The mythical city Xanadu was known to be a ‘pleasure dome’. It certainly was a pleasure to celebrate our last event of the year, on Christmas Eve, in the presence of Santa Claus at the Xanadu Resort Hotel.

At this ‘End of the Year Gala Reception’ we enjoyed smoked cocktails and Glühwein. We posed together with Santa for our yearly group picture. How wonderful to see that not only our Bailliage keeps growing but also so do our friendships.

Executive Chef Levent Kaysanık created a menu with ‘Christmas spirit’ inspired dishes paired with excellent Turkish and international wines served as follows:

MENU

Salmon tartare
avocado, walnuts, endive leaves

Winter pumpkin soup
pumpkin seeds, pumpkin seed oil
thyme flavoured milk foam
H.P. Schreiner Sommerwein Riesling 2021
Mosel Valley, Germany

Aurora ravioli
filled with three different cheeses
served with Aurora sauce

Sea delights
grilled fresh and local mini squid
shrimp and octopus
Il Casato Delle Venezie Pinot Grigio Rosé 2021
Veneto, Italy

Tropical pineapple sorbet

Beef Tenderloin
Madagascar sauce, asparagus
potatoes with mushrooms and onions
Kavaklıdere Pendore Syrah 2019
Manisa, Turkey

New Year soufflé
pistachio soufflé, forest fruits ice cream
Portal Fine White Port or Portal Fine Ruby Port
Quinta do Portal, Douro Valley, Portugal

Cheese trolley

At the end of dinner Bailli Nihat Tümkaya called his fellow Bailliage Officers to the stage to thank both kitchen and service brigades. Recognition awards were given to, amongst others, the Chief Operating Officer Hakan Yilmaz, General Manager Tarik Kirankaya and Food and Beverage Manager Ali Duran.

Happy 2023 dear Chaîne Confrères!

Leonie Kılıç
Vice-Chancelier