One day I went a-wandering. I set out for an entire day of tourism, hitting some of Istanbul’s must see hot-spots. I had planned a whole day devoted to the Istanbul Modern, Galata Tower, and Sur Ocakbaşı. But, as they say, “the best laid plans of mice and men . . . ” After exiting the port terminal, while wandering along a road in Karaköy in search of the Istanbul Modern with one of my dearest friends, I happened upon a real gem — it was love at first sight. Perched in the shadow of the Istanbul Modern, ColoNie is a trailblazer in Istanbul’s culinary revolution. The open design of the restaurant is a thing of simple beauty. Garage doors provide an amazing view of barbed wire and industrial fencing. Lovely, right? Karaköy is in transition and ColoNie is one of a handful intrepid businesses to open in the new and improved (?) area. I am not familiar with the old Karaköy myself, but many have suggested the influx of money and industry has taken a bit of charm from the area. But I digress, back to ColoNie.
Upon stumbling on ColoNie, I was immediately struck by the imaginative design of the restaurant. Industrial lighting was used generously, a bookcase was recessed into one corner, and a Vespa (pale blue to match the interior) was parked in another corner. When I say that ColoNie has an open designed, I do mean that it is truly open. The servers’ station sits, looking immaculate, in the middle of the restaurant. And following one of the best practices of modern restaurants, ColoNie has an open kitchen. The chefs’ smile and wave as they create what can only be described as magic. Amazing amounts of detail went into designing and appointing the space that ColoNie occupies.
The menu reads like a foodie’s fantasy, offering delectable dishes such as octopus carppaccio and tuna tartar. Once I entered ColoNie, there was no turning back. I had to try SOMETHING! I decided on the octopus carppaccio, the seared tuna with truffle and ginger, and the spaghetti carbonara.
Other visits (yes, I have already been more than once) have included fresh lemonade (tasty, but not worth the 15 TL a glass price tag), seafood spring rolls, seafood lasagna, and tuna tartar.
To suggest that everything that I had at ColoNie was the absolute best would be disingenuous. What I will say is that ColoNie’s take on carbonara is creamy and flavorful in all the right places, though the traditional bacon is not used in this recipe. I actually ordered the carbonara on both occasions and was not disappointed either time.
Likewise, the octopus carpaccio was another winner. Octopus is easy to over-cook, making it tough. But the octopus at ColoNie was prepared so perfectly that it nearly melted in our mouths. Every bite was a bit of magic for our taste-buds.
Finally, the seared ginger salmon with truffle oil was a thing of culinary art. I was impressed with both the appearance of the dish and the affect the flavor profile had on my taste buds.
But was everything up to the level of these dishes? Not quite. The seafood lasagna was not particularly memorable (other than the picture I took of it). The tuna tartar was flavorful and tasty, including gratuitous amounts of avocado. But while the tuna tartar was not bad, anyone who has had the dish before will probably be both impressed and disappointed at the same time: impressed that they found tuna tartar in Istanbul, and disappointed that the dish wasn’t prepared in the manner they were used to. Tuna tartar should melt. While the ColoNie take on the dish did melt, I might suggest that it did not melt fast enough and that the precision with which the fish is cut makes a HUGE difference in how enjoyable the dish ultimately is.
Taking daring leaps in their offerings and flavor profiles, ColoNie tantalizes its guests. It’s easy to see how ColoNie will be a big draw once the construction in the area has been completed. All the more reason to go check it out before the crowds descend!
Ellis Turner is a contributor to Yabangee and blogs at The Food Pornographers Guide to the Galaxy
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