şans in turkish is pronounced chance, probably borrowed from french which means luck. sometimes great things are nearby and you don’t see them. thisrestaurantis literally a 5 minutes walk from the office, and in 5 years this is the first time i visited it. actually i believe that chance led me to şans. after eating there, i regret that i didn’t discover thisrestaurantearlier. as of today you can consider me a regular to şans. after i ate there, i realized that it is ranked on tripadvisor #1 of 11,698 restaurants in istanbul. wow!!!
the ambience
it was such a beautiful sunny day that we decided to sit on the patio. i have no idea how the inside of thisrestaurantlooks like. the only thing i can say, that from the outside it looks like an old stunning villa.
the service
the service is amazing! our server was friendly and was always checking up on us to see if everything was ok. he accommodated all our requests. the service was quick and he cleared our plates in a timely manner.
the food
starters:
1- zucchini flowers stuffed 30try (9/10): they were cooked dolma style. the spices worked beautifully together, it is wonderful turkish dish with a twist. even though i expected this dish to be served warm it was actually served cold like traditional dolma.
2- beef carpaccio 38 try (7/10) served with arugula and parmesan cheese
3- burrata 37 try (10/10) served with cherry tomatoes and pesto sauce. i love the simplicity of this dish, it made me want to hop on the next plane to italy.
main dish:
1- salad with quinoa and sea bass 45try (7/10): grilled sea bass served on top of a quinoa salad, tomatoes and greens. unfortunately the fish was cold
2- beef salad 45 try (8/10): grilled beef tenderloin, romaine lettuce, vegetables and mustard sauce 45 try. the beef was tender and perfectly cooked. the dressing tasted close to a caesar salad dressing but it was very nice.
3- beef rib 75try (8/10) it is juicy and tender cooked to perfection but it lacked a tad if seasoning.
4- cafe de paris 75 try (7/10) thin slices of beef fillet with a sort of mustard sauce and french fries. the fillet was cooked well done, it was not as tender as i would have hoped. i would have preferred it medium but the waiter didn't ask.
desert:
we finished this delicious lunch in style:
1- sütlaç 17try (10/10): turkish rice pudding oven baked and covered with hazelnuts. this is a phenomenal desert, even though i wasn’t the one who order it, i couldn’t put the spoon down i ate more than half the dish. i would definitely go back to şans just to have sütlaç again.
2- crème brûlée with almond and lavender ice cream 20try (8/10)
3- orange cheesecake 20try (7/10) the crust is too soft, the cheese is perfect and the orange makes it very fresh.
the cost
the food is expensive but well worth it
the bottom line
some of the best food i’ve tried in istanbul, creative presentation and excellent charming service.