Kid

 Turkish Fire, Big Flavours and a Promising New Arrival

Courgette flower, goats cheese, honey 

Kid is one of the more intriguing new arrivals on London's dining scene, bringing together the traditions of Turkish cooking, the drama of live-fire grilling and a contemporary Soho sensibility. The restaurant opened in September 2026, joining forces between chef Sertaç Dirik, formerly of the celebrated Dalston restaurant Mangal II, and restaurateur David Carter, whose portfolio includes Smokestak, Manteca, Oma and Agora. Kid, however, is not simply an attempt to transplant the Mangal II experience from Dalston into the West End. Its culinary ambition is broader, drawing on the food of Central Anatolia, the region connected to Dirik's family heritage, and presenting it through a more contemporary, ingredient-led approach. The menu brings together meze, freshly baked pide, grilled meats, seafood and larger sharing dishes, with the charcoal grill providing the restaurant's beating heart. There is a strong emphasis on the familiar rhythms of Turkish dining: ordering several dishes for the table, passing plates around, tearing bread and using dips and sauces to bring everything together.

Taramasalata, Onion Crisp, Capers

İçli Köfte, Aged Beef, Yoğurt

XL Cornish Scallop, Coco Bean Fasülye

Grilled Quail, Sivri Pepper Ezme

I enjoyed the grilled quail, sivri pepper ezme, a dish that captured the kitchen's approach rather well. Quail is not always the easiest bird to get right. Its small size means the window between tender and dry can be surprisingly narrow, particularly when cooking over intense charcoal heat. Here, the timing was spot on, with the meat cooked properly and retaining the tenderness needed to make the dish enjoyable. The garnishes were equally important. Sivri peppers, with their distinctive green, slightly grassy flavour, bring freshness and a gentle peppery character that work naturally alongside grilled poultry. The real highlight, however, was the lamb lokma, şakşuka ezme. This was an excellent grilled lamb dish and, without hesitation, my favourite savoury plate of the meal. There is something deeply satisfying about well-cooked lamb over charcoal, especially when the meat has enough fat to develop a savoury crust while remaining juicy within. Unfortunately, the same level of satisfaction did not carry through to the restaurant's signature sharing dish, Kid, fig leaf, freekeh. This is arguably the most important plate on the menu, not only because it gives the restaurant its name but also because a large sharing dish should feel like the natural centrepiece of the meal. I found the meat a touch dry, which took away some of the pleasure of what should have been an indulgent, generous centrepiece. Goat can be wonderfully flavourful, but it needs careful cooking to achieve the tenderness and succulence that make a slow-cooked sharing dish worthwhile.

Red Mullet, Kapya Pepper

Lamb Lokma, Şakșuka Ezme

Kid, Fig Leaf, Freekeh

Rice Pudding

What makes Kid worth watching, despite those inconsistencies, is the sense of personality running through the whole experience. There is a clear culinary point of view here, and it goes beyond the fashionable appeal of charcoal grilling or the current enthusiasm for restaurants that reinterpret regional cuisines. Turkish food has enormous depth, stretching far beyond the familiar repertoire of kebabs, dips and flatbreads, and Kid is interested in exploring that breadth while making it accessible to a contemporary London audience. The emphasis on Anatolian flavours, live-fire cooking, breads and sharing dishes gives the restaurant a recognisable identity, while the use of seasonal British produce helps ground the menu in its London setting. Kid is an interesting, unusual and fun addition to Soho, with a strong culinary identity and some excellent cooking already in evidence. Not everything quite landed, however, and the more ambitious plates did not always justify their price. Still, for a restaurant that has only recently opened, there is enough here to suggest that Kid could become a very popular destination once the kitchen has had time to refine its rhythm.

Food 3.5/5

What I paid: 
£75 per head

Average cost without drinks and services:
£65

53-55 Frith St, London W1D 4SJ

https://kid.london/