Sweet Sensation at The Four Seasons @Bosphorus in Istanbul

How time flies...we are almost entering the second month for the year and it felt only yesterday when we welcomed 2012 with a bang! Well...plenty of bangs,actually!! And what do you know...I have already broken my resolution for 2012....to live healthily and stay fit at all time! In fact...gosh,I am soo embarrassed to admit this, I broke it a few hours after going into the new year...sob sob, I am soooo NOT making another one next year!

So..you may ask, what made me let go of my resolution so early and so easily? Well....what would you do if it happened to you (rhyme with the song "It's my party"). Rule # 1, you should never ever celebrate New Year with a Brunch. Rule # 2, Celebration and Resolution involving food must never mix.

Ok ok..enough suspense already....I lost to the "most sinful and most tempting" deserts at the Four Seasons@Bosphorus Hotel in Istanbul. I shall demonstrate  to you the artistic display of the  magnificent, tasteful and obviously sinful feast to the eyes as well as the palate....and you'd be the judge to it.   Perhaps you would then understand how I could lose my control so shamelessly. Ah hah!

This hotel is sitting right on the Bosphorus and is next to the Dolmabahce Palace and the Kempinski Ciragan Hotel. I have mentioned the Dolmabahce Palace,yes? Now..Ciragan (pronounced Jira'an) is the Rolls Royce of all hotels in Istanbul and the cheapest room rate is about Euro600, the last I checked. Why? Its in the furnishings, as it maintains most of the rooms based on the splendid Ottoman palaces...you get my drift?  That..and other things, remember, Turks are very warm and hospitable people and these would be reflected in the services. So...you would not complain of the thousands of Euros that you would have to pay for such wonderful stay.

Now, when I had my Brunch there, services at the Four Seasons was fantastic! I could swear that not less than five (5) waitresses and chefs served us at our table. Someone even went to our friend's parked car to retrieve a stroller when one of the babies fell asleep! And no request was too much to any of them. It felt almost like as if we were dining at home among friends and family members. The line between patrons and hosts very quickly dissolved and ohh...boy......I must admit, I've never seen such friendly staffs and such great services before! Not even from my vast travel from all over the world. One must really make it a point to go and stay or dine at this hotel, at least....once in your lifetime!

The view of Four Seasons from the Bosphorus. It looks deserted and not so appealing because it has just stopped raining. But you can actually feel the tranquility and the magic of staying in this centuries old building. It would even look better in summer when the trees are green and the flowers are blooming! 

Its almost sunset at 4.30pm and garden looks very peaceful indeed. Can you imagine having a wedding reception here, especially during summer? Yes...many such weddings took place here and the scenery would be breathtaking......have you booked with your "wedding planner" already?

How cool can it be? Waiting for the boat to take you to your destination.....to the Anatolian (Asian side), to Eminonu for more shopping at the Old City or simply leisure cruise and if you are up to it...with dinner on the cruise as well, right from the doorstep of your hotel. No traffic jam, no hassle and NO worries !!

Its just like being in Venice...you jump into a boat to go places. What a lovely way to spend your holiday. Can you see the Bosphorus Bridge in the background? It would be more interesting at night when this bridge (and its twin, The FSM koprusu) is lighted up in different colors. 

I forgot to ask if these tiles ( on the floor) are centuries old or recently added to the building but it certainly is an interesting piece. I think I know now what to put in my house when I start to re-furbish it..hmmmm

I noticed that the porcelain items here are even more eye-catching than the pieces you can get from The Grand Bazaar. They are really exquisite and beautiful pieces but I didn't check the prices. A good piece could set you off for more than TL1000. It depends on the color, the quartz used and of course....where it originate from. If its from Iznik...then you are getting top pieces and would cost considerably more...but you'll be most definitely be buying a piece of history as Iznik almost don't produce anymore. Most items are now made in Khutahya.

Other beautiful collections that caught my eyes....you really need to scrutinize and zoom in on the details of each and every one of them to see the real beauty of it. Even the colors could tell you the date when it was made. Centuries ago, the Ottoman empire sent many of their craftmen to China to learn the art of porcelain making. Compared to the Chinesse porcelains, Turkish collections are normally unglazed and have the  distinct blue and/or turquoise which is due to the clay used in Iznik and its near regions.  And each motif tells a story and its age. Ha ha..you'd never thought a humble plate or bowl could tell you so much,huh? Go raid your grandma's cabinet to hunt for those priceless antique bowls....who knows, you can buy a mansion by Batu Feringhi in Penang after selling it!!

Of course, my highlight today is the "sweet indulgence". Desserts were conspicuously absent on the buffet table and we were wondering why was it not in the spread. And...you guessed it, nobody wanted to go and ask why! Until we saw the table next to us...brimmed to the full with those colorful "object of desire" and staring at us....OMG! So we eventually asked how to get those beauties. Aha..turned out that they were waiting for us to finish our meal before they make the "grand entree" with those exquisite tiny pieces of "heaven-sent". They came in different sizes, shapes, taste and indulgence. So....would you still blame me for being sooo weak ??? Huh....I thought not!

Now...this is what I meant ......The Sin !! Afiyet Olsun !

All the colors....shapes...and temptations...each temptations are a heaven-sent that melt in your mouth and will melt any "broken heart"......if you had any..ha ha.... see the colorful candle holder? These guys were just stunned and could not decide on which pieces to jump into. Did somebody said calories? What calories ...... ?

To top up our day, the shushi chef turned out to be from Bali Island and he obliged us with 'Nasi Goreng' and 'Mee Goreng'...out of the normal spread and "on the house". That would translate to free "Fried Rice and Fried Noodle". And..wait for it, you may think that I'm biased but I can easily vouch that its the tastiest Nasi Goreng that I've ever had! And my fellow countryman agreed,too. Thank you Sumerta, it was great to meet someone who could understand our gourmet preferences.. Serefe !!

Sumerta, the "shushi" chef from Bali Island who disappeared into the kitchen and came out with the delicious Nasi Goreng and Mee Goreng for us! How nice......I now have someone to teach me how to make tempe (fermented soya cake)...something that I've been meaning to learn. Terima kasih Sumerta.....

With the rest of the guests...before the "dig-in".....

Sophie (in white) and Melanie seems oblivious to the display....but then again, Steve Jobs did a good job of distracting our children from the world, with his iPad and all. Noticed the concoction in the "glass tube" in the foreground? he..he..those aren't poison or chemicals, those are pure fruit juices! they lined the glass tubes at the entrance and I initially thought we were having chemistry lesson afterwards. They looked so "lab-type" that it took me a while to realise that they were actually juices. 

Macaron with a twist,or should I say..fruit tart. Sophie couldn't decide what to make of it. should she eat it or just look at it? When I first met 5 year old Sophie last year, she was telling me about the Tsunami in Japan and its nuclear reactor catastrophies. I thought that was a heavy subject for such a young girl but then it hit me. All natural or man-made disasters in the world will have an effect on our children and their children, of course they need to know about it! We are responsible in handing over a GOOD earth to them. All of us have a part to play. So dear readers...please teach others to make this earth a better and safer place for the NEXT generations...that would be my APPEAL to you for this year.   

Ahh..did I say candles? No...they are actually dondurma ( ice-cream) in a tea-light candle stand. How original can that be? The Turks are really creative people. You just need to watch their advertisement (printed or on TV) to realise this. Most advertisements are really creative and out-of-the box creations. 

To all Chinese of the world .... Gong Xi Fa Cai...Happy New Year ! May this "water dragon" year bring us everything wonderful, vibrant and full of prosperity. May these vibrant RED flowers bring in all the LUCK in the world that we wish and hope for. Do have a great 2012 !!!

It was a good New Year celebration....even though we knew that we had all packed a few extra kilos by the time we left...but hey......who's complaining ??!!

Actually, I didn't intend to write this piece but during the recent Chinese New Year meeting here, I met with a GM of a 5 Star hotel that's going to open its door late this year! Also on the Bosphorus. Talking to him made me realised that it would be another great hotel and his planning and ideas for the hotel is very interesting and exciting but I can't tell you yet till I have his consent. Maybe when it opens its door, i shall make a review on it. Meanwhile, this is my piece on The Four Seasons. Its a great a hotel to stay at whenever you're in Istanbul......enjoy !!!!!

Footnote :

Desserts of a different kind. We were having 'high-tea" in my country when we were told that the buffet spread was closing in 5 mins. So...that explains the 'massive and big spread' that we had. Ahh...that's what these ladies want you to believe he he. Phew..I hope I explained that well..Kak Shahid and Rita, you owed me one !!!