Mikla

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.
Opening Bread course consisted of a cheesy flaky bread pastry, served in a slotted rock.
Next was a bread course, served with salted local olive oil, and two different types of whipped butter.

I’ll be honest, I forget the ordering here but I’m going to say this was a third bread course/amuse- bouche.

Balike Ekmek
Crispy Sardines, Olive Oil Bread, Lemon Mousse
Note this is a modern take on a classic Bosphorus-side fish sandwich. 

Foie Gras Mousse with Crostini
Vegetables & Zeytinyagli
The veggie course, in classic simple Ottoman style, beautifully presented and absolutely delicious.
Dried Tenderloin
Dried Beef Tenderloin, “Hardaliye”, Malkara Lentil Humus, Green Tomato
Grouper
Slow Cooked Grouper, Roasted Tomato, Halhali Olives, Salicornia, Tire Potato, Fig Vinaigrette
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
Sutlac
Rice Pudding with Mastic, Roasted Hazlenut, Black Mulberry Crisp, Strawberry Sorbet
After Dinner Tea
Views from the table!
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)

Mangerie Brunch

A little hard to find, and up a couple flights of stairs, Mangerie has a beautiful outdoor patio overlooking the Bosphorus in what looks like a modernized home. We were seated on the balcony, and had originally come here for the Turkish Breakfast, but couldn’t help but indulge in a few other dishes from the menu.

We started with a couple cocktails and some spiced nuts as we perused the rest of the menu.
Local olives and bread
Another Cocktail
Traditional Turkish Breakfast
Additional Mezes
Steak Tartare
Scallops

Overall the food here was delicious, and the ambiance delightful.

We finished off with some coffee since we still had the whole rest of the day to go!

Turkish Coffee Served with Turkish Delight

Hot-Air Ballooning

A very popular activity in the area is hot-air ballooning. The best time to go is in the early morning, partly because of how the winds are, and mostly due to how beautiful it is watch the sun rise over such a magnificent terrain. Below are a bunch of pictures from before and during our flight. This is basically a photo post, but words feel unworthy.

Cappadocia – Where we stayed

So there are a handful of regions in Cappadocia, but for us we wanted to stay somewhere that we could enjoy the beauty of the area even from our hotel. We settled on a cave hotel in Goreme called Kelebek and were very happy with our choice.

Kelebek was both great for coordinating our tours, transportation, and baloon ride but also offered a fantastic local valley brunch, partnering with a family nearby.

Sitting Area Outside our Room

Goreme seen from above

Uchisar Castle in the Distance

Goreme with Rose Valley in Background

Atop Uchisar

Cappadocia – Home of Pretty Rocks

Our first real stop in Turkey would be Cappadocia.

The place is boiling over with history and culture, which I could write pages about – but Wikipedia probably does a much better job anyway. It is worth noting there is a ton of history here.

The idea that I’d like to convey the most is how beautiful of a place this is, in a fully unconventional sense.

White Valley

Rose Valley

The different formations are due to a history of an active volcanic region, resulting in a bunch of different kinds of rock – sedimentary, volcanic, and some generic hard rock – that result in a beautiful landscape and occasional independent structures called fairy chimneys

Taking Bets on When This Guy Falls

Pair of Chimneys looking Phallic

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