Orient Express Hotel’s İmbat Restaurant takes us high above the ground for a view of the Galata Tower and Bosphorus. It’s also elegant and cosy, with dark colours on the walls, white tablecloths on the tables and – did I mention the view? When it comes to the food, İmbat Restaurant offers dishes whose flashy presentation might have you expecting over-the-top flavour. Yet you’ll be surprised to find that İmbat Restaurant offers healthy fare. The eggplant bükme, a vegetarian variant on a fried wrap served with Aegean herbs and goat cheese, is our choice on from the warm starters menu. It is crispy, with just enough tang in the goat cheese to compliment the earthiness of eggplant.
As for the main event, we’ve got two recommendations, depending on your gastronomic preference. Mıstanya kuzu fırın, or oven-roasted lamb, comes served on a bed of potato-veggie puree with a cranberrychestnut sauce, perfect for winter. The meat’s tasty, though frankly, an emphasis on ‘mild’ leads to lower levels of butter and salt than we’d like. Still, the fresh potato puree tastes just as it should, with no added flavours. And let’s not forget the fantastic sauce, which manages to add flavour to the dish without overpowering it. Next, we try the hefty grilled sea bass fit for two people, served on a bed of delectable creamy spinach alongside spicy potatoes. An avocado-and-pepper interlude complements the fresh sea bass for a tangy, light finish. This is by far our favourite main course at İmbat.
For dessert, the chef recommends cevizli incir dolması, or figs stuffed with walnuts, served with pistachios and vanilla ice cream. Again, I must confess that figs are not a particular favourite of mine... Yet İmbat has me sold on dessert, too. From the crunch of the walnut as you cut into the figs to the play of sweet vanilla ice cream with dates and nuts, İmbat’s winning dessert is bound to have you hooked.
FROM THE MENU
Patlıcan bükme 12 TL
Mıstanya kuzu fırın 29 TL
Grilled sea bass 29 TL
Walnut-stuffed figs and ice cream 9 TL