Sakhalin Istanbul: a lot of hype for almost nothing

When the Michelin Guide launched its first - and so far only - guide to Moscow in 2021, Sakhalin and entrepreneur Boris Zarkov `s more gastronomic White Rabbit were two of the seven restaurants awarded a star. A year later, they opened a second one in Bodrum, which was a great success, and they probably thought of enriching their portfolio with another one in Istanbul.

Despite the persistent efforts of my friends and my instinct to dissuade me from going, I finally went. I formally apologised to them; I should have trusted them: friends and instinct. Overall, we had a great time that night and tried several dishes from Sakhalin`s extensive menu that I found pleasant. Besides, their raw materials are solid, and they let them die a second time in a display for the sake of the show. As top-notch as this bright red carabinero shrimp is - it`s bad enough that it`s making the transatlantic journey from the Indo-Pacific - if you leave it uncovered in the display, the oxygen will damage it. We have said this a thousand times, and they have yet to hear it - with few exceptions - in Greece. Will they listen to it in Turkey? Now, let`s go to the food.

Sakhalin Istanbul mixes and matches cosmopolitan seafood cuisine with plenty of sushi. It is reminiscent of Langosteria`s culinary mania but has also been influenced by Asia, especially regarding raw preparations. The menu is co-authored by White Rabbit`s chef Vladimir Mukhin and Alexey Kogay, under whose watch Sakhalin in Moscow won its first star. The menu structure is complicated, and the dishes are so numerous that it takes a while to get your bearings, although the excellent service is a great help in untangling the tangle. I tried several things from almost all categories and found the food lovely. But there wasn`t a single dish that made you turn your head towards the kitchen, nor was there one that gave you even an extra thrill.

Their sushi was decidedly weaker than the former, and when I told them that the red shrimp pasta was wholly overdone and tasteless, they removed it from the bill without a second thought and offered us the desserts as well. Excellent play on the fake coffee caviar and tiramisu, but the standard could have been higher here, too. In addition, one can very easily reach €250 per person with an affordable wine. You can easily see that Sakhalin came to Istanbul without fulfilling for the moment the expectations that accompanied its reputation.

Rating: 6/10

Info: Zorlu Center, Istanbul tel. +905308118888