Creative chefs open their own restaurant
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Müge Akgün
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Şubat 28, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - Moreish, located in Etiler’s Tepebaşı district, was opened about a year ago by young chefs Esra Mutlu and Coşkun Uysal so they could really innovate in the kitchen. The menu changes every two weeks and a new 'tasting menu' was added this month
For an inspiring break from day-to-day dining, consider surrendering your taste buds to the whims of an innovative chef. Though plenty of other countries have their star chefsÑtheir Jo‘l Robuchons and Michael Minas, whose every new restaurant opening has the culinary set abuzzÑfew restaurant and hotel owners want their establishments to be remembered by the names of their chefs, who are often considered readily replaceable. It is also not easy to experiment with new dishes while preparing food for hundreds of people a day. That is why creative chefs need to open a place of their own.
Moreish, located in Etiler’s Tepebaşı district, was opened about a year ago by two young chefs, Esra Mutlu and Coşkun Uysal, who wanted to let their creativity flourish. Mutlu decided to become a chef when she went to London to take a language course and became impressed by the relationship between food and the family with whom she stayed. After searching for a good place to learn the trade, she moved to Australia for nearly five years, getting her university education and interning in various restaurants. After returning to Istanbul five years ago, she worked at the House Caf for four years.
Uysal became interested in food thanks to his mother, who is a very good cook. After graduating from the Eskişehir University Hotel and Tourism School, he returned to Istanbul and worked for Refika Restaurant. He also spent some time in London, where, after a three-month education, he worked as an intern at River Caf, the Savoy Hotel and with famous chefs like Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsey. Uysal’s view of life and food changed in London.
Like Mutlu, he also started working for the House Caf when he returned to Istanbul, which is how the pair met. He still holds the position of food coordinator for all the House Cafes.
Opening Moreish has been the realization of a dream for Uysal and Mutlu. "We’ve decided to try it for a year. We didn’t have anything to lose," they said. Now about to conclude their second season, their fine-dining, chef-owned restaurant concept can be termed a success.
While Mutlu is at the restaurant all day, Uysal comes after 6 p.m. Pooling their knowledge and experience, and combining local ingredients with global techniques, they prepare experimental dishes and offer them to their guests. Their eyes are always on their customers, trying to understand their reactions to the food and explaining the dishes to them.
Tasting menu
Moreish’s menu changes every two weeks, but they add new items every week. This month they initiated a "taste menu" determined by what’s in season. For example, now is the best time for anglerfish, so they have included it on their menu.
Jerusalem artichokes, which are skillfully used in soups, and crme brule are among the new flavors that Moreish brings to our culinary culture. Their quail and goose liver, which they cook slowly, combining contrary flavors, is a must to taste.
At Moreish, any dish you order is an exciting discovery. As the name suggests, you want to go back there and have more. Mutlu and Uysal dream of writing a cookbook and sharing their recipes with more people, but they need a sponsor to do it.
Uysal and Mutlu have made a name for themselves with their exciting cooking and recipes, following in the innovative footsteps of Changa. Perhaps one day Turkey will have its own Michelin-starred chef-owned restaurant. Last summer, the entrepreneurial pair opened Moreish Nars at businesswoman Güler Sabancı’s boutique hotel Nars in the Aegean holiday resort of Çeşme.
The capacity of the Etiler restaurant is just 28 people, so making a reservation is a must, especially for dinner. The tasting menu is 70 Turkish Liras on Thursdays, or 110 liras with wine.
Tel: 0212 245 6089
Web: http://www.moreishrestaurant.com/
Moreish, located in Etiler’s Tepebaşı district, was opened about a year ago by two young chefs, Esra Mutlu and Coşkun Uysal, who wanted to let their creativity flourish. Mutlu decided to become a chef when she went to London to take a language course and became impressed by the relationship between food and the family with whom she stayed. After searching for a good place to learn the trade, she moved to Australia for nearly five years, getting her university education and interning in various restaurants. After returning to Istanbul five years ago, she worked at the House Caf for four years.
Uysal became interested in food thanks to his mother, who is a very good cook. After graduating from the Eskişehir University Hotel and Tourism School, he returned to Istanbul and worked for Refika Restaurant. He also spent some time in London, where, after a three-month education, he worked as an intern at River Caf, the Savoy Hotel and with famous chefs like Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsey. Uysal’s view of life and food changed in London.
Like Mutlu, he also started working for the House Caf when he returned to Istanbul, which is how the pair met. He still holds the position of food coordinator for all the House Cafes.
Opening Moreish has been the realization of a dream for Uysal and Mutlu. "We’ve decided to try it for a year. We didn’t have anything to lose," they said. Now about to conclude their second season, their fine-dining, chef-owned restaurant concept can be termed a success.
While Mutlu is at the restaurant all day, Uysal comes after 6 p.m. Pooling their knowledge and experience, and combining local ingredients with global techniques, they prepare experimental dishes and offer them to their guests. Their eyes are always on their customers, trying to understand their reactions to the food and explaining the dishes to them.
Tasting menu
Moreish’s menu changes every two weeks, but they add new items every week. This month they initiated a "taste menu" determined by what’s in season. For example, now is the best time for anglerfish, so they have included it on their menu.
Jerusalem artichokes, which are skillfully used in soups, and crme brule are among the new flavors that Moreish brings to our culinary culture. Their quail and goose liver, which they cook slowly, combining contrary flavors, is a must to taste.
At Moreish, any dish you order is an exciting discovery. As the name suggests, you want to go back there and have more. Mutlu and Uysal dream of writing a cookbook and sharing their recipes with more people, but they need a sponsor to do it.
Uysal and Mutlu have made a name for themselves with their exciting cooking and recipes, following in the innovative footsteps of Changa. Perhaps one day Turkey will have its own Michelin-starred chef-owned restaurant. Last summer, the entrepreneurial pair opened Moreish Nars at businesswoman Güler Sabancı’s boutique hotel Nars in the Aegean holiday resort of Çeşme.
The capacity of the Etiler restaurant is just 28 people, so making a reservation is a must, especially for dinner. The tasting menu is 70 Turkish Liras on Thursdays, or 110 liras with wine.
Tel: 0212 245 6089
Web: http://www.moreishrestaurant.com/