Nicole, Istanbul – Smart Plates, Soft Lighting, and Rooftop Calm

The Setup

Tucked inside a restored 1901 building once home to Franciscan nursing sisters (yes, really), Nicole sits quietly above Istanbul’s rooftops — all brushed concrete, muted lighting, and a very deliberate calm.


Inside it’s white tablecloths, polished service, the gentle clink of cutlery and soft piano music playing in the background. Every table’s been deliberately placed — no duff spots, no awkward corners — nobody has to argue about the best seat. Just quiet elegance and a clear focus: the view. Hard to beat. Rooftop skyline, soft skies, and the kind of light that flatters everyone.

Tables spaced wide enough that you won’t hear anyone’s anniversary toast, and the city laid out like it’s trying to impress you.


The Bread course (really does deserve Its Own heading)

If you’re the kind of person who gets a bit too excited about bread, this was a strong start.

  1. A warm, seeded roll with serious crunch.
  2. A glossy, slightly sweet slice of something cake-adjacent.
  3. And then, quietly placed down like it wasn’t a big deal: a fried cheese bite sat in a shallow pool of olive oil, crisp on the outside, molten inside, and frankly the kind of thing I’d eat twelve of if they let me.
The Menu

Twelve smart courses that quietly show off. 


Turkish at the core, but dressed for dinner — nothing felt gimmicky, and every dish tasted as considered as it looked.
Some favourites:
  1. Uyukuluk Krem Karamel & Çerkez Öreği – sweetbread cream caramel and a tiny Circassian duck bite. I wasn’t exactly excited about the sweetbread — it’s not something I’d usually go near — but it was rich, silky, and surprisingly subtle.
  2. Pastramili Yumurta – fish pastrami and anise-scented Ezine cheese. Slightly breakfast-adjacent but in a very elegant, not-wearing-pyjamas way.
  3. Dolma – layered with bulgur and smoked yoghurt, nothing like the usual version. Clean, clever, and quietly brilliant.
  4. Catch of the Day – curled into a rosette and swimming in a sharp brown butter and artichoke sauce. Possibly the best one on the menu.
  5. Chicken Kazandibi – crisp skin, soft centre, wild mushroom sauce. Simple flavours, done well.
  6. Lamb Shoulder – with fermented pepper purée and jus. Rich, balanced, and paired with a deep, earthy morel mushroom that held its own.
  7. Künefe – a light take on the classic, with pistachio purée and cheese. Just sweet enough. Nothing syrupy, no sugar crash.

The Wine

We went for the pairing. Obviously.

Mostly Turkish bottles — and honestly, Turkey’s not somewhere you expect standout wine from, but we were genuinely impressed. Clean whites, interesting reds, nothing clunky or overly sweet. Thoughtful choices that matched the food without competing with it. And no one tried to give us a lecture about tannins, which always helps.

The Verdict

Nicole doesn’t push. It just gets everything right and waits for you to notice. If you want an evening that’s stylish but relaxed, impressive but unshowy — this is your spot.

✔ For: calm celebrations, low-key romance, food people

✖ Not for: big groups, picky eaters, or anyone who needs chips on the side

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fine Mess, Athens: A tasting menu that gets better the messier it gets

Image
The Setup This was our second visit — the first was a few years ago, but it stayed with us. The kind of meal you benchmark others against, without realising. We booked again. Early — too early, probably — and arrived to an empty restaurant. Not in a sad way. Just us, the staff, and the confidence of a place that doesn’t need a crowd to perform. Everything prepped, music low, that calm buzz you only get from a kitchen that knows exactly what it's doing. It’s called Fine Mess, which sounds like a punchline — and then you step in and find a full-size Harley Davidson parked up, a smokehouse burning away at the back, and décor that’s half brasserie, half modern lumberjack den. The name turns out to be a mission statement — chaotic, smoky, but sharply curated. Smokehouse Credentials Fine Mess styles itself as a contemporary expression of low & slow barbecue and Creole cuisine. Think American smokehouse, with custom-made smokers using seasoned beech wood to smoke everything from chees...
Read more

Explora I: Our Suite Life at Sea

Image
I wanna get the important stuff out of the way first: yes, the bed was perfect. Soft sheets, plump pillows, and a proper mattress you actually look forward to collapsing into after a day of sun, sea, and too many vodka martinis. But it wasn’t just about the bed. Explora I has clearly taken the phrase “home away from home” and dialled it up to sleek, ship-shape luxury. The Suite Setup We stayed in one of the Ocean Terrace Suites — all suites on Explora I have balconies as standard, which should be law frankly. Ours came with a proper little living area, a very spacious balcony with a lounger and table for two, a huge bed that somehow got comfier by the night, and a bathroom that made other cruise ship loos feel like airport cubicles. Drawers were plentiful, the walk-in wardrobe was massive (and lit like a mini boutique), and actually big enough to sleep in ( yes, I know this from first hand experience but that is another story entirely). The carpet was thick and soft underfoot, and...
Read more

Huset, Svalbard — fine dining at the top of the world

Image
  Once upon a time, Huset (“the house”) was where Longyearbyen came to dance, drink, and debate. Built in 1951 as the town’s social hall, it hosted everything from films and political meetings to weddings and rowdy Saturday parties for the coal miners. It was, quite literally, the house — the beating heart of this tiny Arctic settlement long before the world started flying in to see polar bears. These days, it’s a little more refined — but you can still feel the bones of its history. The old projection room remains, film reels stacked like museum pieces, and the red velvet curtains of the former cinema now frame a dining room that’s gone from showing movies to serving Michelin-level food. Upstairs, the bar is a moody time capsule of mid-century Norway: heavy velvet booths, portraits of bearded explorers, and lamps so large and fringed they could double as parachutes. Downstairs, the fine dining restaurant feels calm, warm and quietly confident — candlelight glinting off glassware...
Read more