The top line: David Carter has joined forces with former Mangal II chef Sertaç Dirik to open a modern Turkish restaurant in Soho. Dirik made his name at his family’s Dalston restaurant, where he helped transform Mangal II into one of London’s most progressive Turkish restaurants. Located on a prime corner site at Frith Street and Bateman Street, KID focuses on the dishes and flavours of Central Anatolia, where Dirik’s family is from, and is more homely in style than his former restaurant. Carter’s first West End restaurant, KID looks likely to continue its creator’s uninterrupted run of smash-hit London venues, joining SMOKESTAK, Manteca, OMA and AGORA.
On the menu: The menu draws on Dirik’s Turkish heritage as well as the skills he developed in kitchens across London and Copenhagen. Smaller dishes include börek with beyaz peynir and courgette; içli köfte with aged beef and yoğurt; grilled quail with ezme; and an XL Cornish scallop with coco bean fasülye. Larger plates cooked over fire include Galata mackerel; adana köfte with lavaş; kalamar with isot pepper; lamb lokma with sivri ezme; and a mixed kebap. Priced at £75, the restaurant’s signature and (sort of) eponymous dish is a large chunk of kid goat shoulder with fig leaf and freekeh. The food is complemented by an expansive wine list with a strong bias towards Turkey and its surrounding countries, as well as cocktails including a black olive and black pepper martini; a pomegranate cosmopolitan; and a fig, pet nat and gin fizz (£14).
The vibe: Located within a handsome Victorian corner building, KID has two distinct dining rooms alongside counter seating overlooking the kitchen. The interiors combine exposed brickwork and low lighting with cosy banquettes upholstered in hand-stitched burnt terracotta fabric. A separate wine room can also be used for private dining. Top tip: don’t try and enter the restaurant from the Frith Street side.
And another thing: London appears to be in the grip of Turkish fever, with KID following the arrival of Kismet, Keiran Mustafa and Dom Hamdy’s restaurant above the Globe Tavern in Borough Market. While certainly not carbon copies of each other, both major on meze and grilled meats and seek to subtly elevate the cuisine. Their launches follow the opening of contemporary Turkish restaurant Lokal earlier this year and suggest the cuisine is particularly well suited to the current climate. Flexible menus allow diners to drop in for a few small plates or go all out over dinner, while strong sourcing and cheffy touches elevate the offer above that of a typical casual restaurant. Crucially, both KID and Kismet are excellent – believe the hype.
53-55 Frith St, London W1D 4SJ