Bloody stools? The restrooms must have been out of order. I blame the municipal bureaucrats who are focusing too much on city beautification (tree trimming).

Pass the latex gloves.

Oh God!! thinking back and I remember Reina being an IN club (though never beats the reputation of Pasha..those were the days...), didnt go there for the last 2 years and I dont think i ve missed anything...

I've not been to Box either but the place is kind of a white elephant on one of the streets of Ortakoy leading toward the water. Some guys which were my seatmates on the plane back to the US one summer raved about Box's opening night. They said they had to 'bribe' the doorman to get in. What do visitors know right?
You're not missing much Batgirl. I only set foot in Reina last summer 3x for hosted dinners by my Turkish friends. Sure I stayed one night for a party but it was a weeknight and it was much more pleasant. Oh I saw Ajda Pekkan for a concert there too. I didn't actually need to see her. Listening to her was enough.

Ok AlSF,
here comes As to your Qs;

Kiwi does not play at all times at Crystal, it changes...
Box - - it s been quite some time that it closed down...

(info taken from a friend...)

Thank you fir the info Batgirl. Oh I miss Ortakoy!

Could someone enlighten me on Reina's story? I've been reading bits and pieces about the bad reputation and a family being murdered (the original owners of the land I guess). However I'd like to know the whole story. Any links please?

I don't know much about Ortakoy's eating and drinking venues apart from JC's which has little to do with food but with jazz. Whenever we go there we just choose to walk around, enjoy the view and perhaps get gozleme or those potatoes filled with all the stuff. Such a shame it's so crowded on most days. I'd prefer otherwise.

Well I will try to enlighten you in a neutral way. Most people on here don't like Reina because it is full of wannabe's and arrogant dicks with more money than sense. I personally don't particularly like the people in there either but must admit to having enjoyed one or two good nights in there with good friends, so it's what you make of it.

Regarding the family who died; the last couple of years, around about now, Reina seems to have suffered a rather unfortunate accident which has required the insurance people to come in and assess the damage before stumping up cash for a re-fit (if you know what I mean), last spring the main structure of the building collapsed, whether this was due to shoddy workmanship or due to it being pulled down accidentally on purpose I don't know, either way it could be construed as being the owner's fault. It just happened that part of this structure fell onto some outhouses next door where a family of urban nomads were squatting. They died and the owner disappeared quick sharp, that's it really.

Oh thanks! now things have actually started making sense... I've never been to reina myself. Looks a bit too posh and anything but relaxed judging by the entrance, but was just wondering what the buzz was all about.

Except of course for the fact that there are several owner/partners in Reina, and while one dd in fact flee abroad, at least for awhile, I saw another one of them with my own eyes less than two weeks later in Istanbul.

To be fair, the family was not squatting (at least according to news reports at the time). The father/husband worked as a kapıcı at a nearby apartment building and was living in the kapıcı accomodations. (Which are often little more than outhouses.)
http://www.radikal.com.tr/haber.php?haberno=183369

Not being a fan of Reina ( the noise, the pretentiousness, the traffic) I do wonder who all share in the blame of the deaths of these people?

1. Shoddy designers and constructors?
2. Careless and money grabbing owners trying to optimise space? Allowing masses of people on to the property?
3. Lack of health and safety inspections from local authorities? were they bribed to turn a blind eye?
4. If these people were caretakers of nearby properties why were they living in a little shack next to the walls of Reina? Who cares- attitude about what hole the kapici lives in...

[quote user="yakamoz" post="84209"]Not being a fan of Reina ( the noise, the pretentiousness, the traffic) I do wonder who all share in the blame of the deaths of these people?

1. Shoddy designers and constructors?
2. Careless and money grabbing owners trying to optimise space? Allowing masses of people on to the property?
3. Lack of health and safety inspections from local authorities? were they bribed to turn a blind eye?
4. If these people were caretakers of nearby properties why were they living in a little shack next to the walls of Reina? Who cares- attitude about what hole the kapici lives in...[/quote]

Simple answer. No one. Nothing is ever anyone's fault here.

Never been to Reina, never want to. But do want a go in their boat.

you are right - and so two-faced the 'outrage' and 'tears' when something like this does happen.

But there are two real kickers to this story, 1) The Kapici in question actually RETIRED that day and was going to take the family back to the village two months later, and secondl that they are rebuilding the Kapici house in THE EXACT SAME SPOT because the Istanbul authorities said that putting it somewhere else on the property would "damage" the view!!

That's truly sad TP. Despite the controversy surrounding Reina, it remains a top spot with locals who are basically loyal to the establishment. They are patrons because they like the food, the view and the general ambiance at dinner time. Plus those I know who go there have cultivated a friendship with the owner/s. My friend's mother who loves Reina restaurant for its cuisine took me there but left right after dinner. Her daughter and I stayed for the whole 'by-the-Bos' summer party athmosphere and the music but we created our own 'space'. I mean, Reina is just another venue after all and to Ian's point, you make 'it' happen wherever you may choose to stay for an hour or two. And yes, the owner was present then and he even gave me his business card.

As for the people, it varies each day. Like I said, I like it more on weeknights.

Mind you, these al-fresco places in Ortakoy are already under tha radar of the local authorities because of the the high noise levels they are generating in the summer months. That may curb the enthusiasm of many people and they may think twice about continuing their patronage.