Last Updated on September 21, 2026
Anatolian cuisine in Soho
4.8 out of 5.0 starsSome new restaurant openings come and go without much fanfare; a few don’t make it out of the starting blocks. At London Unattached, we enjoy trying to spot which new eateries are likely to become super popular. One of these was Oma at Borough Market. It went on to be awarded a Michelin star and remains one of my favourite eateries in London.
When I heard that the man behind Oma, David Carter, was teaming up with Mangal II’s ex-chef Sertaç Dirik to open KİD, I was as delighted as the next restaurant-obsessed Londoner. While it is tempting to say that this is the new kid on the block, the co-founders have a long and fine pedigree, which is partly why there has been such excitement about the opening of KİD, which serves wood-fired mangal cuisine.
While Oma is Greek, KİD is Turkish, yet there are several similarities between the two restaurants. One of the glorious parts of the OMA menu is outstanding breads and dips, which form part of the KİD menu. The extensive wine lists at both restaurants have been compiled by the same sommelier. The pared-back design with simple wooden tables and somewhat uncomfortable chairs (plump for the banquette along the brick walls) presents a similar aesthetic.
Unlike at Oma, finding the entrance at KİD proved to be a challenge. Despite occupying a large corner site in Soho, the door was tricky to locate as there is no signage, and my companion and I walked up and down a few times before we could gain entrance. The restaurant has large windows overlooking both Bateman and Frith Streets, and while we observed diners inside, we could not get in. This was compounded by overflow drinkers at the pub over the narrow street, sitting on what turned out to be the doorstep and leaning up against the metal door.
If you go to KİD, look out for a large metal panel that, on further inspection, has a small imprint of a goat high up on the door. Despite the restaurant address being listed as Frith Street, the door is on Bateman Street. I have been to a number of restaurants with similarly obscure entrances, and while it may introduce a sense of exclusivity in Mayfair, in Soho it feels unnecessary.
Once we had gained entry, all was well. The staff were welcoming and friendly and soon had us seated. I assume that during the daytime there is a lot of natural light flowing in through the large windows. At night, however, the restaurant is rather austere -moody, or gloomy, depending on your vibe, with low lighting and bare brick walls.
My companion commented that it felt like sitting in a brick oven. On a further visit, I will ask to be seated in the main room where the tables are well spaced, and you can enjoy the view from the windows or take a seat at the bar and watch the action at the mangal grill, filled with large kebab skewers.
Alternatively, the back room has inviting tables at its windows. We were seated in what must once have been a passageway and is now enclosed with brick, with tables so close to each other that throughout dinner, we were treated to every word of the neighbouring table’s conversation. Add in the loud drumbeat of the background music, and it was not the quiet date night I had anticipated. However, because it was upbeat, it was enjoyable.
The KİD menu is divided into sections, each with just a few options, which is how I prefer menus. This is unlike the sort of Turkish restaurants that have a copious list of meze and salads, and where I hardly ever get to order a main as the starters are so generous. Here, there are three snacks, two breads, four meze and small plates, two oven dishes, five grilled options and two sides.
We began with two items from the three snacks on offer. KİD Sucuk and grilled peach brought two generous slices of sausage along with a quenelle of peach purée. The meat was beautifully spiced, aromatic and garlicky, with good heat.
The standout dish was the courgette flower, Tulum goat’s cheese, Atom honey. Sadly, courgette flowers are seasonal, so I was delighted to find it on the menu in autumn. It was the sort of dish you return to a restaurant to eat again. It looked resplendent in its presentation – fried in a light batter that was crisp and thin, covered with a thick drizzle of grated cheese and Turkish chilli flakes.
The flower itself, once cut into, oozed with generous, cheesy goodness, complemented by the perfect heat of the Turkish chilli flakes and the sweetness of the honey. Perfectly balanced and cooked. While I traditionally associate fried, stuffed courgette flowers with Provence, dare I say that this Turkish makeover is even better.
At this point, our drinks arrived. My companion had a glass of Chamlija ‘Thracian’ 2017, from an extensive wine list which begins in the Anatolian heartlands, travels east to the Black Sea and the Caucasus, then tacks west around the Aegean coast before diving deeper into Europe. Those unfamiliar with these wines would do well to take the advice of the sommelier who came round to assist. There is a tempting list of cocktails with a Turkish twist from which I enjoyed a most refreshing low alcohol option – vigne soda made with sour cherry, dry sherry and sarikiz (a Turkish brand of sparkling water).
Aware that the breads and dips must be good if David Carter is involved, we ordered both the Wildfarmed grilled pide and the Tombik pide, a round, pillowy flatbread. Both were utterly excellent, with the grilled pide having a gorgeous char and a generous amount of salt and garlicky oil that glistened in the candlelight. Although one of each is sufficiently filling if you are also ordering some dishes beyond the meze selection, these pide are so wonderful that you might be tempted to order another round. Or two.
They are the perfect receptacle for the meze dishes. We ordered both taramasalata, onion crisp, capers, as well as smoked aubergine and garlic yoghurt, and crispy grains. The taramasalata was the best I can recall eating – creamy, with a great smoky fishy flavour, with a few onion crisps on top and a smattering of crispy, fried capers. Rich and savoury, we mopped the bowl clean.
I was less enthusiastic about the smoked aubergine dip. I had expected a baba ganoush-type dish, but this one was less smoky than expected and overwhelmed by the toppings. The dip was covered in a layer of crispy grains and a blanket of fried shoestring potatoes. It was a creative combination but, in the spirit of less is more, this tasted overdressed.
The unmistakable flavours of the mangal grill shone through with grilled quail ezme. A spatchcocked quail perched on a pool of ezme – a thin yoghurt sauce that contained minced vegetables. The quail had a beautiful char, the meat was tender and pink, and the seasoning was spot on. I am a great fan of quail and order it whenever it appears on a menu. This was an excellent version, which I was sorry to have to share with my companion. I only wish I had ordered more pide to mop up the juices and a portion to myself.
No surprise that one of the signature dishes of KİD is roast kid. In Turkey, this dish is traditionally cooked in a tandir, an underground pit oven. Here at KİD, the meat is wrapped in vine leaves and slow-roasted overnight in the wood oven.
It came to the table in its ceramic, lidded dish. Inside was a large piece of kid on the bone, atop a generous helping of a soupy freekeh with chickpeas and shoestring carrots, akin to a freekeh risotto. We were encouraged to remove the bone, pull the meat apart with spoons – that is how tender it was – and mix it into the freekeh. There was easily enough for four people, but this dish was so delicious that we polished it off ourselves.
To cut through the rich flavours, there were two small side dishes – one of pickles and the other of garlic yoghurt. It is the first time I have eaten goat with pickles, and I enjoyed the fermented flavours along with the meat. Mixed in with the freekeh, the dish became a delicious meat stew, a hearty choice that will no doubt be a winner this winter. The freekeh, which retained its chewy bite, provided good textural contrast. This was hearty cooking: rib sticking, rich, caramelised meatiness.
The snacks, meze and breads are all so good that they cannot and should not be resisted. The result is that unless you have a gargantuan appetite, you may be rather full by the time the main dishes arrive. Soldier on, though. Alternatively, make two bookings so as to concentrate on all aspects of the menu. Even better, bring some friends so that you can taste more dishes than a couple can get through.
The dessert menu had three options from which we selected baklava, cardamom, cherry, almond and a mint mastic ice cream. The baklava looked very enticing, perched alongside a bright red pool of sour cherry sauce. While I enjoyed the cardamom spice and the sour cherry pairing, I was disappointed with the baklava itself; the nuts were overtoasted, and it lacked enough syrup to hold it together.
The mint mastic ice cream was memorable – it tasted like mint tea in ice cream form. It had the sweet profile of a Turkish mint tea, but had thankfully dialled back the sugar. It was a good-looking dish, the ice cream presented as a mint green mound with a central pool of emerald green mint syrup. It was the perfect end to a rich meal. My companion brought proceedings to a close with a traditional Turkish coffee.
While a vegetarian will not go hungry at KİD, with a choice of a snack, three dips, bread, a borek and two sides, the main courses on the menu are meat-focused. Pescatarians do have scallops, mackerel and calamari to choose from, which would certainly keep me happy. Carnivores will be in their element.
Service was friendly and helpful. The pacing was good – the whole meal was done within 75 minutes but did not feel rushed. At 9.30 pm, diners were still arriving; this is not a venue where you have your table for the evening. KİD is already popular, and I am sure will continue to grow its reputation in Soho.
While the décor is rather austere – a few bright artworks on the bare brick would add some colour – the atmosphere was upbeat. I will certainly be back, possibly for lunch, so I can enjoy the light coming in through the large windows and partake in some people-watching while I tuck into those fabulous pide and mop up the meze. Next time I will order them all.
Looking for something different in Soho? Read our review of Firebird Restaurant and Wine Bar
55 Frith Street
London W1D 4SJ
Tel: 0123456789
Other openings that have caught our attention this month:
Mirtala
Mirtala is a North Mexican restaurant that has opened in Chiswick. Run by a husband-and-wife team, the restaurant will showcase authentic Mexican cooking with the best British ingredients. Sure to be popular with diners is Mirtala’s large-scale taco and barbacoa platters served on handmade Lavec stoneware, which will include Wagyu beef, fresh hake, slow-cooked pork, wild mushrooms and homemade salsas. Other items on the menu designed for sharing are Devon crab, roasted aubergine tostadas, and masa fried chicken with spicy habanero cream. If you can’t make it to Mexico, get down to Chiswick.
Mirtala, 59 – 61 Turnham Green Terrace, Chiswick, London W4 1RP
Brook & Green
It is all eyes on Chiswick this month. Brook & Green is open all day as a neighbourhood restaurant and wine bar on Chiswick High Road. The menu, which changes as the day progresses from breakfast through to dinner, spans Mediterranean, Asian and British influences. The restaurant has a terrace for warmer weather and a newly developed wine room for wine discovery and pre-dinner drinks. From breakfast on a Monday to Sunday lunch, the restaurant aims to become a regular space for locals, an eatery that Chiswick needs.
Brook & Green, 142 Chiswick High Road, W4 1PU
Bamboo Mat
Following on from the success of Bamboo Mat in Stratford, a new venue is opening in Canary Wharf. Here you can enjoy Nikkei, the wonderful fusion of Japanese and Peruvian cuisines. Start the journey with pisco sours and move on to ceviche, sushi and sashimi, mains of teriyaki, ox cheek, and a range of tasting menus. From the raw bar to the robata grill, this promises as much good eating and drinking as its East London eateries.
Bamboo Mat Canary Wharf, 1 North Lane, Canary Wharf Estate, London E22 3AD
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