Esra, a small neighbourhood restaurant from acclaimed London-born Chef Selin Kiazim (Oklava, Kyseri, Kopapa, The Providores and Tapa Room) and her partner and co-founder Steph de Goeijen, is now open in Amsterdam’s Eastern Docklands. The pair’s first restaurant together, and first in the city, Esra offers an eclectic and evolving menu that celebrates Selin’s Turkish-Cypriot heritage, alongside Mediterranean and Turkish wines.
A trailblazer for Turkish cuisine in London, Selin achieved critical acclaim for her renowned Shoreditch restaurant, Oklava (2015-2023); two cookbooks, Oklava (2017) and Three (2021); and a 2017 win in the BBC Two television series, Great British Menu.
Esra - a Turkish girl’s name meaning “traveller in the night” - serves a generous, informal à la carte menu shaped by Selin’s love for Turkish flavours. Changing weekly, it champions fresh, seasonal ingredients from local Dutch suppliers in flavourful countertop mezes; meats, fish and vegetables cooked over smoke and fire; Turkish breads and pides, and more.
The menu is a reflection of Selin’s previous roles with Peter Gordon in the fusion cooking space, her travels across the world, and more traditional Turkish cooking techniques, combined to deliver her signature style and flavour. Sample dishes include:
Whipped feta crostini, candied pumpkin
*
Erişte pasta, pickled maitake, sheep’s cheese sauce, smoked crumb
*
Kumru: garlic sausage & grilled cheese bun, condiments
*
Sole, fennel, yoghurt sauce, herring roe
*
Slow roast lamb, coriander & fenugreek tepsi
*
Winter tomato salad, lemon braised greens, sherry caramel
*
Cardamon and semolina filo börek, orange blossom syrup
*
Spiced rice pudding, BBQ quince, sumac pecan crumble
As for drinks, Steph has curated a wine list spotlighting Turkey, Georgia, Greece, Croatia and the old world Mediterranean winemaking countries of Italy, Spain and France. Lesser-known regions and small producers that focus on biodynamic practices are celebrated throughout. Highlights include wines from Paşaeli, a pioneering Turkish winemaker who focuses on indigenous grapes; and by-the-glass Assyrtiko and Roditis from Greek natural wine producer Meli Ligas from Domaine Ligas.
The wine list sits alongside a selection of Turkish raki, served by the glass and bottle, and a concise cocktail menu which includes seasonal negronis, a mini dirty martini, no-or-low drinks and more.
The 26-cover restaurant is now open in Amsterdam’s Eastern Docklands neighbourhood, surrounded by independently-owned bookshops, parks and delis, just moments from the picturesque river Ij.
