I made reservations for Yeni Locanta while I was still in Los Angeles. I read about this restaurant, which is listed in the Michelin Guide book, and the food did look amazing. Although it offered à la carte, we opted for the seven-course tasting menu instead of the nine-course one.
We arrived before our 5:00 p.m. reservation time, so we had a choice of where to sit. Our server, Nevin, was a young, sweet lady who explained each course as it landed on our table. I had a glass of wine, and Sandi had her vintage Coke Zero.
Our first course was the Yeni Lokanta Mantisi, beef dumpling. This was absolutely delicious. I could have eaten a large bowl of it! Warm bread with garlic, and I believe pistachio, served with butter. We enjoyed that. For the sake of simplicity and to avoid confusion, I am not typing the Turkish names of the dishes. This next one was Hummus with the most delicious morel mushrooms and maras tarnahasi, which is fried yogurt. Who would have thought I could fall in love with yogurt?
The fifth course was Aubergine, also known as eggplant, paired with Tulum cheese (made from goat's milk), dried figs, and smoked almonds, accompanied by a hint of chili sauce. Again, the combination of flavors made this dish exciting.
The sixth course was Lamb cut of the day, accompanied by oyster mushrooms, tarragon, and tarhana, a dried food ingredient made from a fermented mixture of grain and yogurt or fermented milk.
The final course was the dessert. Katmer is a traditional Turkish pastry originating from Gaziantep. It is made with thin layers of phyllo dough filled with a mixture of pistachios, sugar, and kaymak (a cheesy type of clotted cream similar to Italian mascarpone).
Sandi and I knew the restaurant had Baked Alaska. Though not included in the seven-course menu, we decided from the start that we would order one to split. So, Nevin brought the beautiful Baked Alaska. We did split it, and we were both happy as clams! I must mention that Nevin asked me what my favorite was, and I told her that I loved the first course, the beef dumplings. She offered to give me another serving! I would have taken her offer, but I did not have any room for it. It was very sweet of her.
Yeni Locanta was an experience. The food and service were outstanding! If you're ever in Istanbul, be sure to make a reservation and book yourself for a seven- or nine-course Tasting Menu. Nevin informed us that there is also a Yeni Locanta in London.
Thanks for letting us know there’s one in London that we can try. Dishes all mouth watering.
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