Possibly the biggest anti climax so far this summer, Chocolate opened in Bodrum last night to much fanfare. I don't know what Chocolate is like in Istanbul but there was much excitement here with quite a few friends coming down especially. As opening nights go it was pretty standard stuff, all the usual suspects and my stinking cold meant I left early, missing the firework spectacular later.

Anyway, we decided to go tonight and have some dinner, the plasma screen meaning I could keep half an eye on the match. Half of the unimaginative menu was unavailable and any wine under 65 YTL a bottle was mysteriously out of stock. The waiters were clueless though apologetic and service was erratic considering the number of staff wandering around (We counted at least 5 members of 'management' with unspecific roles). The food that was available was mediocre in general considering the prices and presentation was poor, though the chocolate souffle was fantastic. The interior decoration appears to have been completed with little thought and too strong lighting means you can see the actual quality of materials is poor, workmanship is rubbish and obviously rushed.

Free coffees, reasonable discount and promises to impress next time almost made up for what we all felt was a disappointing Saturday evening meal.

To be fair, we passed by again as it was moving into bar mode and it did look like the kind of place you could sit, drink, eat souffle and actually talk without having to shout. 4 out of 6 said they wouldn't give it another chance though.

We went to the Istanbul version last night. No problem with the lighting or the ambience which was nice and quiet in the midst of Fernerbache's triumph. The outside bit was also nice (wicker chairs, cushions and running water).

The food was not spectacular although I should have tried some of the wood fired pizzas and as ever the wine was overpriced (in Turkey always go for the cheapest bottle is my rule of thumb). The service was also shockingly poor: wrong orders brought, attempted overcharging on the bill and my "secret cocktail" turned out to be a strawberry margharita with a 2YTL premium for the air of secrecy!

However, as you say it is not about the food or the service. Quite a lot of money and thought has gone into the design and Chocolate does try and be an intimate place where you can relax and talk without having to compete with Sezen Aksu.

6-7 out of 10.