Batard istanbul — Restaurant in Şişli

We went to Batard after a stroll in Ferikoy Antika Pazari. The place is beautifully decorated, very eclectic and chic. Has limited outdoor seating, we were lucky it was not packed (around 5-6 pm).

The serving sizes are very small but the dishes are plenty flavorful. I had the fried chicken and waffle with a side of truffle & parmesan fries (weirdly, none of the mains we ordered included fries). I wish there was something fresh on the plate to balance all the fried elements. Maybe a small side of salad, I don’t know. Personally, I prefer a higher ratio of waffle to fried chicken.

The deserts are packed with flavor. To be honest, I was initially super disappointed when they brought over the desserts, because of how small the serving size was. But the sheer taste of the desserts made up for it. We had the mille feuille, profiteroles and the san sebastian cheesecake and shared them. They were all great but I highly recommend the mille feuille in particular, please see the pic attached (knife for scale, to show how small it was 💔). It was four glorious bites in total. San sebastian cheesecake was very soft and creamy, just great. Wasn’t too keen on the profiteroles, the chocolate sauce tasted off and the pate a choux was dry and kind of stale texture-wise.

The only downside to this experience was the service, our waiter was very cocky and uncooperative. And not in a l’m-at-a-cool-restaurant-so-the-server’s-gotta-be-presumptuous kinda way.

Cappuccino was foamless (both times) but tasted good.

Overall, good for a small and tasty bite with a side of gossip with your gal pal group from...

POOR QUALITY OF FOOD POOR SERVICE EXPENSIVE

Upon arriving at this restaurant, we were greeted with a rushed sense of urgency as the staff repeatedly informed us that the kitchen would be closing in ten minutes. Despite this unsettling start, we decided to proceed with ordering. However, the pressure to order quickly persisted, with multiple staff members urging us to make our choices swiftly.

The menu offered a mix of hits and misses. The burrata dish was disappointing, lacking in flavor and paired with an odd combination of fruits and vegetables. In contrast, the artichoke starter was a standout, delicious and well-executed. Moving on to the main courses, the duck steak was dry and only redeemed by its accompanying sauce and puree, albeit at a steep price. The salmon, while decent, failed to justify its high cost with its underwhelming taste.

Adding to the disappointment was the unexpected charge for water that was served without request. This, coupled with the rushed atmosphere, made the dining experience feel uncomfortable and unwelcoming. Despite spending nearly €90, a substantial amount anywhere, the overall quality of both food and service fell short of expectations.

As someone with extensive experience in the restaurant industry, it's clear that there are significant areas for improvement here. From the quality of food to the level of service and pricing, there's much room for growth. While I wish them luck, I personally don't see myself returning unless substantial...

⏳NEW UPDATE:

Nearly nine months later, we revisited Batard. The prices did not increase that much compared to other restaurants, some of which doubled the prices. Some of the ingredients of some meals have been updated, or I just felt like that. Korean Tartare improved, but I wouldn’t say the same for Agnolotti. Peas were somewhat hard to chew, but the sauce was fantastic. The service was way too slow, which was ok for us as we usually don’t want to hurry when we eat. It lasted nearly 40 minutes to get our pasta after the Korean Tartare. The other meal we tried was Pancar (I don’t know the English name). It is very delicious, and I suggest you try it. The cheese in it tastes like Danish blue. Overall the presentations of the meals were so elegant. You could just watch the meal as it gives you a lot of visual joy and pleasure.

⌛️OLD COMMENT:

We have tried food from both the afternoon and evening menus. All of them were really tasty, and I cannot describe the passion I got with words. I strongly advise pulled beef, Korean chicken burger, a chicken waffle for the afternoon, and Tabaka, Agnolotti, and Korean Tartare from the evening menus. They are at a different league in crispy chicken. The staff were kind...