Mark H.
Yelp
1924 Istanbul - Formally known as Rejans - A Must !
Whilst strolling down Istiklal, I decided to venture down some of its alleys for a change.. who knows what culinary adventures may be down there.. I stumbled upon a complete gem!
Just past Galatasary high school and opposite Misir Apartment, which is famous for hosting the restaurant/club 360 I came across a place called 1924 Istanbul.
As I walked in I was totally blown away... the décor inside made me feel like I'd gone back in time a 100 years. High ceilings, massive mirrors, wooden paneling on the walls and two grandiose chandeliers.. I was gob smacked! The quaint old photos on the wall of who must have been dignitaries back in the day were all over the place. Special nametags of famous people like Mata Hari, Hemmingway and Agatha Christie were on brass plates indicating where they sat.
I made my way to the bar, towards the back of the restaurant, I fancied something cold and wet (just for a change )
The bar reminded me of the drinks carriage of the Orient Express (or so I imagine) A long wooden serving area with a huge array of bottles in the back protected by brass rails, as if to stop the bottles from falling over if the train rattled. On the counter were these odd jars filled with different types of fruit, almost as if they were being pickled. When I asked the barman, he said they were infusions for their homemade vodkas.... YUM!
Cenk was the barkeep who made the most delicious Negroni I have ever tasted. It had a twist to it, as it was smoked with apple chips.... I know that may sound odd, but believe me it was amazing. Priced at 40 TL it was most definitely worth it.. I've had some really run of the mill cocktails in Istanbul for much more than that!
Feeling a little hungry, which means starving, for me most of the time... I do like my food, I sat down at Mata Hari's seat. I noticed just across the way, that there was a table with a sign saying forever reserved, a small bottle of raki and some white chickpeas. The waiter told me that was the great Ataturk's table back in the day... WOW ! How come I've never heard of this restaurant before... The fact is, this place had recently reopened as 1924 Istanbul. It used to be called Rejans.
Looking at the menu, I was pleasantly surprised to see an array of food that you would not normally see. The food reminded me of The Russian empire, with dishes from Eastern Europe as well as mother Russia herself.
Everything sounded amazing. I ordered the Piroshki, which is basically a Borek, but much lighter, stuffed with mincemeat. Some Pelmeni (something similar to ravioli, or the Turkish Manti) and Beef Stroganoff.
The Piroshki was out of this world. Really light and crispy on the outside with an intense meaty taste on the inside. You could tell that this was lean ground beef with not additives. I was tempted to order another one, but wanted to save some room for what was to come... I'm glad I did ! Pelmeni are dumplings basically, but using the word basic is not at all fitting! These moist delicious balls of dough, that I assume are cooked in a ban-marie, are stuffed with an intense rich meaty filling, they were served with a jus reduction and a light sour-cream sauce. It was the jus that really caught my eye or taste buds I should say. Had I finally found a restaurant in Istanbul that makes its own stock... amazing, so rich and flavourful! The stroganoff was next. Now I'm used to seeing stroganoff on many menus around Turkey, and to be honest my expectations are pretty low in those places, so I was keen to see what this Russian/Eastern European restaurant was going to put in front of me.
The head waiter or maître d' (short for maître d' Hotel), a lovely chap called Pierro, dressed in an exquisite suit had his grey pony tail tied back, wheeled over some copper pans.. He silver served me a very generous portion of glistening meat that looked creamy and smelled amazing. On the side I was served with the smoothest puree I'd every seen, almost silk like and some very finely cut potato chips. The flavours were to die for. Finally I'd found a place that really knew how to cook stroganoff properly, it even had slices of pickles. The thinly sliced beef was succulent and just melted in my mouth.
Pierro asked if I'd like some vodka with my meal, so he wheeled over an iced trolley that had a handful of fruit infused vodkas.. who could say no.. honestly I had the lemon one which really had a kick to it, yet it was smooth going down. He left the bottle for me in an ice bucket and told me that I'd only be charged for what I drank... fantastic.
Overall, this place is really quite something. A must try experience. Drinks and food cost me just under 100 TL.. An absolute bargain !
