Kemal Demirasal is taking his restaurant Counter up to two.
Because after the glowing praise he garnered for his debut diner – a truly superb little Turkish place in Notting Hill – he’s branching out into Central London this May for the followup, The Counter Soho.
You’ll find it tucked into Kingly Street around the corner from Carnaby, where it’ll be joining Civan Er’s Yeni and Esra Muslu’s Zahter in providing Soho with some yet another great Aegean eatery. Like its predecessor, it’ll serve up innovative takes on traditional ocakbaşı cooking, which harnesses the unique potency of an open-fire grill. But this time, Demirasal’s also finding the room to sling a listening bar in the basement, aptly called Under The Counter.
And Nudge Members will be first through the door thanks to a series of exclusive previews (dinner on Thursday 9th & Friday 10th of May, plus lunch on Saturday 11th) with 50% off the food bill as a bonus.
Ola O. Smit
So, what can you expect? Well, it won’t be a carbon copy of the original, although it’ll certainly feature some of The Counter’s most popular signature dishes (after all, nobody invents white chocolate babaganoush just to leave it behind). But where the first restaurant honed in on the recipes of south-east Anatolia, the inspiration for The Counter Soho sweeps in from across the Aegean, bringing in influences from Greece, Turkey, the Mediterranean and the Levant.
Ola O. Smit
In practice, that translates to an abundance of seafood dishes like sea bass crudo; saffron & crab orzo; and grilled octopus with mashed fava. There’ll be mouthwatering appetisers like sweet cheese saganaki with pistachio and honey, and sumac-dusted tzatziki. And of course, the grill will be put to work to char whole fish to share, alongside slow-roasted lamb shoulder and daily changing specials. And for pudding? You’re going to want to have a word with the baklava cheesecake.
Complementing it all will be a globe-trotting wine list, where you can get particularly acquainted with some of the most exciting Greek, Turkish and Levantine growers. But if you fancy something stronger? You’ll want to drink Under The Counter…
Ola O. Smit
…because here, in this intimate 30-seat bar, you’ll be serenaded with vinyl on a very serious sound system, while the barkeeps shake up original concoctions like the Artemis, with lavender vodka, lychee, clarified jasmine milk and yellow chartreuse, and the Aegean Paloma, with olive oil fat-washed tequila, chilli, Aperol, grapefruit soda and bitters.
It’s a pretty strong Counter offer.
NOTE: The Counter Soho is set to open on 14th May – you can find out more HERE. Nudge Members are getting a trio of exclusive previews (dinner on Thursday 9th & Friday 10th of May, plus lunch on Saturday 11th) with 50% off the food bill – to find out how to book, just check the Members’ Box at the top of this page.
Not yet a Nudge Member? Start a free trial here.
The Counter Soho | 15 Kingly Street, Carnaby, London W1B 5PS
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