Restaurant: Neolokal
Location: Azapkapı, Mahı, Bankalar Cd. No:11, 34420, 34421 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye. +90 551 447 45 45
Date: June 13, 2023
Cuisine: Modern Turkish
Rating: Very modern, but also very tasty
Our first dinner outside the hotel, braving the crazy Istanbul evening traffic.
Gorgeous views of the city.
The menu.
The boy.
Very nice bright, high acid, food white.
Neolokal’s sourdough. Very crunchy crust.
Gluten free version.
Parsley marbled butter, cep mushroom powder. Delicious.
Amuse Bouches. Sweet beans and baklava roll (right). Little bean tart. Fried bread dough with muhamara (left). Nice crispy little pocket. Sea bream and vine leaves (back). Nice contrast of tastes.
Penne Pomodoro.
Olive oil braised Artichoke. Fried crispy baby artichoke. Caramelized artichoke puree, artichoke emulsion, pea and carrot cream. A little bit more on the starchy side than I might have liked, but I did enjoy the cream.
Spring vegetables. Asparagus, green almonds, fava beans, peas and tahini tarator.
Raki marinated sea bream. Gambilya fava beans with safflower, lemon caviar and onion gelee. Nice textures.
Cabbage Rolls with Mardin Bulgut, caramelized cabbage cream, pomegranate molasses.
Icli Kofte Dumplings. Meat and pine nuts, salted yogurt foam, garlic parsley oil. I really enjoyed this meat and yougurt pastry. The yogurt was nitro whipped which made it pillowy soft.
Couscous with beetroot, Izmir talum cheese, fresh herbs and roasted pine nuts.
Shrimp and Collard Dolmade. Rice with light grilled red shrimp sauce. Good, but I would have liked a more intense bisque flavor.
Sorrel Sorbetto. I loved this savory (and probably pacojet) sorbetto.
Pear Sorbet.
Morel Dumplings, mushroom sauce and emulsion, sauteed morel and isot oil.
Lamb Neck. Belly, meatballs with sweet beans piyaz and freekeh pilaf. Lots of soft yummy meat.
A little boat of tasty spiced meat.
Gluten free cabbage roll.
Revani with Rose. Rose milk ice cream, rose delight, coconut meringue. Good thing I love rose.
Halva with Hazelnut Tahini. Sesame ice cream, bitter almond macaron.
Pear with Quince Compote, quince cream, pickled apples, rose gelee.
Diren Mahlep & Cherry Truffles. Mamul Cookies. Cookies were dry shortbread but the truffle was good.
Date Truffles and Crispy Pumpkin.
Overall, a lovely meal with Turkish tastes prepared in a modernist manner. Flavors were bright, aromatic, and deftly conveyed.