See it to believe it

Everyone's feeling the pinch in these depressing financial times. From producers to consumers, everyone's looking out for ways to stretch the buck. With inflation daily running amok, the former are anxiously monitoring the bottom line or their profit margin while the latter are particularly in a quandary as to what to do with their daily budgets.
 
Well, from the business end, it makes a lot of sense to empathize with the end users than to lend them a deaf ear. Bad times or not, the law of supply and demand determines how a particular business survives a crisis.
 
If what I discovered on a jaunt down Istiklal the other day is any indication, some business owners are already smarting from the spending crunch on the part of their customers. Some have drastically rolled back prices to a past decade level or at least to the last Turkish Lira crisis.
 
Take the case of Markiz Café Restoran. Occupying the enviable frontage of one of Istiklal's few surviving and authentic 19th century building - known as Passage Orientale or its by its Turkish name Sark Aynalı Carşı- it was a landmark patisserie, a favorite of those who find themselves in the vicinity of the Russian and Swedish consulates in the Tünel area, until three months ago. That was right when the tremors of the world financial crisis started to be felt in these shores. Well, instead of continuing the tradition of serving simply tea, coffee and their much vaunted baked goods, as started by one Eduard Lebon who settled in Istanbul during the Crimean War, the management has taken the unthinkable route for such an establishment by becoming more accessible to the general public at large as a - gasp - fast food joint. But hold on…it's actually a restaurant with fast service and, most importantly, fast-food prices.
 
As a restaurant, it can easily compete with those with pretensions for atmosphere. Already in place, occupying almost the whole swathe of the left wall to the entrance, are the much remarked Art Nouveau tile panels by the artist J.A. Arnoux, said to have been commissioned in 1905 and produced in France. Representing the seasons, only two of the panels survived being transported here and ended up being installed. Judging by the quick glance they give the art work, it seems that most arriving customers are not missing the other two at all nor would they be able to tell which seasons the ones on the wall pertain to unless they have some rudimentary French. But if historic pedigree has to be brandished, this two-story shop was designed by Alexandre Vallaury (1850-1921) the foremost Levantine Turk architect of the end part of the Ottoman times and who is credited for the popularity of Beaux Arts and neo-classical buildings at one point in this city's architectural history. He was responsible for the likes of the Imperial College of Medicine in Kadıköy, and the Istanbul Archaeological Museum in Sultanahmet, among a long list of achievements
 
Just disregard its built-in history, however, if you're here because this place is out-buzzing any bistro anywhere in Asmalımescit or the whole length of Istiklal. Since the change of business strategy, a lot of people have gotten whiff of the unbelievably retro prices tagged to the food and beverage on offer. Real Recession Specials, if you ask me. You really have to see it to believe it.
 
Here's a quick rundown of the items in their menu, all feast-to-the-eyes garnished and presented: Pasta 2.50 TL; Burgers and Sandwiches 3TL; Manti or Turkish Dumplings 4TL; Chicken Schnitzel or Chicken in mushroom sauce or Köfte, all accompanied with green salad, rice and fries 5TL; "Rose" Chicken 6TL; Desserts: Tiramisu or Brownie 2.50TL; Espresso or Cappuccino 2.50TL.
 
Let me quickly add that the food is all tasty and better prepared than in other much more expensive eateries and cannot be lumped in the fast food category despite the price points. Oh, and if it's a depression more than the monetary kind that you find yourself in, this place will lift your spirit with the kind of attentive and efficient service of its smartly black-clad and good-looking wait staff.
 
Markiz Café Restoran
Asmalımescit Mah. Istiklal Caddesi No. 120, Beyoğlu
Open 9am to midnight daily
Tel. 0212-252 2701; 252 2702