Suppose I better "represent" for my peeps in Ortakoy then with some local knowledge;

House Cafe - Good food and booze, great in summer, don't think of going there if you're ugly though, infact, stay away from Ortakoy please.
Banyan - Don't care if some people think it's expensive (which it isn't), ace food, better view, weapons grade cocktails.
Sedir - Quite nice, cheaper grub, no booze though, shame they sold half the building to Gloria Jeans' cancerous coffee multiple
Gang murders - beheading anyone, how about both barrels of a shotgun to the ass cheek?
Traffic - world class
Weekend market - why people feel the need to use one of the city's most popular weekend area's to peddle utter shite from overseas/moody handbags and cd's is beyong me, shame cos it could be great. Nice man runs the music shop though for those who still prefer the luxury of actually owning music you can pick up.
Kebab shop - Just on the main street next to where all the baked potato stands are, great durums and iskender, shit inside, eat you food with added car fumes if you sit outside.
Pet shop - random I know, but 100 yards further up the street past the princess hotel on the right is a nice pet shop where the owners are very friendly and actually seem to love animals, to the point were they're amassing quite a collection of dogs without trying too hard to sell any.

I would say Ortakoy is a nice enough place to live but must confess I'd rather be further up the Bosphorous

House Cafe (esp FG in the House parties... )
Anjelique
Mori

[quote user="batgirl" post="82901"]House Cafe (esp FG in the House parties... )
Anjelique
Mori[/quote]

Yours sincerely will soon be hosting barbeques in this area.

Right up my alley with ANJELIQUE Batgirl. It's my absolute favorite summer hang out. Food's not bad either. Drinks can set you back $20 a pop. House music is dope. Crowd is uber cool.

Love the HOUSE CAFE esp. when I can dine al fresco. This location is a coup for them for sure.

I like MORI when it's Mori. When it becomes Mojito...it can be so wanna be LA if you get what I mean. It's too cool of a location to play that type of music right after dinner and into the night IMHO. Maybe I went last summer when the DJs decided to do a hip hop night.

I agree with Ian in terms of BANYAN food and drinks except the ante on authentic ingredients can be upped a bit more with the former. I love the bar in the end. I call it an infinity bar because it sits right on the edge overlooking the Bos. Music wise, Anjelique still rules.

MEDITRANEA or however they spell this Italian place just under Banyan is suprisingly good. Pasta is cooked to perfection. The chef, Sabit is not only excellent with his craft but is also super cute. He is trained in Italian cuisine and even does cooking shows on occasion.

PAUL, serves really good French pasrty. I've not dined there though. I went to the one in Bagdat Caddesi and of course, the original Paul's in Paris.

STARBUCKS. What can I say. They're everywhere! This is not the best locaiton though if you like clean air since it's exhaust city. The seating area on each end is on two of the busiest streets in Ortakoy!

KUMQUAT for coffee is not bad. I like their location more than STARBUCKS'.

GENEVIZ KAHVESI is a very informal place if you don't want paparazzi around you. Good for starter drinks while people-watching. Very reasonably priced cocktails. More of a local hangout.

KEVSER is a good source of Iznik pottery. Pricey though but they carry the finest ones I've seen in the area.

PRINCESS HOTEL has a good Kuafor for the ladies if you don't want to spend a wad at other places in Nisantasi or Etiler.

Is Crystal and Reina still in the Ortakoy vicinity?

[quote user="AlSF" post="82904"] Reina still in the Ortakoy vicinity?[/quote]

that shithole still has blood on their hands and should never be credited for being a good place besides, the people who go there are utter morons.

Funny I never plan to go there but my Turkish friends take me anyway. I was even introduced to the owner. He had a homing device on his wrist and there were CIA agents in the club I'm sure.

[quote user="starman" post="82905"][quote user="AlSF" post="82904"] Reina still in the Ortakoy vicinity?[/quote]

that shithole still has blood on their hands and should never be credited for being a good place besides, the people who go there are utter morons.[/quote]

Potential EiT summer party 2007 venue?

Some may argue that it's a bloody good place actually. But that's not for me to judge and wield a baton over.

By the way does anyone know whether the owner of Kumquat is an expat? Btw. Kumquat is a weird kind of citrus fruit an i always found it a quirky name - but is not very tasty.

[quote user="AlSF" post="82913"]Some may argue that it's a bloody good place actually. [/quote]
I am sure the family that died thanks to reina would appreciate that.

I'm sorry for that remark. For some reason, it remains a top destination for many people in Istanbul for what it offers in the summer months despite of what happened there. I have to say though that I sincerely hope that the relatives of the people who died got what was due them in line with the justice they deserved.

they got nowt and the owner is still on the run. at the same time the morons still go there thinking they can park their range rovers in the middle of the street so people like us get stuck for hours trying to get between ortakoy and kurucesme. I say nuke the place as besiktas belediye did a piss poor job of knocking it down. if they took the same attitude has they prune the trees then we wouldnt be having this discussion.

[quote user="mradder" post="82903"][quote user="batgirl" post="82901"]House Cafe (esp FG in the House parties... )
Anjelique
Mori[/quote]

Yours sincerely will soon be hosting barbeques in this area.[/quote]

we ll see..

[quote user="batgirl" post="82932"][quote user="mradder" post="82903"][quote user="batgirl" post="82901"]House Cafe (esp FG in the House parties... )
Anjelique
Mori[/quote]

Yours sincerely will soon be hosting barbeques in this area.[/quote]

we ll see.. [/quote]

I didnt say I was going to invite you

[quote user="mradder" post="82938"][quote user="batgirl" post="82932"][quote user="mradder" post="82903"][quote user="batgirl" post="82901"]House Cafe (esp FG in the House parties... )
Anjelique
Mori[/quote]

Yours sincerely will soon be hosting barbeques in this area.[/quote]

we ll see.. [/quote]

I didnt say I was going to invite you [/quote]

i didn't mean i was going to come anyways...