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Asitane Restaurant prides itself on offering Ottoman cuisine for its diners’ pleasure. Its recipes are from Topkapý, Dolmabahçe and Edirne Palaces’ kitchens. The restaurant’s staff has collected many old recipes that might easily have been lost forever
If by visiting Asitane, you expect an Ottoman atmosphere in a restaurant that prides itself on serving dishes from an Ottoman kitchen, you will be sadly disappointed. There is very little to distinguish this Edirnekapý restaurant from any number of up-scale restaurants in Beyoðlu or Niþantaþý, or even Bebek for that matter.
You are likely not to go as far as Edirnekapý just for food, but you would go for the ambiance of a restored Byzantine church, with glorious mosaics and a number of charmingly restored houses. There is also the Kariye Hotel, originally a 19th century mansion that looks after the restaurant, although they are separate structures. One should not forget the couple of dozen men who sell trinkets and souvenirs on the street as you walk toward the church and restaurant.
If coming by car, parking is two-three blocks away from the restaurant and while public transport is readily available, it means an even longer walk. The area is rather run-down but it is highly unlikely anyone will give cause for concern.
The church is unmissable, its domes seen above apartment building rooftops. If you are there during the day, you will certainly want to pay it a visit or even a return visit, it has been preserved as a museum. This is a church that has been studied and restored and written about.
Asitane Restaurant is next door in what must have been part of the church complex many centuries ago. Although the word asitane is Persian for "head gate," there appears to be no particular reason the restaurant has that name. Stairs along the side of the building lead to the ground floor where the restaurant is located. The interior is modern, white and has plain tables. The only Ottoman decor is a small alcove at the entrance with an Ottoman-style divan and tray, where one can have tea, or wait for an inside table when the weather is cool, or downright unpleasant. Summer is a great time to visit as guests can sit outside.
The restaurant first opened in 1990 as part of a renovation being carried out by the Turkish Automobile and Touring Association. The head of the organization, Çelik Gülersoy, was enthusiastic about restoring old buildings and converting them for new uses and he has been enormously successful.
More: http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/lifestyle/10415636.asp?gid=262
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Real Ottoman or not, the food they served in summer 2007 when I was there still waters my mouth and Kariye Müse is a place one definitely should not miss, what a gorgeous fresco´s!
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