Dear all,
2 days ago I made a comment for a Michelin Star given restaurant in located in Istanbul/Turkey named “Araka”
My comment was in Turkish language. After I posted, I saaw that my comment was hidden and not showed to other people. Then I erased it and repost it as english language. It is still hidden. I double check my comment if there is a prohibited word and problem for terms of use. But still cannot see any problem. It is nearly same style as my other comments. Is there such possibility that owner of restaurant blocked me? If not, how can I find a solution for comment to be showed.
Here is my comment for “Araka” restaurant given Michelin Star few days ago and located in Istanbul/Turkey
I gave 2 stars:
First, we got the “Acı Turşulu Ilık Zeytin Salatası” as we saw it differently. As you can read on the menu, it is served with pumpkin paste with zahter. Since, it is successful in presentation and green olive is the dominant flavor in taste, zahter and pumpkin paste remain in the background. If you taste it independently, which should not be eaten that way, you will find that two flavors separated and cannot form a whole.
Second we got the “Izgara Bebek Kalamar”. Served with almond tarator and chard. Integrity is something that can be achieved with tarator. I must say that the plate has nothing special. Chard remains independent of the other 2 flavors; Although it adds visuality, there is no integrity in taste. Taste is very weak.
Last of all, we got the “Ördek Confit”. We wanted to try this plate cause looking different in ingredient. It is served with noodles, vine leaves, beets and raspberries. Honestly saying, it’s the most soupy plate I’ve ever seen. In order not to be unfair, I tried all the flavors on the plate little by little and tried it at once. Noodles are the noodles you know, the vine leaves are crispy presented, there is nothing special about beetroot and raspberry. Visuality is beautiful, but there is no integrity in taste. Although I did not see how the duck was prepared, I can say that it was the most bland duck meat I have ever eaten. It was flavorless as if it had been boiled.
It may be wise to combine things that no one would think of, but as long as the integrity of the taste is ensured. My suggestion for the first dish is to increase the amount of zahter and enrich it with two or even three different spices, such as coriander. My suggestion for the second plate is to remove the chard immediately. Chard is an overpowering and bitter taste, whereas calamari is mouth-watering. My suggestion for the last plate; when using duck meat, it is good to use fried skin of it, noodles have a very, very neutral taste. Noodles with flavors such as walnut and tulum cheese are only things can make it aromatic. I’ve seen 2 of beet noodle in different places before. Raspberry is so irrelevant. Wouldn’t a sweeter forest fruit be better?
Let me talk about other things I did not like. We had to ask for bread every time. Plate came but without serving a bread. It would be correct to serve bread until the end; in such dishes with sauce accumulated at the bottom, neccesary. Unfortunately, their own dog, pet dog, is walking around inside. We love animals, but it would be right to be sensitive in the eating environment. Finally, giving 70TL for 1 bottle of Uludağ brand water was an exaggeration compared to all the places I’ve been to. The most expensive price is 19TL for same water, make it 40-45TL. 70 TL making feel like sckr.
I found it weak in terms of price/taste balance. We paid 1825TL for 2 people with 12% service charge. So about $100. Please note that we did not drink. It’s a pretty high price for 3 plates of food, I can’t say we’re full.
Taste: 3/10
Price: 2/10
Environment: 4/10