Given its proximity to the offices scattering Holborn Viaduct and the fact it is quite literally attached to a brand-new hotel, you’d be forgiven for thinking Leydi was another run-of-the-mill restaurant; a style-over-substance set-up for lunch meetings you’d rather avoid. But Leydi is not like that: it feels like a proper place to eat. The interiors are super swish, like a toned-down version of Sketch if it was in Istanbul: all powdery pink walls collaged with bright, framed artworks, tastefully tiled floors and shell-shaped seats mirrored by rounded doorways and decorative lampshades.
It’s the new venture of Turkish-Cypriot chef Selin Kiazim, formerly of the now-closed east London restaurant, Oklava. This place is for all-day dining (hello, Turkish breakfast) and serves everything you’d expect from your classic Green Lanes grill (and more), done with central London sophistication.
Eating here is a marathon, not a sprint
You start with mezze, of course – and you’d be a fool to not venture out from your usual babaganoush. The menu is full of dips gallore – soft, smokey aubergine; cooling garlicky atom with drizzles of chilli oil; a baked claypot hummous which was as heavy as a soufflé – which arrive on your table like little pots of paint, ready to dunk one of three warmly baked breads into. After that, it was onto (perhaps ambitiously), the mixed grill for two: a generous centrepiece of skewered adana, succulent chicken and lamb meats. After the mezze starter and a borek log (which came with a suspiciously lacking-in-truffle truffle honey), this could probably have happily fed another pair of mouths – not least because it was served with a hefty heap of salads, rice and veg. Lesson learned: eating here is a marathon, not a sprint.
It’s worth saying that none of this had the distinct charcoal smokiness you might expect (and want) from a Turkish. It’s not straying too far from tradition, though, either. But that’s not to say it’s a bad experience. Order lots of wine, slow down and savour the ritual of sharing the meats, tearing up the kebabs and mopping up the liquids in lovely surroundings. You’ll soon forget about the gillet-wearers across the road.
The vibe Pretty plates in pretty surroundings for upmarket after-work dinners.
The food Elevated Turkish food made for sharing.
The drink Natural wine and Turkish twists on the classics. They also do raki by the bottle.
Time Out tip Don’t leave before washing it all down with a fragrant Turkish tea: it will warm your soul.