La Brise

NileGuide Expert tip:

Do care to make reservations. The odds are you may not find a table inside if you bet on spontaneity.

Description:

• Located right on the corner of the Asmalı Mescit Street -referred to simply as "Asmalı" by the local folk- as you enter it from the side where the Marmara Pera Hotel is, you recognize La Brise from its red tilts. Tiny, yet cozy, lined with white table tops, frequented by typical Istanbulelites, La Brise is indeed a little germ on the Asmalı. Run by the the Hunal family (who also run the bar & bistro North Shields branch), everything on the menu is a must-try. A French Bistro, decorated very much like one, serves delicate samples of French cuisine including the French Onion Soup for starters, maybe accompanied by Pate de foie de poulet (chicken pate) or Huitres -les 6- (the shelled fish) and followed by Chateaubriand (for share). A concise wine list is available and do consult the chef or the sommelier for suggestions on delicate Turkish wines -there is in fact some niche Turkish wine available here. A meal is unfinished without the enchanting Napoleon -mille feuille.