Rene Ames revisits a TOIST favorite and 2002 Time Out/Miller Food and Drink award-winner.

A would-be restaurateur would need a good dose of mojo to open in Istanbul’s overly-crowded gastronomic market. And s/he shouldn’t be superstitious if the place were to be situated on the top 13th floor of a modern office building in, of all places, Akaretler in Beşiktaş. More than a decade ago, nobody came to this part of town for fine dining. And even when it was just downhill from neighboring chichi Nişantaşı, there was just no scene of any kind to speak of. Well, that was then…
 
As it turned out, the location was one clairvoyantly genius decision for Istanbul Doors Restaurant Group because soon after it opened the Vogue in June 1997, the restaurant rose to be one of this city’s top-tier dining destinations, receiving top honors from the Zagat Survey and a F&B Time Out/Miller Istanbul award in 2002.
 
Going on its 12th year, the Vogue has lately found itself in the midst of a real estate development in what is a.k.a. Istanbul’s Rodeo Drive and the local fashionistas’ new haunt. For those living under a rock: the previously quite neighborhood of Akaretler has transformed its 19th-century Row Houses into elegant retail spaces for leading European and American fashion designers, luxury goods purveyors, trendy coffee shops and bistros. Even the style-conscious W Hotel recently set up camp in its most prime spot. In The area has become the newest chic/cool hood for a city tired of familiar places and Istanbul Doors welcomes the development like a visionary confirmed.
 
When a dining companion and I dropped in at 8 on a Friday evening, we felt the teeming energy as soon as we stepped off the lift, with pairs and groups coming and going (if not for a seated meal, for drinks at the long rectangular bar), with almost no let up until closing time. And we were immediately impressed by the professionally friendly demeanor of the staff unfazed by the heavy customer traffic, which happily deflected our critical eye off the retro feel of its glass and chrome interiors.
 
We also noted everyone working there as having a good command of English, from the hostess greeting the arrivals, to the waiter and the busboys answering our every dining curiosity and request. The waiter assigned to our table, in particular, was forthcoming with the menu’s contents and suggestions. Even more convivial was manager Cem Akkas, who introduced himself as our dinner was winding down and whom we complimented for his staff’s supplemental language skills.
 
As to its much vaunted glass floor-to-ceiling, wrap-around view of the Bosphorus that’s been rhapsodically commented in some travel guides, let’s just say that other terrace places all over this city have since offered more distinctly spectacular panoramas than from this site; which doesn’t mean that we didn’t appreciate the sights of identifiable landmarks and lighted ships gliding by from where we sat. Perhaps enjoying the view outside in the terrace beyond the glass, on a balmy summer evening would augment our opinion of it.
 
Vogue is well known for its sushi so we sped the ordering process along, while enjoying our Mojitos and bread with tapenade, by immediately asking for a sampler plate of both the makimono (rolled) and Nigiri sushi. While waiting for it, I noticed that most of the tables near us were being served fish concoctions in every shape, color and form, including Te Maki (sushi wrapped with seaweed) and Sashimi (raw fish). Some diners were partaking collectively-ordered pieces from around 65 different combinations.
 
After munching on the unusually crispy sesame seeds enveloping the Vogue Special Makimono rolls (14TL), which contrasted with soft fish cuts underneath them, and going on to savor the distinct tastes of various pairings of rice and fish with vegetable bits – from Salmon Skin Maki (12TL), Umagi Maki (12TL), Ebi Nigiri (10TL) to the Caviar Nigiri (29TL) that provided a delightful tingle to the tongue- I decided that here in the 13th floor is definitely closest to sushi heaven. When told that the sushi chef in residence was not Japanese but Thai, I shrugged. Ethnic origins should not matter with sushi this good.
 
Not so transcendental but winning nonetheless were our choices from the 16 items comprising the Main Courses, which, going by the list, reveals that the secret to Vogue’s enduring success is the well-edited and well-executed short menu relying heavily on crowd-pleasing Mediterranean-Asian fusion cuisine. A prime Mediterranean example was the Roasted Lamb Shank with Warm Roasted Eggplant and Pickled Cherry Tomato (35TL), which was simply presented and arrived soft-as-butter. My platter of Grilled Jumbo Prawns in Coconut Sauce with Baby Arugula Leaves (59TL) was an ode to culinary minimalism and had an unmistakable touch of the Far East.
 
Desserts are usually created with more artistic flourish than the entrees, so it was hard to detect immediately the Turkish provenance of the two we chose until they unloaded familiar flavors in the mouth. The Warm Semolina with Vanilla sauce (____TL) was definitely a reinterpretation of Irmik Helvası down to its grainy texture, while the Orange-flavored Marzipan (____TL) turned out to be the fuller embodiment of our beloved Badem Ezmesi chunks. Clever!   
 
 
Vogue Restaurant & Bar
Spor Caddesi, BJK Plaza / A Block / 13th floor / Akaretler
Istanbul – Beşiktaş
Phone: +90-212/227 4404
www.istanbuldoors.com
Open daily from 12noon till 3pm for lunch; 19:00 till 02:00 for dinner & bar. An open-buffet breakfast is served from 10:30 till 4pm on Sundays. Reservations required.
All credit cards are valid; valet parking service is available.
Capacity: 150 in winter and 240 in summer
 

It’s in the details
 
The six-part menu consists of Sushi a la carte (4-38TL each piece), Starters (19-35TL), Salads (16-29TL), Pasta-Risotto (19-29TL, Main Courses (27-89TL) and Desserts (9-14TL). There are vegetarian options each in the Pasta and the Salads.
 
Some of items of the Main Courses that caught my attention for the simplicity of concepts were the Yogurt Marinated Chicken with Coconut Couscous and Apple-Grape Molasses Sauce (29TL); Roasted Duck With Sweet Potato Tatin, Wild Rice And Dried Fig Sauce (35TL); Herbed Veal Fillet Roulade With Potato-Parmesan Raviolini And Bone-marrow Sauce (39TL); and the most pricey offering of Fresh Herbs Flavored Lobster With Watercress Leaves And Baby Vegetable (89TL). I love it when a restaurant of this level is confident enough to show restrained deftness.  
 

Wino’s delight
 
Vogue’s Book of Wine was IDRG’s first wine menu listing 200 selected wines from various wine-producing countries and includes info on their individual taste, aroma and flavor.
 
For this dinner, we decided to stick to whites that could bridge the disparate tastes of Sushi as starters and the intricate flavors of the entrees. Vogue’s house wine (15TL/glass) was mellow and mild and went well with the former but didn’t live up to the latter. We then switched to an Australian Cabernet Sauvignon (124TL/bottle), which did a better job.
 
Cigar lovers can chump on the fact that the restaurant offers a wide selection.
 
 


Istanbul Doors Restaurant Group
 
Istanbul Doors Restaurant Group runs other must-visit locales like Angelique and TOIST 2009 Best New Restaurant Zuma both in Ortaköy; Da Mario, arguably the city’s first Italian restaurant, in Etiler; the pan-oriental Wan-na in Pera; as well as Kitchenette, a French-style brasserie chain located in Taksim, Bebek and in the leading shopping malls (Kanyon, Astoria, Capacity, Capitol, Palladium. There’s even one in Ankara.
 
With Ajia in Kanlıca, in the restored Ahmet Raşim Paşa mansion by the Bosphorus’ Asian side, the group is expanding into boutique hostelry while Private Room is their private party venue.