Cercis Murat Konagi (Susan)

Food
Taste - I love having dinner at Cercis Murat and I was not disappointed with their brunch. Particularly, they offer many unique hot dishes, which I really like at breakfast—I ate so many meat and rice-filled dried eggplants (etli kuru patlican dolma) and meat in a bulgur flour shell (icli kofte) that I felt sick. They also serve whole tomatoes and cucumbers, which was a unique treat and fun to eat. Another treat is one of their dinner specialties, which is homemade goat yogurt served in a clay pot—delicious! After brunch, I gorged on their lemonade made with mint and something else (not sure what) which was refreshing, but should only be drunk in small quantities.
Presentation - Nice, not as impressive or artful as Lacivert or some other brunch restaurants, but adequate. Unfortunately, the buffet is laid out in a fairly dark room and they do not provide any information about what we one is eating.
Freshness - Great!
Variety - This is fairly standard Turkish fare, but more than the typical open buffet brunch. As I said above, the hot dishes and a few specialties like their yogurt and lemonade place Cercis Murat above many other restaurants.
Price - 35 lira. Standard. Worth it for what you get, but not cheap.

Milieu
Physical place/Aesthetic - We ate in their nice garden. Of course one cannot compare Cercis Murat to a restaurant with a Bosporus view like Lacivert, but the garden is quiet and comfortable. Tables and chairs are adequate.
Service - Adequate.Waiters are attentive without being overbearing. They frequently refill tea and remove plates, but they don’t have too much else to do as it is a brunch and not menu service.
Crowd – The crowd tends to be wealthy Kadikoy people, calmly enjoying a Sunday.
Transportation - Easy to reach from Bagdat Caddesi and a short walk to the water. A vale car service is available for those who drive.

Uniqueness
This is a tough one…. Some of the dishes are stunning, but my friends and I expected more items that reflected the regional “Mardin” breakfast they advertised. In the end, this is just a little bit more than other Turkish breakfast buffets, but the delicious hot dishes place Cercis Murat above many other restaurants for me.

Summary
(-) Transportation

(+) Delicious food items
(+) Transportation

Pleasure/Price: 8/10

Bottom line: 9/10

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Yazmacı Tahir Sokak No:22
Suadiye /İSTANBUL
Tel: 0 216 410 92 22 /0 216 410 92 23 / 0 216 464 36 71
www.cercismurat.com