Nicole

FOOD is OUTSTANDING. Excellent quality and great value. Expensive but worth every penny. Chef and wife are amazing and were gracious to come out and explain the menu and design some specials for us. He even took pictures with us. One of the best meals I have ever had. Love Turkey and love this restaurant.

In the end, gourmands dream about being transported by a meal. And when a gourmand is in Istanbul, the cuisine expectations go that much higher.
Nicole’s full tasting menu is a superbly composed suite of flavors, with subtle crescendos and mesmerizing palate shifts. The (husband and wife?) chef duo present an ordered ‘disruption’ for your sense, a creative meal that is a delight to behold; absolutely Turkish, but with all of the unexpected and subtle tastes that lead the imagination elsewhere. Nicole’s is a foodie nirvana.
I wasn’t surprised to learn that the chefs trained extensively in Paris. Nicole’s is as good a Michelin-​quality experience as I’ve had anywhere.
Well done, Nicole’s!

Amazing tasting menu. Some of my favorite dishes in Istanbul, maybe anywhere. Service was flawless. View is incredible from any table.

As a Türk living abroad, this is one of the most fantastic dinners one can have in Istabul. The food is phenomenal and the view is just an added attribute that makes having a dinner at Nicole a must in visiting Istanbul. I will come back here every time I return. Fantastic food, Fantastic wine list, phenomenal view…
All adds up to a experience not to be missed…

Nicole is widely considered the best restaurant in Istanbul and it did not disappoint. The restaurant itself has stunning views of the water and the surrounding landscape. The dining room has a retractable roof that was utilized to allow for an open-​air experience at the beginning of our dining and then closed it when it got darker and colder.
The staff was extremely attentive, which is one of the hallmarks of a restaurant that is contending for a Michelin Star. The one issue that we had was that they greeted us with the option «Would you like Champagne, Sparkling Wine or Prosecco?». We choose champagne and assumed it was free, since this is a common thing both in the US and in Europe when eating an fancy meal from a tasting menu. Alas — it was not free, and in fact it was drastically different in price than everything else we ordered. It was 160TL for the two glasses which is more than half the price of the entire tasting 7-​course pairing at 280TL for two. We were pretty upset by this and informed both the waiter and the chef. They were very generous and offered to remove it from the bill and even offered us a free meal a following night, we declined both and it was certainly appreciated that it was offered but it rubbed us the wrong way that it was presented in a deceiving way.
Moving on to the highlights of the night that still allowed for a 5-​star review even despite the issue I described above. As I mentioned, we ordered the tasting with the pairing and everything was absolutely top-​notch. The plates were in a nicely progressive order, they were presented well and all were fantastic tasting.
I would highly recommend anyone go here who enjoys fine dining or is celebrating a special occasion.

an interesting location for what the waiter described as a «michelin» quality restaurant. i think that the evening did demand a bit less pretentiousness in order for this place to become a comfortable, self-​confident and aware type of venue in which the chef de cuisine needs not shout for brilliance but rather whisper it
but if i dare say, the wine list did have an interesting curation, served by knowledgable staff — you do want to know exactly what you are drinking — perhaps you might want to remember it
it’s already been a couple weeks and some dishes here do stick in my mind (the mark of a nice meal)
for some reason, the citrus themed dessert was so comforting that i want to mention it first. the brightness and freshness of the pomelos, yuzu, sweet lemon, etc. all did a little dance with varying degrees of chill. from granata to creamy, this dish was artfully presented on a black/​sapphire colored dish — a mesmerizing presentation because of the contrast to a sharp acidic sweet taste, a joyful color, and a sinister backdrop. the sort of cloying dessert that makes you think «this is what a love affair feels like»
the preparation of anchovies here deserves some respect. i dont know if i need to rationalize it, but first, anchovies — not expensive, not regal, not anything. but yet they pack a punch that can elevate the raunch or elegance of a bite. second, in fact the way the chef prepares the anchovies is interesting because it never is presented in anything too big for the fish itself. third, anchovies are flexible. a paste, a tiny little filet, a crispy something.
vegetables here are treated with respect here as well. they are more memorable than the meats, yet at this restaurant they serve as a frame and backdrop rather than the star. chef can improve his vegetable interpretation and bring them forward in to the main course, in the daring sort of way that some other restaurants do. my vegetarian friend who dined with us did have a very enjoyable meal, but certainly was hoping for more focus out of the tasting menu for the many dimensions of vegetables
breads were well done.
beef cheek and duck — each prepared very well, but not astounding to the point in which I’ll remember these courses over and above, say, the way chef michael symon of cleveland’s Lalo would prepare a beef cheek dumpling.
has many of the trappings of a great restaurant, and the thematic intent of the meal was definitely on point. needs a bit more time in the cellar — i think it will age well.

what would i do without your smart mouth
drawing me in, you kicking me out
got my head spinning, no kidding, i can’t pin you down
what’s going on in that beautiful mind
i’m on your magical mystery ride
and i’m so dizzy, don’t know what hit me, but i’ll be alright
located on the picturesque rooftop of the beautifully artistic old franciscan house that is tomtom suites, your magical mystery ride awaits you.
my head’s underwater
but i’m breathing fine
you’re crazy and i’m out of my mind
without doubt, just go with the long tasting menu, 160TL and allow around 3 hours even without any wine pairing.
this covers most of their ala carte menu and changes every six weeks following the season’s best produce which istanbul is so abundantly blessed with throughout the year!
you’ll be crazy not to.
’cause all of me
loves all of you
love your curves and all your edges
all your perfect imperfections
give your all to me
i’ll give my all to you
you’re my end and my beginning
even when i lose i’m winning
cause i give you all of me
and you give me all of you, oh
service falls a little shy of perfection but i believe it is more a case of a raw gem waiting to be polished rather than plain incompetence.
pacing of the meal was initially perfect but tapered off significantly after the fourth course, becoming a little draggy in the end, quite possibly due to them running at full house.
luckily, there is the magnifique view to distract us and freshness was also injected, to break the monotony, by having different members of their culinary and service team explain each dish as they are presented.
love it that aylin and kaan took turns to engage the diners, which unfortunately also perhaps explains why the pacing slowed to a crawl at the end.
again, i think they just need to perfect this imperfection.
how many times do i have to tell you
even when you’re crying you’re beautiful too
the world is beating you down, i’m around through every mood
you’re my downfall, you’re my muse
my worst distraction, my rhythm and blues
i can’t stop singing, it’s ringing in my head for you
you can taste all the organic goodness of the well sourced local produce in a light and modern way, accentuated by the couple chef’s flawless cooking techniques.
you simply can’t stop singing their praises after biting into each morsel of reinterpreted classic flavours, bringing you crescendo upon crescendo towards their sweet endings climax.
my head’s underwater
but i’m breathing fine
you’re crazy and i’m out of my mind
ironically, crazy as it sounds, you actually want it all to end so that you can rush home to craft that perfect review for them that justifies their existence as possibly the best restaurant in istanbul.
’cause all of me
loves all of you
love your curves and all your edges
all your perfect imperfections
give your all to me
i’ll give my all to you
you’re my end and my beginning
even when i lose i’m winning
cause i give you all of me
and you give me all of you, oh
give me all of you, oh oh
yes, this might be an end but also a beginning.
i’ll definitely be back to claim my dukedom!
cards on the table, we’re both showing hearts
risking it all, though it’s hard.
i heart nicole!
cause all of me
loves all of you
love your curves and all your edges
all your perfect imperfections
give your all to me
i’ll give my all to you
you’re my end and my beginning
even when i lose i’m winning
cause i give you all of me
and you give me all of you
yes, even if you are the one picking up the bill at the end of this long tasting journey, you will appreciate the fact that you have indeed dined at a clear winner.
i give you all of me
and you give me all, of you, oh oh
yes, we do.