Dest inaci ja / Dest inat ion Istanbul » Istanbul | 95 by by a huge portrait of him. And, of course, he’s pictured in the pose for whichhe’s known around theworld –sprinklingsaltwithhisarmtwisted to resemble a swan’sneck. And then, as themaître d' leads you to your table, you can't help but consider that you find yourself in an explosion of extravagance, complete with huge chandeliers, massive, ornately decoratedpillars, chairs andbooths upholsteredinwhite leather.Therestaurant continues with a closed terrace that has a similar ambience, before leading to the highlight of the venue: a garden with a pool surroundedbyflower boxes containing swanshapedfloral arrangements. Bynow itwill havealready startedtobecome clear to you that Nusr-Et is an eatery where everything is accentuated, but somehow even the countless large-format photographs of the owner (some with him in the style ofMarlonBrando’sGodfather) contain a fun flair and fit the space just enough to make you feel comfortable. Great help in creating this impression is provided by an entire ensemble of waiters, who seem to simply buzz around you, providing youwiththeir constantundividedattention. It is particularly interesting that your meat isn’t served by “regular” waiters, but rather by specially trained staffmembers whomake dramatic and sharp movements as they slice the meat in front of you and then serve large cuts that you sharewithothersat your table. If you are lucky, likewewere, thatmoment Therewasnodeviating fromTurkish traditionhere, sobaklavawasserved. And what a baklava it was! It is also served with coordinated pomp and choreography.Hotbaklava, served in a large, round, baking tray, is cut into triangular pieces and then separated tomake roomto addhomemade, hand-made ice cream. Such flavour perfection will remain with you for a long time, and we really must pay all compliments to the pastry chef. Just like the story of his restaurant and unique food, it is interesting that Nusret actually started his career literally from scratch. His father was aminer, and their Kurdish familyof sevenstruggledfiercely just to survive. Apoor financial situation at home forced him to leave school in the 6th year and start working as a butcher’s apprentice. He worked and saved until he was 26, when he took everything he had and headed to Buenos Aires, where meat is almost a religion. It was there that he learnt to work with steaks from someof theworld’sbest chefs.He returnedhomeayear later andopened his firstNusr-Et restaurant in Istanbul'sEtilerneighbourhood,with just eight tables and 10 employees. When you know that story and pass through the whole experience that is dining at his restaurant, it becomes clear to you just how Salt Baesucceeded inbuildinghisempire. Apart from restaurants, the latest of which opened this May in New York’spopularMeatpackingDistrict, his business also encompasses food deliveries, thoughnaturallythoseare very expensive and exclusive deliveries. His people will deliver directly to your door a 200-gram filet mignon that costs 65 euros or a bag of salt thathe’spersonallysignedwhich costs 30 euros. He also owns a burger restaurant inNewYork and a luxury hotel in Istanbul. And he achieved all of this despite mediocre reviews from critics and various mudslinging over the high bills that people end up having to pay at the end of the night. Andyet, everyone comes back to eat there again, because the experience is truly unique... Zamahuje nožem, lupa o dasku na kojoj se nalazi meso, a pored njega stoji pomoćnik sa ogromnom činijompunom soli He waves the knife and bangs on the board on which the meat sits, while beside him stands an assistant holding a huge bowl filled with salt canbe evenmore interesting, as you could find yourself being served by NusretGökçehimself. If hehappens to be at the restaurant – and you’ll find out very quickly if he is – this Turkish restaurateurwillmove from table totable, puttingona little show for everyone and winning you over in the process. He is short and slim, but comes across as a fury of energy. He resembles a matador preparing to get to grips with a bull, as do his exaggerated movements. He waves the knife and bangs on the board onwhich themeat sits, while beside him stands an assistant holding a huge bowl filledwith salt – that’s because the grand finale of this theatrical serving is themoment he grabs the salt and sprinkles it as though it’s some magical spice. Those with more refined taste buds could provide all sorts of details about the pricey meat that’s served at this restaurant, but that is on the backburner at this place, where you’re really paying for the entire experience. The menu included a selection of five different steaks, three of which were perfect. One was only okay, while the fifth one, the one wrapped in gold leaf, didn’t entirely justify the epithet of the star of the evening. Quite simply, there was nothing particularly special about that cut, and the gold didn’t addanymagic touch to it, other than the momentary feeling of tasting something extravagant. A similar impression was left by the “golden” ribs, but the dessert that followed was worth remembering.
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