Fine Dining in Karaköy

You are in Istanbul and want to spend a memorable evening. What you are looking for is tasty, out of the ordinary dishes that are creative interpretations of traditional Turkish cuisine, a romantic atmosphere set against the natural beauty of the city and excellent service. Furthermore, you are willing to pay extra for the experience. Then, among quite a few other similar restaurants in Istanbul, there is a place in Karaköy where you can have all of the above. The bill will definitely not be modest but, it will be worthwhile if you have the means  and if you are adventurous in culinary matters. As an Istanbulite who has very recently been to the Gallada Restaurant, I can assure you that the menu is a very successful fusion of local dishes, flavours and cooking techniques with those of Central Asia and the Far East.

Gallada is situated at the top of the Peninsula Hotel Istanbul by the Bosphorus. The hotel which opened its doors in February 2023 is situated on the waterfront in Karaköy, within the state-of-the-art Galataport area. Similar to other projects that are part of Galataport, the Peninsula Hotel elegantly blended three beautifully restored historic buildings and a brand new one to create a complex with four buildings. The unique location of the hotel provides a breathtaking view of part of the Asian coast including the Maiden Tower, the Marmara Sea, the Old City and the entrance to the Golden Horn. The scenery  is all the more stunning higher up, at the terrace of the Gallada Restaurant (4^th floor in building 2) where there is also a beautiful garden, all set for a lovely evening.

Officially titled as Gallada by Fatih Tutak, the restaurant is not owned, but is in collaboration with the  globally renowned Turkish chef Fatih Tutak. Defined as Turk-Asian, the concept of the cuisine and the menu is created and overseen by Chef Tutak, who himself is the owner of another restaurant, Turk Fatih Tutak, in Istanbul, which has been awarded two Michelin stars since 2022. (This latter restaurant will be the subject of another post).  Having worked in several countries in the area for many years, Chef Tutak has extensive knowledge on Far Eastern cuisine. The menu that he prepared for Gallada was inspired by the flavours and the cuisine of the countries on the historic Silk Road. Therefore, prepare your palate for an adventure of tastes and cooking techniques of countries ranging from Turkey, through Central Asia, all the way to China.

At Gallada, you are offered both a tasting menu which is curated for the entire number of people at the table or an à la carte menu. You can crown your special meal by picking a local or international option from the wine list. There are also a considerable number of cocktails some of which are signature ones.

To give you more idea about Gallada, here are the dishes that I have tried and found very successful:

Starters

– ‘urla’ artichoke salad, vine leaf, greens (Urla is a small town by the Aegean Sea in West Anatolia)

– beef tartare, with quail egg

– hand chopped lahmacun dumpling

Main Course

– wood fired beef short rib, tomato, yogurt, burnt butter

And last but not least, an absolute dream Dessert

– gallada baklava, buffalo ice cream, boz pistachio

Enjoy your evening… Do not forget to make a reservation.

(*) Source of heading photo: www.galladaistanbul.com