Istanbul Hawaiʻi — known for its modern Turkish cuisine — recently launched its new spring menu. The menu now features lighter and brighter flavors to coincide with the season.
Instead of adding new dishes every season, the menu changes quarterly to reflect seasonal ingredients, according to chef Ahu Hettema.
“The flavors are more bright and simple; we work around the farmers’ schedule,” she says.
The eatery will feature the spring menu until around mid-June; then, the menu will change to highlight summer ingredients and flavors, according to Hettema.
The Mosaic meze platter ($45) is one of the most popular appetizers at the eatery. It features a tasty — and aesthetically pleasing — assortment of hummus (topped with chickpeas); muhammara (sun-dried tomato spread with roasted bell peppers, cinnamon and walnuts); baba ghanoush (smoked eggplant with black garlic); labneh (housemade yogurt) and spinach borek (filo dough filled with spinach and feta cheese); served with the eatery’s housemade sourdough.
The platter now features strawberry balsamic with Turkish cured olives in the center. The labneh — which is whipped to a crème fraiche consistency — is topped with a seasonal lilikoʻi honey.
Aegean pearls with Osetra caviar ($86) is a new appetizer. It features crispy feuilletine — like a thin crepe — filled with Waianae cultured cream and topped with pistachio and 1 ounce of Osetra caviar. The delicate pastry “cups” boast a wonderful crunch, while the cream filling is similar to a yogurt in consistency. Its subtle sweetness is balanced nicely by the slightly salty, briny caviar.
The restaurant’s Sultan’s Sofra ($325) — designed to feed four people — is also revamped. It now includes appetizers, a mezze platter, entrees, sides and desserts. Before, the family-style meal was focused more on proteins. It now includes a little bit of everything, including lamb tenderloin, wagyu rib-eye and jidori chicken kebabs, tzatziki, saffron pilaf, spring salata and Mercimek (red lentil, carrots and chili-mint oil) soup.
The manti of the spring hearth ($66) is a must-have dish for sharing. The hand-rolled pasta is filled with Miyazaki A5 wagyu and served in a housemade yogurt whip sauce. It’s garnished with chili oil and edible flowers. The pasta, which is like an elevated ravioli, is cooked perfectly, but its flavorful, tender, beefy filling is the star of the show. It pairs nicely with the creamy yogurt, which boasts a slight spice from the chili oil.
For those familiar with the Sultan’s cilbir dish on the eatery’s weekend brunch menu — this hand-rolled pasta dish features the same creamy yogurt sauce.
This steak — a 9-ounce portion is pictured — is served with a zucchini sauce on the bottom and comes with roasted vegetables. The meat is topped with karat gold and edible flowers, and is served with saffron rice on the side. We’re told this is one of the eatery’s most popular entrees; the creamy zucchini sauce is an updated element.
The eatery’s pirzola ($57), or dry-aged lamb chops, now features a seasonal cherry pistachio praline sauce. The palace tagine ($43) — a Jidori chicken entrée — is now topped with fennel pollen, Kula orange and lemon blossom oil; the latter is the newest component. The chicken is tender and flavorful, and the subtle floral flavors complement it nicely.
At the time of our visit, a new dessert wasn’t added to the menu, but we’re told a new matcha baklava will be available soon.
CONTACT
Istanbul Hawaii
Ward Village
1108 Auahi St. Ste. 152, Honolulu
istanbulhawaii.com/
Instagram: @istanbulhawaii
Open for dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays to Mondays; closed Tuesdays
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Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
