Monday Bulletin: Kismet | OSMA | Koji Izakaya

Catch up on the latest industry news stories of the week from the CODE Bulletin

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Kismet

Dom Hamdy, the restaurateur behind Bistro Freddie, Crispin and Canal, and chef Keiran Mustafa, formerly of BiBi and The Harwood Arms, will open Kismet, a tribute to the traditional meyhanes of Istanbul and Northern Cyprus, in Borough. Opening above The Globe Tavern (currently home to Barang) on 16 July for a year-long residency, Kismet will bring the raki-soaked spirit of the meyhane to London with meze, mangal-grilled kebabs, Turkish wines, and weekly live music, served in vintage-inspired interiors complete with lace curtains, white tablecloths and dark wood, that feel lived in from day one. Dishes include atom (buffalo milk yoghurt with chilli butter), bulgur köftesi (fried stuffed bulgur dumplings) and şeftali kebabı, a Cypriot minced lamb and beef kebab wrapped in caul fat. Guests will be encouraged to leave a bottle of raki behind the bar for future visits, in keeping with meyhane tradition.

OSMA

OSMA – the name’s a portmanteau of Oslo and Manchester – returns to Manchester this autumn after a two-year hiatus. Danielle Heron and Sofie Stoermann-Naess’s Scandi-influenced restaurant and new grocery, Boutikk, will reopen at One Port St in the Northern Quarter.

Koji Izakaya

Koji Izakaya is a new Japanese concept operating on Wednesdays and Thursdays only, at Josh and Holly Eggleton’s Root Bath. It evolved from head chef Joe Fowler’s lockdown sushi project. Expect British produce, Japanese technique and plenty of sake.

CODE NEIGHBOURHOODS: PECKHAM

For the latest instalment of CODE Neighbourhoods, CODE heads to Peckham to uncover the best addresses in this exciting corner of South London. Read on for CODE’s exclusive offers in pubs, bakeries, bars and restaurants across SE15.

• Having launched the UK’s first accredited qualification in regenerative and sustainable hospitality last year, The Bull Inn in Totnes is bringing its Level 3 course to London this September, in partnership with Farmacy.

• Canada Day at Trivet is back. Head to the two-Michelin-star restaurant on 1 July, from 3pm-6pm, for Canadian chef Jonny Lake’s lobster rolls, poutine, butter tarts, and Canadian wines by the glass.

• Asma Khan’s Darjeeling Express has upsized and opened at its new home on Rupert Street in Soho.

• Landmark fine-dining restaurant The Box Tree in Ilkley (est. 1962), will close for refurbishment on 1 August following a £500,000 investment. It returns on 9 September.

• Estelle Community has launched its first public-facing venue, Celeste Restaurant, a contemporary Italian- and Californian-inspired restaurant within Celeste, its hosted home and private members’ club in Notting Hill.

• Chishuru is taking a break from set menus for a summer of suya, a celebration of Nigeria’s street-side grills. Dishes, from £7, will include prawns with yaji butter and lamb tongue with green strawberries. These sessions are running from 22nd July, every Wednesday until 26th August.

• Adam Byatt has appointed Will Bee (ex-Lita and Paul Ainsworth at No.6) as head chef at Rosina, his new Italian restaurant opening in Wandsworth today.

• Meanwhile at The Cocochine, Larry Jayasekara has promoted Nepalese-born Kushal Rai (A.Wong, Restaurant Story) to head chef at the Mayfair restaurant.

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WHAT WE’RE READING

• A local’s Guide to Aldeburgh and Orford: The Good Food Guide

• Five dishes to try at The Hero: CODE

• ‘Clever, laser-focused cooking’ – Jay Rayner reviews Teal by Sally Abé: FT Weekend 

• How much? The hidden costs of restaurant dishes; The Guardian

THE DUMBWAITER

How does your team beat the heat? We’ve seen some original hacks from ice cubes for dinner to handheld fans tucked into waistbands. But the style award goes to Café Deco where the kitchen team sported knotted tea towels on their heads à la dad on Blackpool beach. Keep the innovations coming.

The Wimbledon main draw kicks off today and things are already in full swing at the players’ unofficial clubhouse, Spanish restaurant Cambio de Tercio in West London. Half the tour has been through the door already including British players Emma Raducanu, Jack Draper and Katie Boulter, Queen’s champion Francisco Cerundulo, and hotly tipped 19-year-old Rafael Jodar.

Spotted: Dame Eileen Atkins enjoying lunch with a side order of air con at Cent Anni in Wimbledon Village.