What: A stylish all-day Turkish restaurant that bills itself as being ‘inspired by the neighbourhood restaurants of Istanbul and true lokanta-style hospitality’. Leydi is housed within Ennismore’s newly-launch Hyde London City hotel, which has taken over the Spiers & Pond building opposite the Old Bailey near London’s Farringdon. The restaurant can be accessed by the hotel, but also has its own street entrance.
Who: Leydi marks chef Selin Kiazim’s return to London following the closure of her Shoreditch restaurant Oklava in January of last year. Oklava was launched by Kiazim, who previously cooked for Peter Gordon at The Providores in London Marylebone, and her business partner, Laura Christie, in 2015, and served a menu of Turkish Cypriot dishes. While Kiazim has led the development of Leydi as a chef consultant, in partnership with Ennismore’s Carte Blanched team, the day-to-day running of the restaurant is being overseen by Halil Simsek, who previously cooked with Kiazim at Oklava and has also worked at a number of top restaurants in Istanbul including Ristorante Italia di Massimo Bottura, Toi, and Must.
The food: Kiazim describes the food at Leydi as ‘pure, unadulterated Turkish cooking’ that takes cues from the city’s lokantas and meyhanes. The main lunch and dinner menu is extensive and features a selection of meze, alongside small and large plates and a specific section dedicated to kebaps cooked on the mangal. Options include the chicken shish marinaded in a fenugreek spiced yoghurt and served with dripping pide, grilled ezme, marinated peppers and onion salad (£20); the islak (wet) burger featuring a spiced beef and lamb köfte bun that’s drenched in garlic tomato sauce (£14); house döner made with select cuts of lamb and beef, and served with rice (£26); and a must order baked claypot hummus with pastirma brown butter (£8). A separate breakfast menu is served each morning and features house-made pastries such as börek (£12); and tahinli, a caramelised tahini spiral (£8). Hot dishes include menemen, scrambled eggs, with peppers, tomatoes and chilli (£15); a Turkish breakfast for one featuring simit, boiled egg, feta, olives, honey-kaymak, seasonal vegetables and spreads (£19).
To drink: A range of low intervention wines features including bins sourced from Turkey, Lebanon, Greece, and further afield in Europe. As well as this there’s a selection of cocktails created by mixologist Kevin Patnode. Many of the drinks feature elements of spice and smoke, with options including a Lion Milk’s Spritz with raki, coriander seed, elderflower liqueur and sparkling wine (£12).
The vibe: The dining room is bright and inviting, and features plush banquettes, warm lighting and ‘understated’ references to Istanbul’s architecture and interiors. It’s a large space, holding 90 covers in total, with an open kitchen at one end.
And another thing: Kiazim is now primarily based in Amsterdam where she lives with her partner, Stephanie. The pair are planning to launch a small restaurant in the Dutch capital later this year.
6 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2AE
