Nusret Gökçe was born and raised in the small town of Paşalı in the city of Erzurum, Turkey, in a mining family with no tradition of being a chef. However, Gökçe always had a burning dream of becoming a professional chef and opening his own restaurant. At the age of 13, due to financial difficulties, he had to drop out of school, wash dishes at a local restaurant, and then follow the chef of that restaurant to learn the skills of meat cutting and steak making.
In 2010, at the age of 27, Nusret Gökçe saved some money and opened his first store in a neighborhood in Istanbul (Türkiye), namedNusr-Et Steakhouse(Nusr-Et Steakhouse). At that time, the steakhouse only had 8 tables and 10 employees. An investor, after dining at the restaurant, was so impressed with the steak and the way it was prepared that he decided to invest in the place. At first, Gökçe only tried out the first beef dishes for local diners. Gradually, more and more people came to the restaurant and only liked to order the dishes he prepared himself.
A Nusr-Et Steakhouse restaurant in Istanbul - Photo: Internet
In July 2017, Nusret Gökçe suddenly became famous worldwide thanks to a 36-second video he posted on Instagram, showing him sprinkling salt on an “Ottoman steak”. The video went viral online, and Nusret Gökçe’s reputation spread worldwide. Word spread, and “Salt Bae” was born. Many fans even fondly call him “the sexiest steak seller on the internet”. Gökçe himself once shared that he was really surprised by his own popularity.
The image of Nusret Gökçe sprinkling salt on a piece of beef has even become a famous meme - Photo: Internet
With his reputation and talent, Gökçe has opened a series of steakhouses and burger shops around the world. The name Nusr-Et has become a luxury culinary brand that attracts the super-rich, celebrities and even politicians from all over the world. Nusret Gökçe has also become the "designated" chef of many famous people, from David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo to Leonardo Dicaprio, or even Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan - Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
Currently, the Nusr-Et restaurant chain has 18 branches in Abu Dhabi and Dubai (United Arab Emirates); Doha in Qatar; Ankara, Bodrum, Istanbul and Marmaris in Turkey; Jeddah in Saudi Arabia; Mykonos in Greece; Miami, Texas, Boston, California and New York in the US.
Nusret Gökçe takes a photo with David Beckham at a Nusr-Et restaurant - Photo: Internet
On September 23, Nusret Gökçe opened its 19th store at the Park Tower Hotel in Knightsbridge - central London (UK), still maintaining its lavish style and luxury menu with each dish costing thousands of dollars. Nusr-Et Steakhouse London is Nusret Gökçe's first restaurant to open in London, and is also the first branch in the UK.
According to the reviews of diners who have enjoyed these luxurious dishes, the giant Tomahawk steak wrapped in gold leaf is the most impressive dish at Nusr-Et. The prices of the dishes are not made public on the website.Nusr-Et, but such a gold-plated steak is revealed to cost between $1,140 and $2,015 (about 26 million to 46 million VND), excluding drinks, side dishes and a 15% service charge.
In addition, the Nusr-et restaurant chain also serves a menu with many other signature dishes such as Asado grilled ribs, Nusr-Et meat spaghetti, tartare, light salad, cocktails...
Like most other steaks, Salt Bae's $2,000 steak is also made from the best parts of the cow. According to food critics and diners, Salt Bae's steak is nothing special or outstanding in taste. However, rich people still constantly come to enjoy this dish, just because they want to experience Salt Bae's "salty" performance. Although not everyone is lucky enough to be served by him, just being able to check-in and enjoy the salt-sprinkled, gold-plated beef that many of the world's most famous people have enjoyed, also makes diners satisfied.
On the other hand, there are also those who are not satisfied with the luxurious experience at Salt Bae's restaurant. "Dining at a Michelin-starred restaurant is expensive but still famous, and it's only 1/37th the price of here," - one diner commented. Buzzfeed Editor Scaachi Koul, who ate at Nusr-Et Steakhouse New York (USA), shared that the food was not necessarily bad, but really had no special taste.
