Nicole (*) Istanbul, Türkiye.

Nicole is set in the historic Tomtom Suites building, which was originally a Franciscan monastery.

The restaurant takes its name from Sister Agnès Marthe Nicole, a nun who lived there in the early 20th century and was known for her refined cooking.

Now, chef Serkan Aksoy uses traditional Anatolian ingredients to deliver an excellent experience.

The price per person for four courses, amuse bouche, several intermezzo dishes, and a petit-four was only 7000 TL, or 155 USD.

1. Lamb shoulder pastrami / “Balıkesir” kuzu kol pastırma

Eggplant, dried tomato pulp, roasted tomato juice

1. Snow pea / sultanı bezelye

Pistachio clotted cream curd, sour apple syrup

1. Bulgogi Tartare Chip (Intermezzo)

2. “Kedibatmaz”

Onion juice, foie gras, autumn truffle

1. Grilled octopus / ızgara “Çanakkale” ahtapot

Celery, watercress sauce

1. Quince compote / “Cevye” ayva kompostosu

Fermented quince, buffalo milk ice cream

1. Almond / “Datça” badem

Bitter almond cookie, cezerye ice cream, orange blossom juice

There were other dishes we enjoyed, but my camera had some trouble adjusting to the light level for many of those pictures.

The Kedibatmaz was personally the best part of the show for me. I find that suspended truffle dishes like these are frequently too oily for my taste, but Nicole struck a very delicate balance.