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| Champagne and Rose pre-dinner sunset drink |
Mikla was the ‘fanciest’ dinner that we ate while in Istanbul. The restaurant, opened in 2005, is modern Anatolian food presented atop the Marmara Pera Hotel. The outside patio overlooks the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus. We timed our dining experience right around sunset.
The food itself was delightful, the presentation well thought out, and the service spectacular.
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| Opening Bread course consisted of a cheesy flaky bread pastry, served in a slotted rock. |
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| Next was a bread course, served with salted local olive oil, and two different types of whipped butter. |
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| I’ll be honest, I forget the ordering here but I’m going to say this was a third bread course/amuse- bouche. |
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| Balike Ekmek Crispy Sardines, Olive Oil Bread, Lemon Mousse Note this is a modern take on a classic Bosphorus-side fish sandwich. |
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| Foie Gras Mousse with Crostini |
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| Vegetables & Zeytinyagli The veggie course, in classic simple Ottoman style, beautifully presented and absolutely delicious. |
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| Dried Tenderloin Dried Beef Tenderloin, “Hardaliye”, Malkara Lentil Humus, Green Tomato |
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| Grouper Slow Cooked Grouper, Roasted Tomato, Halhali Olives, Salicornia, Tire Potato, Fig Vinaigrette |
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| Whole Wheat Manti Lamb Shank, Smoked Buffalo Yogurt, Tomato, Roasted Garlic, Sumac Mikla’s modern take on Manti! We begged for this even though it wasn’t on the tasting menu, and our waiter happily obliged free of charge, like a true gentleman.. |
Lamb From The Pot
Cibes, Artichoke, Malatya Apricot, Salty Yogurt
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| Sutlac Rice Pudding with Mastic, Roasted Hazlenut, Black Mulberry Crisp, Strawberry Sorbet |
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| After Dinner Tea |
Views from the table!
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PS:
While this was before the Winter of Wine, noted are our pairings for the meal: Wine (Food)
The two wines pictured at the beginning are Sevilen ‘R’ Rose, and Vinkara ‘Yazasin’ Kalecik Karasi.
The pairing we had for the rest of the meal are as follows.
Doluca DLC “Sultaniye-emir’ (Vegetables, Balik)
Trajan “Kalecik Karasi” (Dried Tenderloin)
Nodus Chardonnay (Grouper)
Buzbag Reserv Okuzgoz-Bogazkere (Lamb)
Sevilen Misket Late Harvest (Dessert)