The Observer
Rebecca Nicholson headed to a new year-long residency at the Globe pub, a Turkish-Cypriot mayhane (tavern) from former Harwood Arms and BiBi chef Keiran Mustafa and Bistro Freddie restaurateur Dom Hamdy, on the very day “foodfluencer” Topjaw dropped a rave review, and “suddenly it was as if we were about to watch Taylor Swift at an open-mic night”.
She was sorely tempted to fill up on the delicious cold mezze dishes. That would be a mistake, she said: Kismet may look casual, with its paper tablecloths, but the cooking is “uncommonly good”, “exceptional”, and “knows its worth”.
The £30 monkfish, for instance, is “swaggering, meaty, and came on a base of yoghurt and chilli butter… That chilli butter is a slyly astonishing thing, with an earthy funk and a hug of spice.”
Rebecca Nicholson - 2026-08-16Evening Standard
Heather Steele felt after two two “glorious, sun-soaked meals” that Kismet was “destined for great things over the next 12 months, and beyond” – like previous residencies at the Globe Tavern that have now settled in permanent spaces, including Joké Bakare’s Chishuru in Fitzrovia and Khao Bird in Soho.
Digging in to the “wonderful” dips, “We’re tipped off to rake a triangle of melon through the dregs of the atom, a plate of buffalo-milk yoghurt with a whirlpool of glossy, deep red chilli butter that disappears fast.”
The crisp fried lamb’s livers served with lemon juice “will convert many offal naysayers”, while a skillet of bubbling Swiss chard topped with another dollop of the “unmissable atom” is “an enticing way to eat your greens”.
Heather Steele - 2026-08-16The Guardian
Grace Dent joined the throng of critics heaping accolades on this Turkish ‘mayhane’ from former Bibi head chef Keiran Mustafa and “smart-cookie” restaurateur Dom Hamdy, which she hailed as “the first genuinely cool, weird thing to have happened in Borough for ages”.
The atmosphere is “structured and very chic bedlam that’s lovable and edgy in equal measure”, and the fish (“expertly grilled” monkfish), meat (“incredibly juicy” lamb neck kuzu shish) and veg (“proper staying-at-your-gran’s-house” shallow-fried chips and “beautifully seasoned” braised green beans) all hit the spot.
But the dish everybody raves about is the “very humble-sounding” atom (yoghurt, chilli and butter) with bread. Grace demolished “two whole baskets to myself, which finally killed off my ambition to be Victoria’s Secret’s most elderly thong model. Damn it, give me warm carbs.”
Grace Dent - 2026-09-01
