A Turkish-influenced restaurant with a difference has opened on a corner in London's Soho, bringing together the culinary visions of chef Sertaç Dirik and restaurateur David Carter. Kid officially launched on 1 September 2026, and the early signs suggest it has already made an impression on the city's dining scene. The menu draws on Central Anatolian traditions—sucuk with grilled peach, pide, börek, hummus, içli köfte with aged beef—but neither chef nor restaurateur has ever favoured the straightforward approach, which explains the considerable anticipation surrounding their venture.
Carter's track record speaks for itself. A decade ago, he established a wild, Americana-tinged barbecue joint in Shoreditch that somehow transformed brisket sandwiches and peach cobbler old fashioneds into London's most coveted reservation. Five years later came another Shoreditch opening, a reimagining of the Italian trattoria for the contemporary era, followed by his Greek-influenced Michelin-starred venture in Borough and its smaller sibling Agora. All remain places where diners receive serious value. Dirik's journey carries echoes of television drama: a Copenhagen-trained chef drawn back to strengthen the family business, who went on to create the widely celebrated restaurant in Dalston. What unites them, beyond their reputations, is a shared passion for live fire—in the culinary rather than literal sense. Kid's Galata mackerel exemplifies this philosophy: almost completely blackened, it delivers an incredible hit of smoke throughout its flesh.
Finding the entrance
The restaurant's address is listed as 53-55 Frith Street, London W1D 4SJ, but the entrance sits on Bateman Street, concealed behind an aggressively discreet front door that may leave visitors wandering around the glass-fronted corner like a confused tourist at an aquarium, pressing their nose against the tank in search of jellyfish and turtles. Inside that glass, however, diners sip gemlik martinis—black olive, black pepper, white vermouth, frozen gin—in a room that is a study in browns with an industrial aesthetic. A design movement might call it "sumptuous sackcloth and ashes", and a long counter focuses on a central grill. A word of caution: do not accidentally wander into Regulation, a boutique establishment of a very different character just 10 metres away, where an entirely different type of indulgence is offered.
Why kid goat?
The restaurant's name signals its central ingredient: kid goat, which will either delight or unsettle British diners accustomed to quibbling about goat meat while raising no objection to lamb, despite their considerable similarities in flavour. The signature dish—a £65 kid with fig leaf and freekeh for two—arrives in an earthenware pot resembling a plump lamb shank awaiting the stripping of flesh through the cooked grains beneath. The dish came heavy and somewhat intimidating, yet was left picked completely clean, as were the accompanying pickles: fat, richness, sharpness, all in perfect balance.
How does the cooking perform?
On the restaurant's fourth day of operation, the space was already packed with devoted followers of Carter's previous ventures and assorted food writers, all gazing at the fire and tearing at blistered, kaymak-slicked grilled pide, as well as seeded ramazan pide as fluffy as a Turkish morning after excessive raki consumption.
The opening course of courgette flowers, priced at £7 each, may provoke some to reach for the smelling salts. Yet these bear no resemblance to the flaccid petals draped over unseasoned ricotta with which British establishments habitually offend French sensibilities. The batter here is intensely crisp, the goat's cheese filling rich, with acacia honey to cut through the richness: a crunchy, sticky, oozing delight. A round of bluefin tuna ezme—a fine, fresh tartare in the Turkish manner—arrives on what can only be described as a poppadom-like cracker: fried, decadent and completely indulgent.
The mackerel, however, is when the point of all this live-fire theatre becomes clear. A huge butterflied fish with blackened skin emerges crisp from the grill, its flesh soft and meaty, stuffed with a carrot-based slaw cooked in what tastes like rich, deep shellfish liquor. It stands as the undoubted star of the meal.
What about dessert?
The meal concludes with mountain tea rice pudding infused with sideritis, a wild Anatolian herb that carries warmth and a vaguely honeyed quality, finished with a crunchy brûléed top—one of the finest desserts of the year. The mastic ice-cream topped with mint oil should not be overlooked either: it tastes exactly like toothpaste, and that is intended as a compliment.
A very long lunch closed with shots of Turkish coffee that even Carter admitted tastes "slightly muddy". That coffee sent the diner blinking into daylight, still wired six hours later. Much as Kid itself: distinctive, delicious and thoroughly making its mark.
When can you visit?
Reservations opened on 10 August 2026 ahead of the September opening. The restaurant operates Monday to Saturday, lunch from noon to 3pm, dinner from 5.30pm to 10pm. Expect to spend from approximately £45 per head à la carte, plus drinks and service.
Key Facts
- Kid is the first standalone restaurant from chef Sertaç Dirik, partnering with restaurateur David Carter, whose previous ventures include Smokestak, Oma and Agora
- The menu draws on Central Anatolian food traditions with signature dishes including kid goat with fig leaf and freekeh, and Galata mackerel
- The restaurant is located at 53-55 Frith Street, London W1D 4SJ, with the entrance on Bateman Street
- Pricing ranges from approximately £45 per head à la carte, plus drinks and service
- Opening hours are Monday to Saturday, noon to 3pm for lunch and 5.30pm to 10pm for dinner
