Keiran Mustafa - Behind The Scenes At 'Kismet' London's Sexiest New Restaurant
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What makes Kismet’s opening spread so unforgettable?
Davidson, diputado please.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome back to Me Sin Plast, which is, yes, you guessed it, the greatest podcast. Actually, not just food podcasts, podcast in the world. Um, and we are in Kismet, in Borough Market, in this incredible building which has no prior history in any film, which is worth mentioning. No. Um it's just a great fucking room and an amazing restaurant. And I'll tell you what, say what you want about Dum Hamdy. But his wife is incredibly talented at design and Hamdi's just a gorgeous man. He's got a he's he's got a beautiful outfit. He was here a second ago. He's he's left. Ben's getting tucked into things. We should say we're surrounded by one of the most beautiful spreads in the world.
We have Kieran Mustafa here, who's had amazing history in some of London's top restaurants, but now is running arguably the greatest restaurant. It's Kisma. And it's his own place alongside the Ham Diddler. But he's put together the greatest spread I've ever seen. Can you take us through what we have here? Because the spread looks unreal. This is the best bread we've ever had on the pot. Yeah.
Okay, so probably start with this is like a v s like a veg plate, basically, seasonal veg. So you got some cucumber, uh black olives, karabi, melon, some lemon for for for as you wish. Oh. Generally, melon and cheese is always eaten at the start of a Mehana meal. Gir esme, which is three cheeses we put in soft feta, feta, skadamazithra, which is the the Greeks, soft Greek cheese. Yeah. Um and we just mix those all together. Walnuts, herbs. Uh this is Tarzan Fasuria, which is like green beans, raised tomato. Atom, this is yogurt that which we hang with some garlic. Beautiful. And then Don't dare you call it lab night, Freddie. Dare you call it a lab note, Freddy. Oh, it wasn't good there. New bar. Spoon spoon over some chili butter.
That chili butter. Generally
was there. Were you
being a showman there?
I was being a showman. Okay, yeah. Well, mainly because it was forgotten.
But you'd get a sim a similar kind of speed.
We move here. Tarama. Beautiful. Non smoked. Nice. This is liver, fried liver, carved liver. We slice it super thin, flour it, fry it, and then just pan fry it? No, deep fry it.
Deep fry it, come on.
Yeah. It's probably the the most approachable way of eating liver.
Good. And then with what on it? But a cumin, but a soda smelled amazing when you've got it.
Cumin, uh sorry, it brings down the the odour a little bit. Yes. And then oregano pour be bear.
And would you make a little
kind
of
I I would like a little sandwich with a with the onion and the chili. That's about that. Yeah, lemon. Yeah, I would just take it. Can I can I share it? Oh, like you don't want it on the bread. No, no, no. You use it as the sandwich. Yeah, shave yourself.
I'm like shame myself. Yeah, listen, Kira. Now we're dancing. That is unbelievable.
Yeah. It says Bulga Kuf there. So this is the Turkish Cypriot version of Itchtikufter. Right. Or kiber. Borgle wheat casing. Mm-hmm. And then inside we make a mix of beef, onion, parsley, salt, pepper. This bread's
unbelievable. Are you making this bread? Or are we buying it in from an incredible Turkish baker?
You got it. Turkish baker. Um we just bring it back to life a little bit with some olive oil and oregano. And then the piece of resistance at the end, right? Chicken shish, lamb shish. Yeah, we use lamb neck, chicken thigh, marinades, pretty classic, pepper paste, onion, garlic, pour bear.
Bit of bread work underneath.
Dirty bread underneath. Yeah. Simack onions, grilled peppers.
Well look we're eating the best Turkish food I've ever had in my life. And we're drinking Raki.
How does the seasonal vegetable plate set the tone for the meal?
It's a Monday afternoon. The sun is shining through the window. Everyone's happy. But talk us through why is now the moment to be creating the best Turkish restaurant in London.
It's something I've been looking at trying to do myself for for a few years. I met Dom through Lauren from Home Hospitality. Did some work with Dom and it just sort of went from one sort of project to the next. I was looking at taking over here.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What makes Kismet’s opening spread so unforgettable?
0:03–3:25
2
How does the seasonal vegetable plate set the tone for the meal?
3:25–7:38
3
Why is now the perfect moment to launch a top‑tier Turkish restaurant in London?
7:38–11:09
4
What role do live music and the dining atmosphere play at Kismet?
11:09–16:10
5
Why hasn’t Kismet earned a Michelin star yet despite its quality?
16:10–19:37
6
How did Kieran’s childhood food memories shape his cooking style?
19:37–23:21
7
What key lessons did Kieran learn from his early kitchen jobs?
23:21–26:55
8
Is Kismet planning to expand or franchise in the future?
26:55–30:38
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