One of the newest additions to Izmir’s gourmet scene, Potiri Meyhane boasts perhaps the most interesting location a sea-lover can find. The restaurant sits on a small manmade peninsula in the heart of Levent Marina (next to Uçkuyular Ferry Station), and almost anywhere you look, you are surrounded by deep-blue sea. This week, EatInIzmir had a chance to evaluate what Potiri has to offer.

The Food

With the offer of a prix fixe menu only, Potiri Meyhane surprised us with the abundance and the quality of the meze (cold samplings). Miniature green olives have been imported from Greece, the bread and salads came fresh, and a spinach fava, which was the first of its kind I saw in Izmir, was delicious and added a lovely touch to the meal. On top of this, we tasted six warm dishes that also come with the offer, including a cheese meatloaf, tenderly cooked lamb shish, fried liver seasoned with pepper and onions, and grilled mushrooms in cheese-covered sauce. All this went well with our choice of a Turkish rakı, although wine and soft drinks are also served.

The Atmosphere

We were unable to evaluate the atmosphere fairly because the original location, the peninsula, is currently being prepared for the winter. The restaurant was temporarily moved to the shore and thus felt traditional, although we were assured the peninsula will be ready by next Monday. Live music is usually played at Potiri (especially fasıl style). The restroom was, unfortunately, outdoors.

The Service and Prices

The service was decent with one exception: our request for an extra lemon had to be repeated, even though the meyhane was not crowded. We were too impressed with the food, however, to count this against the restaurant.

Prices were another aspect of Potiri Meyhane we really liked. The prix fixe menu is 40 TL per person, and the alcoholic drinks are reasonably priced considering the recent tax hike in Turkey.

Overall Impressions of the Restaurant

There are two other restaurants at Levent Marina, including a branch of the popular La-Cigale, as well as a bar, a lounge, and a caravan of colorful outdoor “kitchens” serving such Turkish “fast-food” classics as mussels, kokoreç, and kumru. If you visit any of those, please share your experiences with us. But for the food, the sea, and the music, I see myself returning to Potiri.

My rating: 4.5/5.0

How to Get There

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Address: Levent Marina, Haydar Aliyev Bulvarı No:4 Üçkuyular – Izmir
Tel : +90(232) 259 70 70
Fax : +90(232) 259 70 14
E-mail : info@leventmarina.com.tr

Swissotel is most probably the best 5 Star Hotel in Izmir along with Crowne Plaza and Hilton, however Hilton is a little bit out of date.  Swissotel Grand Efes also host pretty good restaurants which you can enjoy even if you are not going to stay there. One of those restaurants is world infamous Aquarium Restaurant.

Aquarium restaurant get it’s name from the circular shaped windows which gives you an interesting view of outdoor swimming pool of Swiss Otel. The blue color of the swimming pool is an interesting view that you can enjoy. Restaurant offers Turkish and Greek cuisine and mainly based on fish cuisine. When you consider Greco-Turkish kitchen eventually you come across with FISH! May be one of the best fish you will ever taste.

I personally liked the mezes (appetizers)  they offered they were elegant and tasty.  Especially the Fava they made is exceptional the Fava is pretty creamy and you couldn’t find anything wrong with it. Also crushed eggplant with yogurt is also include some sesame paste.

But there was one thing which definitely surpassed my expectations: FRIED CALAMARIS. They were absolutely fantastic! The best I have ever had, it is definitely worth visiting the restaurant just for eating the calamaris alone. They fried the calamaris with farina (maize flour) which gives a characteristic flavor and crunchy taste to the calamaris.

Overall, Aquarium is a classy restaurant with great service and quality food. Restaurant also offers live music (greek music) on Fridays and Saturdays. The music is also enjoyable for most of the people.

Aquarium features large “port-hole” windows into the waters of the swimming pool. A relaxed indoor, outdoor venue, the restaurant specializes in Greek style food and Rembetiko entertainment.

Open from lunch time until late evening, the Aquarium Restaurant operates throughout the year.

Operating Hours: 12:00PM – 10:00PM

How to get there

Swissotel Aquarium

Address: Swissôtel Grand Efes, ızmir

Gaziosmanpasa Bulvari No. 1 35210 Alsancak-Izmir/Turkey

Reservation Tel: (90) 232 414 52 12

]]> http://www.eatinizmir.com/aquarium-restaurant-swissotel.html/feed 0 http://www.eatinizmir.com/hello-world.html http://www.eatinizmir.com/hello-world.html#comments Sat, 26 Jul 2008 22:51:26 +0000 Ozan Devlen http://www.eatinizmir.com/?p=1 Welcome all, to our website. We are here standing in front of you to give you nice tips about the food and the restaurants in IZMIR - TURKEY. You can sometimes also come across with restaurants, cafes and bars from different regions of Turkey which are close to Izmir like Cesme, Foca, Bodrum, Dikili, Manisa and more. I hope you will enjoy your stay in Izmir and do not forget the tastes forever. Please do not hesitate to comment on our reviews and please use the “Recommend Us” link to recommend the places you have been visited before in Izmir.

Best regards,

EatinIZMIR.com