Kemal Demirasal is opening a second restaurant with a listening bar underneath
Turkish restaurant The Counter has been a big hit in Notting Hill and this spring, owner Kemal Demirasal is jumping on the expansion train and opening a second restaurant in Soho. Whereas the original restaurant, a contemporary take on an ocakbasi, showcased the food of Anatolia, the Kingly Court site will feature flavours from the Aegean, inspired by Kemal’s childhood in the coastal city of Izmir.
As well as some fan faves from The Counter Notting Hill, such as the chocolate babaganoush and the adana kebab, the Soho menu will include dishes like:
- whipped tarama and fish roe
- sea bass crudo with umami sauce
- Istanbul tomato salad and chives
- cheese saganaki with pistachio and honey
- grilled octopus with mashed fava
- whole sea bass
- slow-roasted lamb shoulder
- tuna ‘wagyu’
- baklava cheesecake
A list of Greek, Turkish and Levantine wines will be on offer in the restaurant, with cocktails inspired by the same regions available in the downstairs bar Under The Counter. You can expect serves like the Silkroad (made with sesame oil cognac, amaretto, sugar syrup and lemon), the Yia Mas (made with rum, osmanthus, yuzu, maraschino and tonic water) and the Artemis (made with lavender vodka, lychee, jasmine milk and yellow chartreuse). It won’t just be about the cocktails Under The Counter though as it’s also a listening bar; a sound system made from Michell and Klipsch hardware will be playing an eclectic mix of genres. With both the Aegean-inspired OMA from David Carter and Effie still to come as well as The Coutner Soho, London is clearly falling in love with the region.
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Opens Tues 14th May 2024
15 Kingly Street, London W1B 5PS
thecounterlondon.com