Kismet is from the people behind Bistro Freddie and Crispin
London’s run of modern Turkish openings shows no sign of slowing. The latest is Kismet, a meyhane landing above The Globe Tavern in Borough Market this July from restaurateur Dom Hamdy, whose HAM group is behind Bistro Freddie, Crispin, Bar Crispin and Canal, and chef Keiran Mustafa, who launched Chet Sharma’s BiBi and has cooked at the Harwood Arms and Chez Bruce. Mustafa grew up in a Turkish-Cypriot family and has spent the last while running his Kıbrıs meyhane pop-ups at Carousel, so this is less a new idea than one he’s been building towards. The room has form too, having hosted the likes of Chishuru and Tou.
A meyhane is the Istanbul and Northern Cypriot take on a tavern, where dishes arrive in waves rather than courses and nobody’s in a hurry. The menu runs to meze and mangal-grilled kebabs with trad dishes like atom (buffalo yoghurt with chilli butter), fried lamb’s liver, şeftali kebabı (the Cypriot minced lamb and beef kebab wrapped in caul fat that’s currently having a moment at Impala and Zylia) and lamb şiş, with baklava and pistachio ice cream to finish. Raki leads the drinks, and in proper meyhane fashion regulars can buy a bottle and leave it on the shelf for next time. There’s a concise list of Turkish wines from producers like Sevilen and Kuzubağ, plus a house lager called Basketcase, named after the men Istanbul bars once hired to carry drunk customers home in baskets. A Turkish musician plays live each week.
With Mangal 2 and Leydi both pulling crowds, KID from Sertaç Dirik and David Carter in the works and Dukkan Dukkan hosting some very cool Turkish pop-ups, Turkish food is having a moment.
Key Information
Dates | Opens Thursday 16th July
Address | Kismet, Upstairs at The Globe Tavern, 8 Bedale Street, London, SE1 9AL
For more information | kismet.london
