What is the hotel buffet food like in Istanbul — variety and quality?

Tried the hotel's à la carte restaurant: complimentary starters (also on the menu), a burrata salad, beef fillet skewers and young lamb skewers. Presentation was unusual, food was tasty, cost 15 EUR per person.

One dinner featured crayfish, sushi and tuna, plus stewed turkey pieces and grilled chicken legs.

Ate at a place on Istiklal: very tasty chicken (with pepper, tastes like shashlik) served with fried marinated baby onions, choice of pasta or fries, salad or steamed vegetables. Portions are large — couldn't finish it with a child.

The buffet also includes: pilaf, fried ham, Mexican-style meatballs (seem spicy), stewed spinach, veal under cheese, lentils or peas, and pureed soups. Outdoors there's a separate stand with chicken nuggets, pasta, hamburgers and fries.

A recent review says the hotel restaurant has a rather limited selection, but the food is generally tasty and filling. Chicken appears most often in different forms: fried, stewed in tomato sauce with vegetables, plus chicken liver and hearts. Beef shows up less often as small pieces in gravy, along with beef heart and turkey skewers. Fish during the week included rainbow trout, fried herring, and a small bony fish.

The same review adds more detail on buffet sides and extras: mashed potatoes, fries, rustic-style potatoes, pasta, and rice, plus vegetable appetizers, pickles, and marinades. Fruit included watermelon, oranges, grapefruit, pears, apples, and apricots. Desserts were mostly standard frozen-style sweets, with baklava only occasionally. Alcohol was local; bars served wine, whisky, gin, a Baileys-style liqueur, sparkling wine, and cocktails, while the beach bar also had burgers, fries, fruit, and ice cream.

Lunch included a rich lamb or beef shurpa soup — highly recommended.

Meat selection is varied: turkey prepared multiple ways, beef patties, several types of fish, beef tails and ribs, occasional shrimp. The snack bar sometimes serves lamb kebab.

Dinner grill included trout, vegetables, chicken wings and patties. Pasta cooked inside a whole cheese wheel is a highlight.

Eggs are fried to order at breakfast. The grill station offers vegetables, chicken skewers, and occasionally lula kebab.

Standard lunch tray includes bulgur, pasta, salad, potatoes, chicken, bread, sauces and orange slice. Potatoes, pasta and chicken tend to be quite salty. Drinks are extra: beer 600 RUB, can of cola 400 RUB.

A three-course dinner at a local restaurant cost 690 Turkish lira: chicken pilaf, a meat and eggplant dish, and brownie for dessert.