[title]
We’ve been waiting for this news for a while and frankly, we’re thrilled to announce that former Mangal II chef Sertaç Dirik is opening a brand new restaurant in Soho.
Dirik is joining forces with restaurateur David Carter of Oma, Agora and Smokestak to launch Kid in Soho this September. Kid will take inspiration from Dirik’s Turkish heritage and be the chef’s first standalone restaurant, following his years at his family ocakbaşı, Mangal II, which he left in 2023.
Kid will open at 55 Frith Street. The menu will based around the central Anatolian food Dirik was raised on, with pide bread, meze and salatas and çökelek cheese made in-house as well as içli köfte with aged ex-dairy beef, as well as Cornish lamb saddle with roast garlic and sivri pepper ezme, and braised goat kid. There will also be traditional Turkish coffee and teas, as well as Turkish delight and cherry and pecan baklava to finish.
Speaking about the opening, Sertaç Dirik said: ‘At its core, KID is a restaurant that aims to show the vastness of Turkish cooking, expressed with the warmth you’d come to expect from someone’s home. Utilising the techniques I grew up learning from my parents, I feel it is an absolute privilege to serve you this summer in London’s most distinctive neighbourhood.’
David Carter added: ‘I have been a long-term supporter of Mangal II, both in its OG days and then in its reincarnation in 2020 when Sertaç boldly reinvented what Turkish cooking meant for London. What started off as a friendship, has now grown into a partnership and I’m super excited to be joining Sertaç in developing and unravelling KID. Soho represents a new challenge for us and very much looking to be bringing this project to fruition.’
Mangal II remains one of the best places to eat in London, recently making Time Out’s brand new top 50 best restaurants in London list (alongside Carter’s Oma). Mangal II opened in 1994, with Sertaç Dirik taking over from his father and leading the kitchen from 2020 until he left three years ago.
The best restaurants in London.
Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.