There are many wonderful places to be discovered in Istanbul. We have all seen it, a new restaurant opens, and one year later the same restaurant closes and another new one is opened in its place. The important thing is long lasting success. One of these long term restaurants is The Galliard. In my opinion, the restaurant, located in Nispetiye Street in the Etiler District, is the most elegant restaurant of the region. A partner in the business is successful writer Ersin Süzer. The restaurant increases its quality day by day, as Süzer knows well what he should do thanks to his long-term experience both in the food and hospitality sectors and news media. The rich restaurant menu is inspired by Italian, French and Spanish cuisine. The name of the place is means "mutual dance of the Italian and Spanish cultures in renaissance time".The entrance is elegant and there are pictures and white-black photos of Hollywood artists inside. In the middle section, there are chairs and armchairs. I especially admired the lodge, which features canapes, and the big candles placed on the tables in the evenings are very original. Their dim light adds to the already smooth ambiance of the restaurant and the main bar at the entrance is similarly impressive.The terrace overlooking the street below serves lunch and dinner every day of the week and is very pleasant in the summer while Mandarin tree doors add a very natural image to the place.A fine dining service is offered to groups at The Galliard's rear section and in the room on the upper floor, where the decor is more formal and elegant with a concert piano, horse statues and priceless paintings. Zebra patterned chairs and plates made of İznik pottery give the restaurant an air that you cannot get anywhere else on Nispetiye Street.The Gaillard's cocktail menu is offered as a deck of card, which means there is no a separate cocktail menu. You make your choice by looking at the cards. The Cocktail named The Galliard Bartender's is recommended.When it comes to the meals, firstly, the starters are very impressive and I especially liked the bone marrow offered with caramelized pear on toasted bread. The cooked marrow is removed from the bone at your table - an original service - and has a splendid flavor. Also as a starter, the Spanish pastry named "Empanada" is super and is made of mozzarella cheese and corn.For main meals, the goose baked in maple syrup is very delicious. I recommend having risotto with mushroom together with that meal. Risotto is prepared by melting the cheese in an old parmesan cheese wheel. When it comes to the desserts, the sugar burger is really something special. Visit The Galliard at the first opportunity and taste these different flavors.Another restaurant I visited recently is Arola, located in the Raffles Hotel. The restaurant offers unique flavors from Sergi Arola, a chef from Barcelona, and shares the same floor with Long Bar. You can treat yourself by trying the Moscow mule serviced in copper pots or the The Çini cocktail serviced in Ottoman pottery. The place is very modern, dominated by red and there are bull statues made of black marble on the tables the overall effect makes it impossible to forget that you are in a Spanish restaurant. There is chef table in an area separated with panels. In this area, allocated to closed groups, chefs create miracles in front of you, working at the fireside.Offering different samples of Catalan cuisine, everything in Arola is served in a manner that makes sharing easy. The Tapas is assertive and the Tuna Carpaccio, Turkey & Cinnamon Ravioli and Chicken Lollipop should especially be tried. You can eat your selection easily with big pincer-like sticks for Tapas. Goose liver is served together with many of the items on the menu. All of these dishes are delicious.As a main dish, I very much liked Cod Fish and Arroz De Montana, a Spanish classic named Paella with a Turkish twist where the rice is boiled in broth. It is served with veal steak and goose liver. Very nice ivory coated steak knives are given for meat dishes and the white ceramic dishes used for Tapas are small artistic masterpieces.For dessert, creamy mange can be tried. But, my principal favorite is Molecular Fruit Salad. Firstly, fruits lined on a marble piece are served. There is blackberry, blueberry, kiwi, strawberry and pineapple are placed on strawberry ice. Under the marble piece, there is a reservoir for filling water. To my surprise, there was dry ice in the reservoir and a real show starts when a waitress pours hot water inside. Smoke comes from under the marble and covers your table. In a word, the best service I've seen until now! I congratulate all Arola the team. By the way please note that Michelin stared chef Sergi Arola will be in İstanbul from May 31 to June 5 to serve a very special tasty menu at Arola. Don't miss!If you will be around Yeşilyurt this weekend, I recommend you visit Steak Inn, which is very close to the beach. This establishment belongs to Hikmet Adıbelli, one of the first barbecue chiefs of Turkey, and is the unique address of the meal in the region. Wooden tables, trees and Spanish background music offer you a real Mediterranean atmosphere and take you a world away from the street traffic outside.Wooden tables, trees and Spanish background music at Steak Inn offer a real Mediterranean atmosphere and take you to a world away from the street traffic outside.The meals come from the cities of Balıkesir and Çanakkale. I most liked the roasted chickpeas and the big sausage with mozzarella cheese was best sausage I'd ever eaten.There are also quality appetizers at Steak Inn. Creamy spinach is my favorite. Likewise, grilled pineapple slices should be definitely tried. In the "dry aged" refrigerator of the place, there are Himalayan salts. For refreshment, you can taste wines brought specially from the Assyrian Church of Mardin. Needless to say, these are not found everywhere and for dessert, "Sleepless Every Night", a smooth pudding, is delicious not to mention its funny name. In all, Steak Inn offers very tasty meats and is not as expensive as other steak houses and a great place to visit.

Top 3 Restaurant of the Week

- The Galliard / Etiler

- Eden / Harbiye

- Hudson / Arnavutköy

Top 3 Hotels of the Week

- Sacred House / Cappadocia

- St. Regis / Nişantaşı

- Nişanyan / Şirince

Top 3 People to Follow This Week

- Sahra Bilgin / PR Person

- Senem Selimi / Event Organizer

- Kerem Kumbasar / Businessman