PUMPKIN SOUP!

If you would like to have a degustation menu in Istanbul, don’t hesitate to make a reservation for Nicole. Chef & Owner Aylin Yazıcıoğlu has done a great job combining the local food with modernity. Especially if you are a tourist, I’m sure that you will enjoy the experience with the perfect view of Istanbul.

The building was a Franciscan monastery until the end of the 20th century. Nicole was named after Agnes Marthe Nicole; who healed many patients at this historic building.

If Michelin was present at Istanbul, I have no doubt that Nicole would be awarded a star.

Ambiance

Nicole had an amazing view of Istanbul. I recommend you to make your reservation by the window if possible. The overall decoration looks elegant. I loved the jazz music playing in the background.

My only concern was the noise coming from the ventilation and the view of the AC pipes on the ceiling. 

Taste

Amuse-bouche were assorted and all of them were really nice. The tart with onion puree and mushroom was very tasty.

Homemade brioche with onion was perfect, I couldn’t refrain myself from eating the whole brioche. I normally only taste the bread for not getting full until the end of the tasting menu. It was served with oil from Adana; a southern province in Turkey, in the same area with Hatay which is getting all kinds of culinary awards including the prestigious world gastronomy city award from UNESCO.

The first course was shrimps with avocado, green apple and sour yogurt. It was very original and tasted so good. The type of shrimp was really small (2-3 cm at most), found at the Aegean Sea. Greek people call this “Symi Shrimp” and Turkish people call it “Çimçim Karidesi”. It was served raw and had a very smooth taste.   

The next course was cuttlefish with seaweed, cauliflower puree and potatoes. Both the presentation and the taste was great. 

The following course is special for the degustation lovers since you probably won’t encounter this dish at any other place in the world. It was Jerusalem artichoke with spinach, pastrami, chestnut and beer sauce. Pastrami is a local taste which I was very happy to see in the tasting menu. It is a meat product usually made from beef. The raw meat is brined, partially dried, seasoned with herbs and spices, then smoked and steamed. Kayseri province of Turkey is especially famous for the pastrami. 

Leeks in olive oil was another local food frequently cooked in the households in Turkey. It was a good choice but I found it weak because it was only served with almond and lemon puree. Next course was one of my favorites; pastry with quail, duck and red cabbage. The use of mille-feuille was very nice. Both duck and quail were cooked successfully. 

For the main course, one of the options was sea bream served with black lentils and pickled cabbage. The other option was lamb cooked with quince; an Ottoman dish. I chose lamb because I wanted to eat a more traditional course. It was one of the best dishes in the tasting menu. Chef Aylin Yazıcıoğlu came to the table and explained the dish herself. 

Labneh (pronounced “Labne” in Turkish as well) cheese parfait with lemon and purple basil sorbet was served before the dessert. The lemon sorbet was very bitter. I felt the taste of butter too much. The use of purple basil was very refreshing.

The best course for me was the dessert. It was chestnut puree with chocolate and walnut liqueur, a memorable and perfect finish.

Service

What I was impressed the most was the fact that Chef Aylin Yazıcıoğlu visited the tables twice. I have never seen a chef in any other restaurant that visited the tables this often and this long. 

Unfortunately, I was not impressed by the waiters. Dishes were not explained in great detail and bread crumbs weren’t cleaned off from the table throughout my experience. 

Note that the restaurant is closed on Sundays and Mondays. You can make the reservation via phone or e-mail.

Creativity

The presentation of the dishes was mostly plain and looked nice. I loved the inspiration from the Ottoman cuisine. I think that local tastes can be used even more widely in the tasting menu. It would be such a unique experience for the tourists all around the world.  

Value

You would be really surprised when you learn how much this pleasing degustation experience costs. As of June 2018, the discovery tasting menu costs only 35 EUR! With the depreciation of Turkish lira, you can enjoy the great cuisine of Istanbul with amazing value. 

There should be more options for the wine by the glass. In addition to that, unfortunately, there weren’t any dedicated sommeliers to explain the wines.