Award-winning Tuğra Restaurant's new summer menu brings its rich culinary heritage to the table.

Tuğra, the signature restaurant of Çırağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul, one of the world's most impressive palace hotels, overlooking the Bosphorus, welcomes the summer season with its new menu called "Taâmât-ı Sâhil-i Hâssa" (Special Coastal Delights). More than just a menu, the "Taâmât-ı Sâhil-i Hâssa" concept offers a cultural map, a memory archive, and a journey through time built with flavors, where each dish bears the traces of its origins, the culture that inspired it, and the cuisine in which it was prepared.

Tuğra, a Michelin Guided Recommended List entry for many years, renowned for its excellent service and awarded three Outstanding Table titles by Gault & Millau, invites its guests this summer not just to a dining experience, but to a gastronomic journey tracing the rich culinary heritage shaped along the shores of the Ottoman lands. The restaurant's terrace area, which opens with the arrival of the summer season, offers a magnificent experience overlooking the Bosphorus within a historic palace ambiance.

Tugra Restaurant The menu, prepared by Chef Onur Dönmez and his team, brings together thousands of years of culinary culture at one table, making each dish a carrier of a story stretching from the past to the present.

The First Lines of a Summer Dinner

Opening the menu, Çeşm-i Nigâr Soup complements Mardin red lentils and yellow lentil fava beans with an aromatic touch of mint butter. Kelle Söğüş, surprising with its unique presentation, is reinterpreted with sweetbread cream, pickled onions, and garden salad; while Lakerda, one of the most valuable representatives of seafood culture, offers a memorable flavor profile with red onion puree and mint yogurt ice cream.

Artichoke, representing the freshness of summer and the bounty of the earth, is plated with a magnificent presentation, gaining a layered character with walnut tarator, apple pickle, and almond sauce. Hummus prepared with octopus from the Saros Bay, along with crushed green olive salad and stone-baked simit (sesame bread), creates a powerful narrative extending to Levantine cuisine. The Dolma platter, consisting of grape-stuffed onions and apricot-stuffed grape leaves, brings the fine craftsmanship of Ottoman cuisine to the present day with its elegant presentation. Bostana Salad, prepared with Yedikule lettuce, purslane, arugula, farm cheese, and heirloom tomatoes, reflects the vibrancy of the summer season on the table. Pastrami-filled “Müselles” Börek (pastry) and Sitare Mantı (dumplings) blend Anatolia's deep-rooted pastry culture with a contemporary aesthetic. Beef Liver, served with cheese baklava börek and sumac-flavored Kapıdağ purple onions, adds a unique interpretation to traditional flavors.

The Story of the Land and the Sea at the Same Table

The main courses combine the splendor of Ottoman palace cuisine with the diverse produce of Anatolia. One of the menu's signature interpretations, Hünkâr Beğendi 2.0, reimagines one of the most iconic recipes of Ottoman cuisine with a contemporary perspective, featuring slow-cooked lamb shoulder and crispy eggplant. Piliç Topkapı stands out as a modern interpretation that brings the grandeur of palace tables to the present day with its rice pilaf, mashed potatoes, spinach with cream, and lattice sauce. Lamb Shank, which achieves a tender texture through a long cooking process, brings together the bounty of Anatolia on one plate with keşkek (a type of stew), Deveci pears, dried plums, and isot oil.

Prepared for meat lovers, "Two Sides of the Tenderloin" offers deep aromas with morel mushrooms, tenderloin bites, potato casserole, and bone marrow sauce. "Testi Kebabı" is served with lamb leg and root vegetables, accompanied by plain rice. Another noteworthy interpretation on the menu is "Saray Köfte." Served with hand-rolled phyllo dough, saffron-infused cracked wheat, a spread, and pepper jam, this dish reinterprets the unique flavors of Ottoman cuisine with a modern presentation.

In the seafood section, sea bass stands out as one of the menu's stars. Prepared with a local and sustainable product approach, the dish is complemented by caviar, artichokes in olive oil, black-eyed pea salad, and sea urchin extract. The vegan option, Türlü, features mushroom patties, black chickpeas, and mung beans, demonstrating how rich and sophisticated plant-based cuisine can be.

An elegant finale completed with desserts.

The desserts featured in the final section of the menu stand out as representatives of the bridge Tuğra has built between the past and the present. Milk Halva, enriched with mastic-flavored burnt sugar, offers a light and refined interpretation of traditional flavor; while Baklava Ice Cream combines baklava with the refreshing texture of ice cream. This interpretation, accompanied by hazelnuts, provides a refreshing and elegant ending befitting the summer season.

Award-winning Tuğra invites its guests to one of the most exquisite summer dinners.

Presented in the historic atmosphere of Çırağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul, accompanied by the breathtaking view of the Bosphorus, “Taâmât-ı Sâhil-i Hâssa” is a comprehensive gastronomic narrative that reinterprets the cultures, traditions, and flavors shaped along the shores of the Ottoman geography. Tuğra invites its guests to a unique experience where history, culture, and gastronomy meet at the same table.