Dinner at Serica Restaurant is an interesting take of what Turkish cuisine with creative global influences to modernize the food. Don’t worry, the food is overall solid and the service is very attentive. The bar program is great especially they were accommodating to my request for a non-alcoholic drink. The bar staff asked me to choose any cocktail but they were able to make it without any spirits and make my drink very flavorful and not miss the booze.
The restaurant is set on the rooftop of The Bank Hotel Istanbul and it’s stunning view at night. The restaurant’s view is angled toward the south and west of Karaköy so you could see the Black Sea and the north end of the historical part of Istanbul, Eminönü and the grand mosques Suleymaniye and Topkapi Palace Museum.
Tandoor baked rolls
The restaurant is lovely as it’s an open floor plan where the kitchen is adjacent to the entrance of the restaurant. The kitchen is has its own tandoor oven where they bake their fresh baked rolls and tandoor roasted fish of the day.
My guest and I started off with seafood appetizers, which were pretty substantial in size. The grilled baby squid, black eggplant puree, grilled spring onion, tomato, basil was delicious. The grilled baby squid was tender with a tiny bit of chew. The black eggplant puree and grilled spring onion added smokiness to the dish that made it intriguing. The tomato and basil added freshness and welcome sweet acidity to the dish. The marinated sea bass, molasses, red onion, chili pepper, plum was bright and refreshing while the sea bass was wonderfully tender.
Our main courses beef kebab, buffalo yoghurt with mint, tomato sauce, fried shredded potatoes and grilled lamb tenderloin, eggplant puree in phyllo dough, grilled cabbage sprouts were overall good but generally thought the appetizers were better. The beef kebab dish’s flavors were good but there’s too much yoghurt and shredded potatoes on the plate that the beef felt almost secondary to the dish. The grilled lamb tenderloin was plated a little more simpler. I appreciated that the waitstaff was offered to ask the temperature of my lamb (for me, medium-rare for lamb). The lamb was wonderfully tender. The phyllo dough with eggplant puree was not crisp enough for me to enjoy the contrast of textures.
For dessert, we had kadayif, walnut cream, caramel walnut, lavender ice cream and Turkish coffee mousse, flour halvah, ice cream with mastic. The kadayif was a solid choice and one of the traditional Turkish dessert options on their dessert menu. The crisp shredded phyllo dough with not too sweet walnut cream was delicious. The lavender ice cream wasn’t too floral but had enough lavender flavor. The Turkish coffee mousse was a dense, rich spherical dessert. Good Turkish coffee flavor that enhances the chocolate’s flavor and the coffee flavored flour halva was good. This particular dish is really when you want a rich dessert and you do love a chocolate-y dessert.
This is a very good hotel restaurant in Istanbul where the food is very good. The service is approachable but professional and the staff can speak to you in English. The views of Istanbul are fantastic especially where it’s nearby the Golden Horn.
Information:
Serica Restaurant at The Bank Hotel Istanbul
Official Website
Azapkapı, Bankalar Cd. 5/1 Karaköy
34421 Beyoğlu
İstanbul, Türkiye
Phone: +90 212 283 0055
