WILL CIHANGIR BISTRO’S EVER LEARN? PART II

There is no doubting that the view from Cihangir's Besinci Kat (5th floor) is stunning.  There is no taking away from the terrace that is nearly the best place to be on a warm evening.  There is no taking away from the fact that the building it sits on, has it's original floor tiles and french architecture.  There is no taking away from the fact that the red velvet drapery and beaded curtains add a style of it's own promising opulence and grandeur.  However,  Besinci Kat is not exempt from bad practices just because of the above pluses.  Besinci Kat is a restaurant at the end of the day and should at least produce food that matches it's promised surroundings or prices that match the food's mediocre standard.  At best it's disappointing to be eating such trash in such a promising place and worse still having to pay the price for it.  So please Besinci Kat sack the chef and get someone in who knows what's cooking!

Sadly it doesn't end there.  The staff are discourteous and unwelcoming.  They need to be asked several times for an order of drinks and endlessly for an ashtray.  Tables on the upper deck are not cleared and a group actually had to clear the plates away themselves so they could enjoy drinking at the upper deck level.  No waiter came to turn on the gas fires even though I feel that the price of drinks surely included some warmth.  When the bill arrived it was horribly wrong.  Food items never ordered were on it including extra drinks.  When this was pointed out the waiter suggested that the problem lay in the fact that a lower table moved to the same table as two friends thus confusing the order.  How it should be so defeats me since the two friends were initially drinking alone at the table for an hour before other's arrived and asked for separate bills.  The waiter at the cash desk was not happy with being told that the bill was incorrect and twice asked if the punter was sure she hadn't had a tiramasu, a beer and an extra glass of wine.

Perhaps the digital world has put a strain on waiters.  Perhaps we should just revert back to a little piece of paper marked with items ordered, placed in a little wicker cylinder at the table to hope for some accuracy.  Mistakes happen but churlishness doesn't have to go with it.  I'm not sure what the waiter's problems are that they need to take their unhappiness on the punters but perhaps the management (who are also not very gracious) should do something about it.

All the bistro's/bars and restaurants in Cihangir need to make a better effort especially since I will be returning to write about them.  In Zenka's defence the management were so upset with the scathing comments from Gossip Girl that changes have been made for the better.  Bravo Zenka.  Love your prawns and fava beans.

Sadly Fincan has joined the ranks of crap food with tiny portions.  Don't they know that Turkish people living in Cihangir no longer expect Turkish portions.  They expect food to fill a plate and a large plate at that.  They expect to order one item and feel full and they certain expect meat not to be dried and inedible (even if it's takeout).  Fincan, you are small and can't afford to lose customers, so get it right from now on.