EXPLORING NEW HEIGHTS -- NU TERAS
Ensconced between two seas and soaring high atop the Bosphurus, Istanbul's heights has become a muse for its top restaurateurs.
Case in point: Celebrity chef and resturateur extraordinaire Mehmet Gürs's swanky Nu Teras. The locale boasts an easygoing air with a Sandinavian minimalist decor that highlights a Middle Eastern inspired menu, and of course a prime view atop the Golden Horn.
Way up in the increasingly posh Tepebasi neighborhood -- or Pera during la Belle Epoque, Nu Teras continues to vow its artsy, high brow clientele in eighth year of operation. It's dressed in a purely Scandinavian décor that liberates the eye from its form to allow the view of sunkist of mosques and the glittering waters below to shine.
Here's what to expect in this two-in-one -- restaurant and night club -- spot. The menu mixes salads, pasta, pizza and a slew of desserts. It diverges, however, with a spin on the typical meze platter, which is labeled small food. They're appetizingly prized -- and really minute, so you're actually encouraged to delight in several. There's a perfect baker's dozen offering of mains that, interestingly enough, include spicy lamb and bacon (as in pork!) sausage dispatched pipping hot from its broad open kitchen. The dish is not only succulelnt but also rare to find in a city that's becoming increasingly obedient when it comes to Muslim commandments.
Nu Teras' groovy nightclub, which hits its stride at 11 p.m. nightly, is perhaps the main reason why Istanbulus flock en masse to this place come weekends. Conceptually dazzling, the raised Plexiglas platform that serves as a dance floor is bathed in blue light. It simulates a swimming pool, which when the summer heat's in full swing, goes a long way to subconsciously refresh the crowds. And if that's not enough to cool down, the terrace beckons with Istanbul's singular panorama right outside.
ESSENTIALS
ADDRESS: Mesrutiyet Caddesi 67/6, Tepebasi/Beyoglu
PHONE: +90.212.245.6039
HOURS: Restaurant: Two dinner seatings at 7 and 10:30 p.m.
Nightclub: Sun.- Thurs., 11 p.m.-4 a.m.; Fri. & Sat. midnight-4 a.m.
STRICTLY SPEAKING
TO GO OUT = ÇIKMAK (Pron. Cheekmak)