Chef Maksut Aşkar tries to tell a story. About his upbringing, about dishes which every woman in Turkey has to cook at least once, about the childhood memories of his mother's cooking.
He is also into tradition, but in a good way. He seeks old wheats, which in one case is only grown by one farmer in the entire world. He then, respectfully, interprets these inspirations into a very modern menu. And it is really good, and fun to eat.
Coming from Austria, I love cabbage, however his filled cabbage roles are next level. He fills it with Siyez (Einkorn wheat), the oldest breed of Anatolia, pomegranate molasses and fresh herbs.
The trout, smoked and cooked, but served cold is based on a traditional home cooking salad.
His seabass, prepared almost like a ceviche is so fresh and has a wonderful texture. The mayo is super light as it is made out of mustard and parsley.
I could go on and on, but I need to mention his Baklava. Smallish, but what a taste. None of this sweet stickiness one sometimes gets. Just light perfection.