When the Carlton Hotel reopened its doors two years ago after a yearslong renovation, it did so with a completely reinvented restaurant scene. Enter Rüya, which brings upscale Anatolian Peninsula cuisine to the other side of the sea.
Cannes is the only outpost of chef Umut Özkanca’s Mediterranean concept outside of the Middle East.
“We don’t do fusion,” Özkanca told WWD.
The menu features polished but traditional Turkish dishes and the chef sources the best seafood and produce locally, keeping the selections seasonal. “We feel that we’re home because the quality is so high. It’s much easier to do what we’re doing here than anywhere else in the world,” he said.
Rüya, meaning “dream” in Turkish, is a tribute to the country’s history and layered culinary legacy. “The land we now call Turkey has been home to countless civilizations,” he explained. “From the Silk Road to the spice routes, our cuisine is one of the richest in the world, alongside French and Chinese.”
“What we try to do is to take the history of the food from ‘The Motherland,’ and to take it to the global arena,” he added.
Inside Rüya
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Özkanca, a second generation restaurateur, is also vice chairman of Doğuş Hospitality & Retail Group, which operates 191 restaurants worldwide. Still, Özkanca prefers the personal touch.
“During the film festival, I’d rather work in the restaurant to greet people,” he said. No films are on his agenda.
“I’ve been in the business since I’ve known myself,” he added. “I don’t have an office. I like to be in the restaurant. I feel like this is my home, my living space.”
The restaurant’s interior design has a relaxed and welcoming feel. While Rüya venues in Dubai and Riyadh feature darker decor, the Cannes outpost embraces the Mediterranean’s sea and sun color scheme with glossy teal tables and a bright yellow bar.
Other architectural features such as hand-cut marble from Istanbul and a central oven in the dining room add to the homey air. Guests can sit overlooking the sea under the hotel’s signature striped awnings, too.
Though the kitchen is tucked behind the scenes, an open flame oven is the centerpiece of the dining room and offers diners a sensory connection to the cooking process. “It’s the heart of the room,” he said. “When guests arrive at the restaurant, they’re greeted with the smell of our fresh bread — just like home.”
Dishes at Rüya, including a baked Pide.
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Despite the Carlton hotel bustling as the beating heart of Cannes during the film festival, Rüya is not planning any splashy events. “We like to open our doors simply and let the food speak,” Özkanca said.
The chef recommends anything fresh from the oven, especially the two cheese Pide, an ancient baked egg and cheese dish with the recipe derived from Özkanca’s hometown near the Black Sea. It can be traced back to the Romans.
Özkanca actually prefers Cannes in the slow season, when it’s a bit rainy and you can walk around and pop into the smaller restaurants around town.
“Especially living in a city 17 [million], 18 million people like Istanbul, when you come to Cannes off season, it makes you actually relax a bit,” he said, recalling time spent at the Carlton long before he stepped behind an oven.
“I used to come here with my father when I was young,” he recalled. “Being part of this hotel’s legacy is a dream come true.”
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