A refreshing addition not only to İstinyePark shopping mall but also to Istanbul’s culinary scene is Emporio Armani Ristorante. This elegantly decorated restaurant has it all: an extensive menu featuring Italian classics, smooth music that’s conducive to enjoying a glass of wine, and an outdoor dining area perfect for drinking a glass of Scotch on the rocks and smoking a cigar. But we’ll get to that later.

After a long renovation process, Emporio Armani Cafe was reincarnated as Emporio Armani Ristorante last month with a simple yet very Italian concept: live well and eat well. And that, in sum, is the experience offered by Emporio Armani Ristorante.

First of all, it’s the decor that catches you off guard – walking into such an elegant atmosphere within a shopping mall is quite surprising. And that’s why, once you enter through the doors of the restaurant, you feel you’re no longer at İstinyePark but at a fancy restaurant in, say, Milan, surrounded by talkative businesspeople, ladies-who-lunch, and anyone who appreciates good taste.

And good taste is the only thing you’ll find on your plate here – you’re in very good hands! The kitchen is under the command of award-winning Turkish and international chefs. Executive Chef Yener Özden is a member of the World Association of Chefs Societies, the winner of more than 40 medals from gastronomic competitions, and one of the representatives of the slow food movement. Sous-Chef Musa Şener is the chief assistant of the Turkish National Culinary Team. The restaurant’s Chef de Cuisine is Cristiano Cameli, who laid the groundwork for the Emporio Armani Ristorante with his expertise in pastas, risottos, and original Italian flavors.

The Özden-Şener-Cameli team aims not to create Turkified versions of Italian dishes, but to offer a truly authentic Italian experience. And that is evident in the first minutes of the experience as the expertly-informed wait staff asks whether we’d like to have still or sparkling water. Molto buono!

The menu, which changes every three months based on seasonal ingredients and the chefs’ inspirations, is a combination of traditional Italian and modern Mediterranean dishes, all made from the freshest, purest, highest quality ingredients. When we had lunch with the restaurant’s manager Mustafa Apak last week, we started off with an Insalata di Gamberetti – prawns deep fried in five grains served with mixed greens in olive oil and lemon sauce. Crunchy on the outside, juicy on the inside, the prawns were impeccable, and perfectly balanced off by the fresh salad. Did I mention the thin focaccia bread that we savored while waiting for our antipasti?

Following the prawns, we had the gooey Risotto Ai Funghi Porcini (Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms), which comes highly recommended by Chef Cameli. We chose Tonno Scottato (Tuna Steak with Red Onions Cooked in Balsamic Reduction) as our secondo piatto. This dish is a rare find in Istanbul and definitely a winner at Emporio Armani Ristorante.

We had a glorious ending to our meal with a dessert platter of Panna Cotta, Bavarese (Bavarian White Chocolate), and a delicious Tiramisu. The dessert platter truly summarizes what it means to live well and eat well. We suggest you give it a try ASAP.

After dessert, you may want to head over to the outdoor dining area on the second floor (where a vertical garden is in the works). Pick a glass of wine (or a bottle) from the extensive wine list, with a focus on Turkish and Italian wines, or take a look at the bar menu, which includes a range of whiskeys, cognacs, grappas, and digestives as well as cocktails. The best part? You can enjoy your drink with a fine cigar that you pick from the menu (maybe a Hupman 60 or Cohiba Exquisitos?) on the terrace overlooking the crème de la crème strutting their stuff from Dior to Louis Vuitton.

Emporio Armani Ristorante, İstinyePark Shopping Mall, İstinye Bayırı Caddesi No. 73, İsinye; P: (0212) 345 61 40