GAY PAREE IN BEYOGLU
Offering respite for those KO'd on kebabs or passed out on pilaf, a new swanky diner's opened its doors in the back streets of Beyoglu, ratcheting up the area's already trendy continental ambience.
La Brise, a brasserie launched in March by Teoman Hünal who brought the ridiculously popular British bar concept The North Shields to Istanbul, is set in the ground floor of a refurbished late 19th- century townhouse. Boasting all but 20 linen-covered tables set so close that going to the petit coin becomes a veritable obstacle course, walls of cherry wood pocked by ochre panels and mirrors reflecting the flicker of candles all add to the enchantment. And so do the sounds of Edith Piaf and Jacques Brel piped in over cleverly concealed speakers.
Crossing the dining room filled with a barrage of well-clad, iPhone-totting 20-something's to a corner table meant to accommodate two midgets, my 6-foot hubby and I--rather on the tall, healthy side as well, is all but an easy feat. Complying to our surroundings, we tuck in our frames and glance over a menu inspired straight from Alsace-Lorraine.
We order the rudimentary salade verte and steak, with a Chilean merlot that inspires me over the indigineous vintages I know will disappoint and the 200-lira Californian Mondavi I desire but know I can buy for less than 15 dollars at Trader Joe's in Los Angeles.
After breathing for 10 minutes, the claret does justice to a superbly dressed butter lettuce with fresh garlic, cherry tomatoes and filaments of green peppers. Next , a three inch-thick slab of entrecôte and thick frites stuffed in a metal goblet arrive. The meat lacks tenderness and deepens my craving for a Black Angus cut; the french fries are a sorry--hmmmm...soggy--accompaniment. But at 35 liras, it's a decent meal.
With musician friends from LA perfroming in less than a half-hour at Babylon just around the corner, we pass on the espresso and mousse au chocolat and proceed with the bill. At just 100 liras for my meal and the lackluster lamb chops over mashed potatoes my husband had, the tête-á-tête repast was quite affordable. Oh... And the ubiquitous cover charge for fresh bread and bottle water is just 5 liras per person. The black-vested garçons provide more than adequate service, although their knowledge of the food carte surpasses that of the wine list.
I'll be back to try their moules mariniéres.
LA BRISE
PHONE:+90.212.244 48 46
ADDRESS: Asmalimescit Caddesi 28