Tasting Notes
Arkestra is on Dilhayat Street in Etiler, in a mid-century house with a garden, wood panelling and period furniture. Besides the main dining room there is Ritmo, a bistro space, and the Listening Room upstairs, built around a vinyl sound system. The restaurant is listed in the Michelin Guide; it opens in the evening, is closed on Sundays, and reservations are required.
Starters people order
Most meals begin with the house potato bread, served with whipped burnt butter and spring onion oil. The tuna sashimi comes with sushi-rice ice cream, puffed rice, onion and garlic crisps and a ginger ponzu, so warm and cold meet on one plate. The Arkestra Katsu Sando is breaded beef fillet in homemade shokupan milk bread with tonkatsu sauce. Steak tartare, sea bream crudo with jalapeño salsa and a leek tarte tatin with blue-cheese sauce are also on the list.
Mains and desserts
The mains mix European technique with local ingredients: gnocchi with octopus kokoreç, beef-cheek ravioli in a smoked shiitake broth, whole sole meunière, slow-cooked beef rib with celeriac and bordelaise, and lamb shoulder with firik (smoked green wheat) risotto. Desserts include a warm chocolate ganache tart with mango and passion-fruit sorbet, and warm madeleines with salted caramel. A 12% service charge is added to the bill.
“Book for a weekday evening, share the potato bread, tuna sashimi and katsu sando, and finish with a drink in the Listening Room upstairs.”
LR Kitchen — field note