Bosphorus

Was a bit apprehensive after seeing other reviews about eating here… But took a chance as the other places weren’t appealing enough to me.
(I’m a self proclaimed foodie and have travelled extensively and grown up in India and the Middle East) I and the other four who were with me were very happy with the food.
The food took some time to come to the table, but I can understand why as grilling meat takes time and there is nothing you can do to accelerate this process nor «pre-​cook» the food like they do in a lot of «Indian» restaurants.
The kebabs were well cooked, the salads and bread were fresh.
The portions were good and the food was reasonably priced.
The only thing I was a bit disappointed with was the fact that they did not have bulgur (wheat accompaniment with the kebabs that is a staple of Turkish food)
I agree that the food could have a bit more flair and glamour, but then again I don’t know how much of it will be tolerated by the people frequenting the area.

Great location by spectacularly wrong for mood and atmosphere, at least at lunch — ditch the tablecloths and uniformed waiter, redecorate simpler, rustic and make the menu more snacky for lunchtime traffic and they will come ! As it is, slightly above average food — but only just — and feels lacking in customers!

This place never seems that busy and I don’t know how it survives — the only think I can think of is that it is run by Turkish mafia who use it as a façade to launder money and throw people, who get in their way, into the bay whilst wearing cement suits (obviously this is a ridiculous view and not the view of Unilocal).
I went here with my partner one Saturday night — we were a little tipsy so the wait for our meals didn’t seem as long. I can’t remember what I had but I remember thinking I’ve ordered the wrong dish. My partner had the felafel’s and I have to say there would have been more moisture in a box of matches full of sawdust.
Maybe we had a bad night /​ordered the wrong dishes /​picked a night the main chef was on holiday but I don’t feel like going there again. Which s a pity as the location and design of the restaurant is lovely (its glass on all sides and sits on stilts actually standing in the bay).

I’m going to have to revoke everything I said about this place. My lovely and I took our friends here the other night for what we thought was going to be great meal. It ended up that a member of staff was about to get thrown over the side!
The service was utterly disgusting, after waiting nearly 40 mins for our first course to come they told us that they didn’t have the chicken my friend ordered… Being a fussy eater her just told them to leave it in the end. So this kept going on throughout the night on every course, not getting our table cleaned, getting blanked by staff, waved off when we were calling them etc.
3 hours later I told them I was going to pay their over expensive bill to how I felt I’ve been treated. The waiter then went on a rant and asked if giving me the restaurant was enough… After fishing him out of the Bay water, the manager came up to me and was very apologetic and a hell of alot nicer. It was no excuse and his were poor to be honest.
We weren’t the only ones either, several people told them they werent happy in the slightest and weren’t paying the full amount.
It is the way they handled it and their blatant arrogance that will make me tell everyone and anyone that goes near that place to avoid it like the plague. Yes, there are bad days at the office, but when you handle it they the way they did, you don’t deserve a second chance. Honestly the worst meal I’ve ever had and have never been left feeling so insulted in all my life.

Last time i went to this restaurant it was with a group of 6, I turned up late due to work. They took my coat and even had a place for my umbrella. Seating was an issue as they try to cram as much in as possible. The location is very impressive and the view is priceless at night. The service I receive was rather neutral, but it seem laboured as if they didn’t enjoy what they were doing. We all enjoyed ourselves anyway, shame I spilt red wine all over the table that probably didn’t win me any friends from the staff. A turkish menu is a rare treat that I wouldn’t have chosen but the food was reasonable, I had no complaints.
I love the location and the bar is fine but i think they have big problems as the size is cramped and I’d imagine it would be in the kitchen so how do they cope imagine the logistics no wonder all the staff seem down. I wouldn’t recommend it to my friends but I don’t think they survive on repeat customers, it’s a novel location and you could get lucky and have a good night but it won’t be because of the service.