On our last night in Istanbul we braved the taxi once again., but since it was a bit rainy, the traffic was minimal as we got to the Marmara Pera Hotel where MIKLA is located on the rooftop fairly quickly! On arrival the front door staff escorted us inside quickly (after the mandatory security check that every hotel has) and popped us in a private elevator to the top floor. The view of Istanbul to the north was beautiful and our table overlooked the Bosphorus Bridge in the distance all lit up at night. The tables had crisp white linens, Nude crystal (the brand that most fine dining places seem to use there) and we settled in for a wonderful meal with superb service to boot from our wonderful server Timuçın (he told us to call him Tim!).
We had spent all week educating ourselves about Turkish wines(there are so many different varietals and regions that it is indeed daunting) and decided on a Corvus 2016 Emir(white varietal that is somewhere between Sauvingnon Blanc & Chardonnay) that we knew would be dry and refreshing from the Kapadokya region. Corvus is one of the well-known wineries, so we felt we could not go wrong and we were indeed correct. Mikla, it should be noted, has a monstrous wine list to boot and won the 2020 Wine Spectator "Best Award of Excellence!" It is also on the list of "The 50 Best Restaurants in the World!"
Four amuses arrived and they were all beautiful, different and superbly tasty:
-Lettuce with SeaBass
-Flax cracker with Hummus, cucumber and chile
-Spiced Lavash(flatbread) with Dried Duck & Mushroom
-Turkish cheese from Izmir with bergamot & Tomato
If the food to follow was anything like these varied and exciting tastes, we knew this would be one of the best meals we had all week; and it was! Bread arrived in the form of an entire "course" with a plate of wheat and sourdough joined by Cold Press Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Genius(I forgot to try and find that at the duty free the next day!) that was divine, Sheep Butter, Rock Salt and a divine four cheese mix spread that was soft sheep and cow that had aged to a delightful funkiness. The entire affair was a real treat and the various flavors just excited us even more about what was to come.
We thought the appetizers would be next, but boy were we wrong when Tim brought us another beautiful presentation of Balik Ekmek, Mikla's signature dish, which is a Turkish street food that has been fancied up beyond gorgeous. The plate featured two pieces of fried crispy "fish bread" standing on edge in semi-circles with lemon foam and chives to dip in! OMG! What an amazing treat bursting with a quasi-anchovy salty taste that was out of this world! The fish comes from the nearby Black Sea and this is one snack I could eat every day!
Will started with Zeytinyağli a delicious olive oil braised artichoke with sorrel and vegetable purée, while I was insane about my Lamb Heart with fresh Mushrooms from adjoining Thrace, Cress, Pomegranate Vinegar, Sumac, Malkara Lentil Purée and Pickled Plum. It sounds like alot, but the flavors all melded magnificently (be sure to catch all the FB photos).
We asked Tim for help choosing a red wine and decided on the Chateau Kalpak 2016 Şarköy also from Thrace and a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. We have found these to be the best Turkish reds and for some odd reason they all have very high alcohol levels (15% here!) making them quite strong.
Will and I decided to try the two lamb main courses and switch halfway. His was the Grilled Lamb with Charred Smoked Eggplant, Kars Gravyer Cheese, Isot Chili and Mushroom, while my Braised Lamb had been cooked for 12 hours and was served with Walnut Pesto, Olive Oil, Braised Çibes(we never did find out what this was!), Potatoes & Bergama Tulum Cheese. Needless to say, we were stuffed, but the set menu included dessert and it was indeed a special treat!
Wıll chose the Şüllaç, a rice pudding with fig seeds, hazelnut crumb and sour apple sorbet. I am not a fan of rice pudding, but this dish was fabulous and my dish was simply termed "Strawberry" which the menu described as "Condensed Strawberry, Cardamom, Basil & Antep Birdshit Pistachio. YES!!! It is apparently a specific pistachio, but who knew?? The entire dish was light, refreshing and superb, including the birdshit, not to mention the use of pressed wild strawberries and both peach & blackberry sorbets!! Don't forget to check out the fotos. WOW What a great last night!!
