Located in Palmers Green, Liman is billed as a Turkish-Cypriot ‘casual grill and fry shop’.
Alongside Turkish-Cypriot classics, a regularly changing specials board will give Semay “the freedom to cook instinctively, and experiment with whatever ingredients and ideas he feels inspired by from his travels and the diverse community around him”.
A coal-fired mangal sits at the heart of an open kitchen and will turn out whole grilled sea bass, chicken leg and lamb shish, and sheftalia, a traditional Cypriot sausage made with minced meat and herbs.
A permanent fixture on the menu will be a Cyprus-style döner made from lamb and slow-cooked on a rotating spit.
Liman will use the whole animal, serving a range of cuts in freshly made pitta with seasonal tomatoes and house salad.
From the fryer there will be glass-battered calamari, salt cod and lamb kofte, alongside chips made with Cypriot potatoes and seasoned with oregano salt.
Diners can bring their own alcohol or choose from a selection of bottled Cypriot soft drinks.
“I want to give people somewhere they can come down in their tracksuit, knowing they can eat really well for less than £25. Proper food made with love, using beautiful ingredients. No mystery meat, but maybe a cut you haven’t tried before that you’ll discover to be extremely delicious,” says Semay.
“The first generation of Cypriots in North London have made an incredible impact on local culture, establishing long-standing independents that I’ve grown up with and that make London feel like home. You’ve got the original kebab spots like Dionysus in Southgate; Yasar Halim, the best supermarket for Cypriot ingredients; and, not forgetting, Aroma Patisserie in Palmers Green, where I’ve been going all my life.
“With the greatest respect to those who did it before us, I hope Liman will become part of our neighbourhood’s continued story and somewhere that everyone feels welcome.”
Raised in Edmonton, Semay trained at Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen, worked with Theo Randall and went on to become head chef at Stevie Parle’s Palatino in Clerkenwell.
He built a following with his Sunday Sessions cooking videos on YouTube and has written two cookbooks, Big Has HOME and Smoke and Seasoned Bread.