Kibele (pronounced Chibelle) is a stylish Turkish restaurant on Great Portland Street in the medium price range. After only opening this year, they have done exceptionally well at making a name for themselves.
The folding doors open out onto the Fitzrovia street making for an alfresco vibe without being too exposed. The gold Art Deco details and swanky velvet chairs are a delight to your eyes as you are greeted by the hosts. Tables for 2 or booths for 12 allow any size party to dine for the evening.
Sat just by the well-stocked bar, out came our cocktails: a Déjà Vu for me (Grey Goose vodka based) and a Naked Goddess for Lola (Belvedere vodka based). The geometric shapes and perfect lighting of the restaurant really made for a lovely atmosphere, with the tables not being too close nor too far from each other. It is certainly somewhere I would recommend for a classy date or dinner with parents.
The service was absolutely amazing, I don’t think I’ve ever had any as good. Our waiter was incredibly diligent from explaining the dishes down to even preparing our meals on the table in front of us. The food itself was also very good; served in the typical Turkish sharing style of meze and mains, a mixture of meat, cheese, seafood and salads, which really gave you a flavour of the Mediterranean. The one thing I would say is that if you don’t like cheese, this may not be the best restaurant for you; they somehow manage to put it in everything, even the desserts! This was something I found very skilful and creative, but turns out Lola didn’t like cheese…
Ignoring this faux pas on my part, there was an incredible variety of flavours. We started with a mix of humous meze with cucumber and yoghurt, red chilli and aubergine, and olive tapenades. This was presented with such satisfying symmetry and was one of my favourite dishes of the night. The meats were typically Turkish, with the lamb being my firm favourite. What really was phenomenal was the Kunefe dessert made of mozzarella coated in crispy shredded phyllo pastry. To be able to put cheese in a dessert that was so delectable is a technical culinary wonder and would recommend this to everyone going to Kibele. It is also one of their signature dishes with even the chefs recommending it.
Overall, I had a wonderful experience at Kibele and would definitely go back again. The jewel toned décor is something you don’t see often in London and really gives a great atmosphere. If ever you fancy something a little extra, with a bit of a culinary flirt, Kibele has got it all.
What Did We Have? (between 2)
- Keci Peyniri Salata £9.95
- Karides £7.50
- Falafel £5.95
- Hellim £6.00
- Tavuk Cigeri £5.90
- Gourmet Humus £5.50
- Cacik £4.95
- Pattican Ezme £5.95
- Tabbouleh £5.50
- Borek £5.50
- Kalamar £6.70
- Karisik Izgara 17.50
- Gozleme £14.50
- Baklava with ice cream £5.95
- Kunefe £8.95
- Déjà Vu cocktail £9.50
- Naked Goddess cocktail £9.50
Please note a lot of what we ate was collaborated into dishes that aren’t on the menu, so we didn’t have the full dishes of all listed
