Kyseri in Fitzrovia to become Oklava Bakery + Wine

Selin Kiazim and Laura Christie are turning their Turkish Cypriot restaurant Kyseri in Fitzrovia into a bakery by day and wine bar by night, which is set to open in January.

Selin Kiazim is turning Kyseri in Fitzrovia into Oklava Bakery + Wine 

Called Oklava Bakery + Wine in a hat tip to the pair’s original restaurant in Hackney, according to Hot Dinners the site will focus on Kiazim’s bread and pastry making prowess.

Last month Kiazim and Christie announced that they were going to close Kyseri before Christmas and were looking to reopen the venue with a new name and concept.

Located on Grafton Way in Fitzrovia, Oklava Bakery + Wine will feature the kitchen and bakery at the front of the venue, alongside a shop and takeaway kiosk.

Open from breakfast until dinner, the site will serve quality coffee and a plethora of breads and pastries with a Turkish-Cypriot twist.

Among the yeasty treats on offer will be simit – a bagel topped with sesame seeds; börek pastries with a variety of fillings; the focaccia-like hellimli; tahinli – a thin pastry with tahini; and pilavuna – a pastry with cheese, mint and sultanas.

Small plates meanwhile will include the likes of whipped feta on toast; scrambled eggs with peppers, tomatoes, chilli and potatoes; and broken eggs with house-cured pastirma.

Christie is in charge of the wines, which will shine a light on lesser-known drops from Turkey, Armenia, Lebanon, Georgia and Greece.

The pair have launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund a larger oven for the site and a cool room for overnight dough proving.