New-wave Turkish chef Sertaç Dirik (right in picture) is linking up with Portuguese chef Marcelo Rodrigues to launch a new chef residency showcase at the St Martin’s Lane Hotel next week.
The duo are the first in an ongoing series of residencies at Spotlight, which takes the place of the former Asia de Cuba restaurant and describes itself as “a bold new dining experience where creativity, conversation, and innovation come together. Designed to evolve with every visit, it offers a rotating mix of culinary experiences, residencies, and immersive moments led by tastemakers.”
Sertaç made his name alongside his brother Ferhat at Mangal 2 in Dalston, an offshoot of their family’s famous Anatolian grill Mangal around the corner. Sertaç left the business in 2023 to work on his own projects, including a hi-spec cookbook for publisher Phaidon.
He says: “I’m really excited to kick off the programming for Spotlight at St Martin’s Lane, collaborating with the great Marcelo Rodrigues. We’ve brought together really classic Turkish and Portuguese dishes that mean a lot to us both, finding the similarities between our cultures and presenting them in our own styles. Think spicy, warm and comforting dishes.”
Marcelo has cooked at Quality Wines, Leo’s and The Plimsoll, and the duo have created a fusion menu with dishes including ‘bikini toast’ with sucuk (melted cheese), scallop crudo with olive ezme, and battered bacalao with dill emulsion.
Their residency runs from next Wednesday, 25 February, to Wednesday 11 March, and on two evenings – 25 February and 5 March – dinner will be preceded by an “In conversation with…” panel discussion featuring the two chefs and hosted by Omar Foster, MasterChef runner up and co-founder of Whipped Cream, the marketing agency behind Spotlight.
