My interest in Bird was first piqued when I walked past it one weekend and had my way barred by the crowds spilling out on to the streets, pumping 80s music washing out in waves as the door opened and closed, and the strong evidence of general Cool. That many people can’t be wrong, I thought. The next weekend, I attempted to enter the same kind of scene. The bouncer was having none of it, despite my best bewildered-yet-charming ‘foreigner’ act. Definite Cool. Finally, I arrived at un-cool o’clock (10:00pm) on a Wednesday night with a friend and managed to get in due to the relative level of calm.

The décor shows clear signs of a European hand at work, and indeed one half of the management and Joost Roojmans (one of the founders) are from Europe. Roojmans, a Dutchman far from home turf teamed up with wife Aliye Turagay to create Bird as an innovative new breed of restaurants/bars having successfully run 8 Istanbul in Beyoğlu for some years prior to Bird.

Walking in, past lofty potted palms, one is greeted by a surprisingly small interior, albeit with high ceilings and a sweeping marble-topped bar with shelves of exciting liquors illuminated on the wall at the back. Hipsters sit nonchalantly on bar stools sipping martinis while gifted barmen dip and dive with shot glasses and pieces of fruit, occasionally incorporating a sly dance move into their routine as the revved-up lounge music plays. The whole bar is, quite frankly, a tour de force.

The 10 or so dining tables make for a cozy dining experience and the food is actually very good. Among the myriad of Turkish and international dishes on offer, I can recommend, without hesitation, the lamb shank (kuzu incik) of unparalleled tenderness, the avocado salad with goat cheese (Avocado, Keçi Peyniri, Domates), and the Thai beef (Thai Usulü Bonfile). While many of the dishes have a fusion element, for example the Asian-style grilled shrimp (Asya Usulü Izgara Karides) and the tuna tartar, others are very Turkish (mantı, çiğ börek, and köfte among others). The prices are not small but they are actually O.K. considering the smart vibe of the place (expect to pay around 30TL for a main dish at dinner). Those who can, by all means order the King crab at 100TL.

On to drinks: the impressive bar is not all razzle-dazzle. You have the full gamut of cocktails featured on the menu, but feel free to ask for an adaptation—for example, I ordered a caipirinha and then asked for some mint as an afterthought. The barman very politely declined to pass comment on my failure to order a mojito in the first place. In addition to cocktails, any kind of aperitif, digestive, or whisky is yours for the taking. A comprehensive wine list is also available, with mainly foreign wines apart from a handful of Turkish ones.

Next time I go to Bird I plan to order the house specialty cocktail—the ‘Bird Margharita’ prepared with tequila, fresh pomegranate juice, orange liqueur, and lemon juice. I also plan to be one of those enviably cool people actually on the premises on a Friday or Saturday night. Here’s to trying.