Turkish restaurant offers Ottoman food
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hurriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Kasım 22, 2008 00:00
ISTANBUL - Asitane Restaurant prides itself on offering Ottoman cuisine for its diners’ pleasure. Its recipes are from Topkapı, Dolmabahçe and Edirne Palaces’ kitchens. The restaurant’s staff has collected many old recipes that might easily have been lost forever
If by visiting Asitane, you expect an Ottoman atmosphere in a restaurant that prides itself on serving dishes from an Ottoman kitchen, you will be sadly disappointed. There is very little to distinguish this Edirnekapı restaurant from any number of up-scale restaurants in Beyoğlu or Nişantaşı, or even Bebek for that matter.
You are likely not to go as far as Edirnekapı just for food, but you would go for the ambiance of a restored Byzantine church, with glorious mosaics and a number of charmingly restored houses. There is also the Kariye Hotel, originally a 19th century mansion that looks after the restaurant, although they are separate structures. One should not forget the couple of dozen men who sell trinkets and souvenirs on the street as you walk toward the church and restaurant.
If coming by car, parking is two-three blocks away from the restaurant and while public transport is readily available, it means an even longer walk. The area is rather run-down but it is highly unlikely anyone will give cause for concern.
The church is unmissable, its domes seen above apartment building rooftops. If you are there during the day, you will certainly want to pay it a visit or even a return visit, it has been preserved as a museum. This is a church that has been studied and restored and written about.
Asitane Restaurant is next door in what must have been part of the church complex many centuries ago. Although the word asitane is Persian for "head gate," there appears to be no particular reason the restaurant has that name. Stairs along the side of the building lead to the ground floor where the restaurant is located. The interior is modern, white and has plain tables. The only Ottoman decor is a small alcove at the entrance with an Ottoman-style divan and tray, where one can have tea, or wait for an inside table when the weather is cool, or downright unpleasant. Summer is a great time to visit as guests can sit outside.
The restaurant first opened in 1990 as part of a renovation being carried out by the Turkish Automobile and Touring Association. The head of the organization, Çelik Gülersoy, was enthusiastic about restoring old buildings and converting them for new uses and he has been enormously successful.
Ottoman cuisine or international dishes?
But let us concentrate more on the food. The recipes are from Topkapı, Dolmabahçe and Edirne Palaces’ kitchens. In some cases the recipes were written down and preserved, in other cases people who had learned to cook from palace cooks were still alive to pass on information.
A look at the menu should be reassuring, the winter 2008-2009 menu has just started and you can rest assured the dishes are not exotic. Hummingbird tongues, such as the ancient Romans enjoyed, are definitely nowhere to be found. Still, some of the recipes in palace archives were vetoed as modern tastes have changed. Depending on how you interpret "international cuisine," Ottoman cuisine may be described as such, having brought together the influences of Central Asia, Anatolia, the Middle East and the Balkans. One critic actually described Ottoman cuisine as "fusion food." Some offerings can even be dated, such as dishes known to have been served at a feast hosted by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, for two of his sons in 1539.
The menu is extensive and quite a few of the dishes you will never have heard of before. Those that belong to the Ottoman period are marked with a star and outnumber those that would be normal in menus today. What about an almond and coconut soup for starters? If you are slightly less adventurous, you might prefer the lentil and noodle soup. This might be followed by cold or hot appetizers, salad, rice or pasta before tackling the issue of the main course. Speaking of salad, none of the three on the menu are marked as Ottoman. Do you think that means the Ottomans did not eat salad?
The main course menu is a-la-carte and is challenging. It has 13 entries ranging from beef and lamb, to fish and chicken. Some of the combinations make you wonder about the average Ottoman’s sweet tooth. Take the spring chicken stewed with almonds, dried apricots and grapes, and flavored with honey and cinnamon.
Are you ready for dessert? There are six choices if you count ice-cream. The quince with clotted cream sounds like a real treat. Perhaps you might prefer the pumpkin and fig delight, also served with clotted cream.
If you are planning to bring children, do not think you will be able to get a McDonald’s Big Mac and french fries here. If your precious little one is a "fastidious" eater, you may be in for some trouble.
Alcoholic beverages are served at Asitane for those who feel they want them.
Open every day from 11:00 a.m to midnight. A special brunch is served on Sundays.
Telephone: (0212) 534 84 14 or (0212) 635 79 97.
Kariye Camii Sok. No. 6, Edirnekapı , Istanbul
You are likely not to go as far as Edirnekapı just for food, but you would go for the ambiance of a restored Byzantine church, with glorious mosaics and a number of charmingly restored houses. There is also the Kariye Hotel, originally a 19th century mansion that looks after the restaurant, although they are separate structures. One should not forget the couple of dozen men who sell trinkets and souvenirs on the street as you walk toward the church and restaurant.
If coming by car, parking is two-three blocks away from the restaurant and while public transport is readily available, it means an even longer walk. The area is rather run-down but it is highly unlikely anyone will give cause for concern.
The church is unmissable, its domes seen above apartment building rooftops. If you are there during the day, you will certainly want to pay it a visit or even a return visit, it has been preserved as a museum. This is a church that has been studied and restored and written about.
Asitane Restaurant is next door in what must have been part of the church complex many centuries ago. Although the word asitane is Persian for "head gate," there appears to be no particular reason the restaurant has that name. Stairs along the side of the building lead to the ground floor where the restaurant is located. The interior is modern, white and has plain tables. The only Ottoman decor is a small alcove at the entrance with an Ottoman-style divan and tray, where one can have tea, or wait for an inside table when the weather is cool, or downright unpleasant. Summer is a great time to visit as guests can sit outside.
The restaurant first opened in 1990 as part of a renovation being carried out by the Turkish Automobile and Touring Association. The head of the organization, Çelik Gülersoy, was enthusiastic about restoring old buildings and converting them for new uses and he has been enormously successful.
Ottoman cuisine or international dishes?
But let us concentrate more on the food. The recipes are from Topkapı, Dolmabahçe and Edirne Palaces’ kitchens. In some cases the recipes were written down and preserved, in other cases people who had learned to cook from palace cooks were still alive to pass on information.
A look at the menu should be reassuring, the winter 2008-2009 menu has just started and you can rest assured the dishes are not exotic. Hummingbird tongues, such as the ancient Romans enjoyed, are definitely nowhere to be found. Still, some of the recipes in palace archives were vetoed as modern tastes have changed. Depending on how you interpret "international cuisine," Ottoman cuisine may be described as such, having brought together the influences of Central Asia, Anatolia, the Middle East and the Balkans. One critic actually described Ottoman cuisine as "fusion food." Some offerings can even be dated, such as dishes known to have been served at a feast hosted by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, for two of his sons in 1539.
The menu is extensive and quite a few of the dishes you will never have heard of before. Those that belong to the Ottoman period are marked with a star and outnumber those that would be normal in menus today. What about an almond and coconut soup for starters? If you are slightly less adventurous, you might prefer the lentil and noodle soup. This might be followed by cold or hot appetizers, salad, rice or pasta before tackling the issue of the main course. Speaking of salad, none of the three on the menu are marked as Ottoman. Do you think that means the Ottomans did not eat salad?
The main course menu is a-la-carte and is challenging. It has 13 entries ranging from beef and lamb, to fish and chicken. Some of the combinations make you wonder about the average Ottoman’s sweet tooth. Take the spring chicken stewed with almonds, dried apricots and grapes, and flavored with honey and cinnamon.
Are you ready for dessert? There are six choices if you count ice-cream. The quince with clotted cream sounds like a real treat. Perhaps you might prefer the pumpkin and fig delight, also served with clotted cream.
If you are planning to bring children, do not think you will be able to get a McDonald’s Big Mac and french fries here. If your precious little one is a "fastidious" eater, you may be in for some trouble.
Alcoholic beverages are served at Asitane for those who feel they want them.
Open every day from 11:00 a.m to midnight. A special brunch is served on Sundays.
Telephone: (0212) 534 84 14 or (0212) 635 79 97.
Kariye Camii Sok. No. 6, Edirnekapı , Istanbul