Serving an up-to-date synthesis of traditional Turkish and Ottoman cuisine, Feriye Restaurant develops its menus according to the season, procuring only traditional, natural foodstuffs and carefully preserving the classic flavors.

Another classic, this time of 19th century Ottoman architecture, the restaurant’s venue at the former Feriye ‘Karakol’ or Police Station takes its Bosphorus guests on a nostalgic journey into the past. Simultaneously, it takes its authentic cuisine, designed to appeal to modern palates, into a universal dimension through a post-modern approach. Feriye Restaurant offers its customers the experience and expertise born of a return to Ottoman cuisine that began in Turkey about fifteen years ago by serving dishes based on historical research and scholarly findings.

Feriye Restaurant draws up its menus based on seasonal considerations, using only natural and naturally grown foodstuffs. For seasonal planning of menus is the first principle of authentic cuisine. In complete fidelity to traditional methods of preparation, time-honored recipes from the 12th-14th or the 19th century are offered in a contemporary approach. Our menu, for example, includes not only ‘pastırma’ (spicy cured beef) wrapped in vine leaves, but also ‘mantı’ (filled pockets of dough) in butter and fish stuffed with pignolia nuts served with pepper sauce, all of which hark back to mythological methods of food preparation. Other specialties, based on 15th century techniques, include grilled turbot with saffron and courgette balls served with raspberry puree.

Eating habits around the world have always varied with time and place. We have therefore adapted Ottoman and Byzantine cooking methods to today’s tastes.

For example, while fatty meat was valued in Ottoman times, today we prefer our meat lean. While the use of oil extracted from the fatty tail of the sheep was once considered de rigueur for its flavor and nutritional value, today even butter is being passed over in favor of olive and other liquid oils. But these trends are no obstacle to the use of traditional methods, many of which we are still discovering. And even though these methods may entail higher costs, any restaurant that offers ‘fine dining’ is compelled to make the sacrifice.

With a menu based largely on Istanbul classics, Feriye Restaurant also offers gastronomes the perennial favorites of Turkey’s many regional cuisines--the wild herbs of the Aegean, a Southeast Anatolian classic like ‘sürkebzet’, and walnut paste and carob molasses, to name just a few. The dishes of the regions that made up the Ottoman Empire in the 17th century are of paramount importance for Feriye Restaurant.

Hours
Luncheon Service
12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m.
Dinner
7:00 p.m. to midnight