This week, I would like to tell you about two different restaurants on the European and Anatolian sides. The first venue in Koşuyolu on the Anatolian side of Istanbul is my personal favorite. It's calm, simple and relatively unexplored. I would like to tell you about Kipos, the best seafood restaurant. Kipos, which means "garden of philosophy" in Greek, is a villa-turned-restaurant nestled in a large garden with a rich menu of Aegean cuisine. The full name of the restaurant, "Kipos Ayvalık Cuisine," refers to this delicacy. Olive oil, spices, herbs and other ingredients come from Ayvalık - even the decorative items. The venue, operated by Gönül Tigün, creates the full Aegean atmosphere with green shutters on the windows, trees with beautiful vines and Greek music that plays in the background and takes you on a journey from the Marmara Sea to the Aegean. The lower garden of the venue is especially enjoyable. I recommend that you book your tables beforehand for a seat in this garden that offers views of cherry and pomegranate trees.Tigün greeted us at the door of the venue. She is a true Istanbul lady with 10 years of business experience and has been operating Kipos for a year-and-a-half. At the entrance, you can easily choose from the starters on display in the refrigerator. The kitchen is an open kitchen that is always open in plain view of customers. The appetizers are rather creative and include delicious kidney beans with caramelized onions - a dish that takes eight hours to prepare. In addition, the fava served with onions is incredibly soft - not tough like the typical fava. A special treats containing cheese curds in eggplant, known as Rum Böreği, is a rather unique dish. The one I prefer the most is Ayvalık Lokumu. This venue features mixed seafood with pistachios and black currants shaped into balls and topped with sea bass. A similar dish that mixes cheddar cheese with grouper fish is also available and is simply very creative and incredibly delicious.The creative dishes at Kipos do not stop there. A fried dish called Lavunya is especially tasty and contains green beans, carrots and seafood. Some of the most distinct tastes include phyllo pastries and seafood garnished with dill. They also offer a delicious mussel, made with rice and saffron for those who love mussels. In short, these starters offer unique tastes you have never experienced before. I loved the variety of fresh fish as well, which customers can choose from to suit their tastes. Customers can also participate in the cooking process, watching chefs prepare fish and offering personal suggestions to ensure the ultimate food-tasting experience. I congratulate Chef Yahya İnce for the creative recipes he utilizes and recommend that you visit Kipos the first chance you get.Another venue I highly recommend, on the European side of Istanbul, is the Brasserie Restaurant in The Grand Tarabya Hotel. This hotel is a venue that always impresses guests with beautiful views and unique history. The hotel, built between 1957-1965 and opened for service in 1966, was the third five-star hotel to open in Istanbul at the time. The Grand Tarabya Hotel, which gained an important place in social life, has been home to many Yeşilçam movies, and after changing owners numerous times, the hotel reopened in 2013 after a massive renovation project. The Brasserie is a noteworthy restaurant established inside of this historic hotel. Overlooking the Bosporus Strait and the Tarabya Marina, it is as modern as it is minimalist. The restaurant offers samples of world cuisine and is open for lunch and dinner as well as Sunday brunch.The restaurant's menu is rich. You can start with baked pumpkin soup and move on to crab salad before your main course. The crab salad, served with avocado and raspberry, is a unique dish and a self-indulgence. Among the main courses, I recommend the Osso Buco for red-meat lovers. Served with artichokes, it is served with Demi-Glace sauce, which adds a delicious flare to the dish. Among the fish courses, my suggestion is fried sea bass served with sand mussels and sautéed peas. Among desserts, the most unique is the pumpkin dessert served on crisp baklava dough. Although it seems heavy, it is actually a rather light dessert. Chestnut puree on honeyed cake is another dessert that I highly recommend. Try these unique tastes at this historical location as soon as you get the chance.

Top 3 Hotels of the Week

Mandarin Oriental / BodrumAriana Lodge / CappadociaHillside Beach Club / Antalya

Top 3 Venues of the Week

Dirty Hands / AkatlarAnjelique / BodrumLa Maison / Alaçatı

Top 3 People to Follow This Week

Kerem Önger / DJCan Torun / PhotographerGökhan Kuşoğlu / Mixologist

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