of it for hours

and giggling nonstop at the fun of it.

 

To access videos from the collection, click here.

"Eyeballs" inspired by George Orwell.

 Love it!

One of the few Istanbul-specific photography pieces.

The Hagia Sophia in snow.

The wishing tree
Staff and the public
left their wishes.

I didn't even notice the white "profile"

when I saw this neon art up close.

It was only when I got home and

saw this photo taken from across the room

that I saw it was more than abstract.

 "21 Books"

by a Korean artist

 The quality of building materials

was an unending delight.

I marveled at the precise heft of this door.

Love this blue.

How children must want to run their hands

continually over this piece

just to explore the symmetry, color, and sound of it.

All this art makes one feel like a child!

 We waved goodbye to the museum guides
through the "haunted" grillwork.

Perili Köşk at dusk.
"Goodbye Haunted Mansion!
You were an absolute delight."

Imagine opening up your work office to random people every weekend. I found this to be a very generous act by Borusan Holding Co.

Thank you for sharing your gorgeous art with the public. To the folks at Borusan Contemporary, I say, "your generosity is yet another example of why Turkish hospitality is the best in the world."

You might also enjoy:

An Afternoon of Art and Beauty at the Borusan Contemporary, Part One

An Afternoon of Art and Beauty at the Borusan Contemporary, Part Two

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