Beyond the turkish kebabs in the city.

Selin Kiazim and Laura Christie have done a fine job in showing London that’s there’s a lot more to Turkish food than kebab shops.

Having been to their first venture Oklava in Shoreditch thanks to my foodie friend, I decided to visit the sister restaurant near Warren Street. Kyseri is named after the ancient city in Cappadocia in central Anatolia (sometimes spelled Kayseri) that is most associated with the Turkish stuffed pasta - manti. Here, they’re serving two types of pasta.

The first is manti, popular throughout Turkey and Central Asia. They’re small dumpling-style stuffed pasta bundles with fillings including beef, chickpea, mushroom, and more. I had the mushroom manti. Here they come with traditional garlic yoghurt, and tomato chilli butter sauces.The second type of pasta is the eriste, which looks like a broken tagliatelle. It’s traditionally made with walnuts, feta, garlic, and parsley, but here, they’re promising a more elaborate version of that.

Delicious pasta aside, I also tried some incredible Turkish coffee, Sparkling wine and a special mahleb (cherry based aromatic dessert) to end my fabulous meal. Well worth a visit and full points for the service and food.

As Kyseri gets booked well in advance, it's recommended to make a reservation prior to your visit. For more details on their ever-changing menu, check out Kyseri here- https://www.kyseri.co.uk/
Unfortunately, as of January 2020, Kyseri closed and re-opened as Oklava Bakery and Wine in the same location. I was meaning to go there to check out their promising breakfast, but it will have to wait for better days after the lockdown has been lifted and when it is safer to dine in.

---