Rupert Parker visits Kibele Restaurant and Bar and Gets A Taste Of Turkey And The Mediterranean.
Great Portland Street, on the edge of Fitzrovia is one of those in-between places in London where you’re unlikely to visit unless you have good reason. Celebrities and royals choose to give birth at the private Portland Hospital. It’s mainly a residential area so it was surprise to discover that authentic Turkish food was on offer at the Kibele Restaurant and Bar.
Once upon a time, the top of Great Portland Street used to be home to the wholesale rag trade, but as I walk south from the station I see they’ve all gone. Indeed there’s a smattering of new restaurants, although Kibele Restaurant and Bar has been here for around ten years. On a Friday night, inside it’s quietly buzzing with a bar down one side and the open kitchen at the back. Tables are well spaced and the seating is mixture of orange banquettes and wooden chairs resting on a tiled floor.
There are no shortage of waiters here and service is attentive. I start with a glass of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc while my companion goes for a Pink Lychee mocktail. She’s impressed that they take alcohol free beverages seriously and later she samples the Frujity Caprioska – a mix of strawberry, kiwi, cranberry lime that she also awards top marks.
So to the menu and most dishes are familiar from the Turkish restaurants I’ve visited in Hackney and prices are not too different, surprising since this is the West End. We’re tempted by the selection of cold starters which includes Humus, Shakshuka, Babaganush, Muhammara and Cacik but worry it could all be too much. Instead we go for plates of Borek and Manti.
The last are tiny lamb stuffed dumplings with tomato and spicy olive oil, topped with creamy garlicky yogurt. Immediately it’s obvious that they take presentation seriously here and the pasta is as good as it looks. A dusting of Sumac and chopped spring onions gives that extra zing. The Borek are thin cigars of filo pastry, stuffed with aged feta on a bed on rocket. Light and delicate, perfect for dipping in the chilli jam served on the side.
Now the reason we’ve been holding back is that we’ve ordered the Just the 2 of Us
Sharing Platter, a real meat feast. Advertised as their Signature Grills, a huge plate of chicken and lamb shish, spicy chicken and lamb minced skewers, wings,
boneless chicken, lamb cutlets and lamb ribs arrives. Served on thin strips of bread, it also comes with salad and bowls of rice and bulgur.
All I can say is that the lamb is achingly tender, moist and slightly pink. The minced skewers are perfectly spiced and the chicken has plenty of flavour from the fire. There’s a hot sauce on the side, the salad is freshly chopped and, to be honest, the bowls of rice and bulgur are slightly redundant. In fact there’s enough to feed four people but we give it our best shot and in the end only a small piece of chicken remains.
After a short pause for another glass of wine and a mocktail we decide that we could tackle dessert, all in the line of duty, but just one. It has to be Pistachio Baklava, filo pastry rolls filled with crushed pistachios and drizzled with honey syrup. A sphere of pistachio ice cream sits on top, crowned with a single yellow physalis fruit. Again it’s a marvel of presentation and the filo is definitely homemade.
The restaurant is called Kibele after Cybele, considered the Great Mother of the Gods associated with nature, fertility, and agriculture. That’s particularly apt as they pride themselves on seasonality and the ingredients here are of the highest quality and freshness. Add imaginative presentation, impeccable service and you have the recipe for a restaurant that’s definitely worth a detour.
Tell Me More About Kibele Restaurant And Bar, London
Kibele Restaurant and Bar 175-177 Great Portland St, London W1W 5PJ
T: 020 7436 0600
Starters from £8, mains from £19, sharing platter £65, deserts from £7.
The entertainment lounge downstairs has live music on Friday and Saturday and takes bookings for parties.
