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ISTANBUL
RESTAURANT
(04) 2372-9203
105, WuQuan West 3rd Street
Hours: 11:30 am-2:30 pm, 5-10 pm (open to 3 pm holidays;
no lunch Tuesdays)
Credit cards accepted. 10% service charge.
After a brief hiatus, Taichung's original
Turkish restaurant has moved to a new location along
the Art Museum (WuQuan) Parkway. The new Istanbul can
now easily be described as one of Taichung's most exotic
dining venues. A small outdoor courtyard is dominated
by a Middle Eastern-looking tower of sorts and makes
for a nice seating option when the weather's nice. Inside,
however, is the most impressive area, with the decor
including Turkish-style windows, hanging tapestries,
attractive Turkish colored-glass lamps, carpets, ornate
decorate plates and tiles, pillows, tablecloths, dolls,
wedding costumes, beautiful framed copies of the Koran,
and other items from Istanbul, Cappadocia, Anatolia
and other parts of Turkey. On the second floor, there
are cozy, private balcony tables and a 12-person private
room. The cuisine is equally authentic, with main courses
and breads prepared by Turkish chefs Cenghizhan and
Tahin. Among the many new dishes on the menu are vegetable,
chicken and shrimp "Guvec" dishes (NT$260-290)
baked and served on a traditional, oval-shaped clay
plate. Others include the Sac Kavurma fried chicken
and lamb (NT$290), Mantar Salatasi Mushroom Salad (NT$80),
Ezo Gelin Corbasi "Bride" Soup, puffy fresh-made
Ekmek Turkish bread (NT$60), and Kazandibi Lemon Cream
Pudding (NT$90). All dishes are Halal. --By Douglas
Habecker, translated by Ann Lee |
