The Breakfast We Wish We Were Eating Every Day
The Turkish-ish breakfast at Kismet in Los Angeles is best explained by its menu description: “all the things.” It's a vegetable-heavy smorgasbord of snacks and spreads designed to be eaten family-style, with enough variety to satisfy even the shortest attention span.
Kismet’s chefs, Sarah Hymanson and Sara Kramer, describe it as choose-your-own-adventure eating, a rare opportunity for unscripted pleasure in a restaurant setting. Like an Indian thali or Korean bo ssäm, the Turkish-ish breakfast promises the freedom to construct your perfect meal.
“We like eating this way,” Hymanson says. “You can have all the permutations of salty and sweet in every bite.”
Photo by Brandon Harman1/11The Template
Like the rest of the menu at Kismet, the nine dishes on the platter are Middle Eastern-inspired and seasonally grounded. The three-day-fermented labneh is a mainstay, as is a jammy egg dusted with brilliant red sumac and Aleppo. Come summer, a side of gooey dates will transition to fresh peaches dressed with olive oil, chili, and salt, and confit tomatoes or marinated peppers will replace the puntarelle salad.
For home cooks, the Turkish-ish breakfast can be inspiration for an afternoon party or a picnic in the park. Every dish can be made ahead and served at room temperature, and you don’t have to ferment your own labneh or season your vegetables with house-made apple molasses—just think of the spread as a diagram of flavor pairings. “You want to cover all the bases,” Kramer says: cheese, dairy, vegetables, fruit, salad, pickles, protein, bread, and spice. “It’s about having a flexible template.”
Photo by Brandon Harman2/11Housemade Labneh
The housemade labneh at Kismet is made from a kefir culture and fermented for three days. Here it’s paired with fresh cucumbers dressed in an herby, green zhoug. Don't have the patience or science props for a three-day ferment? BA's Herbed Labneh with Preserved Lemon does the trick.
Photo by Brandon Harman3/11Seven-Minute Egg
The seven-minute egg dusted with sumac and Aleppo adds protein to the plate while keeping the spread vegetarian. (Let the record reflect: We stand by six-and-a-half minutes for the jammiest ramen egg ever.)
Photo by Brandon Harman4/11Zhoug
Arbol chiles and black peppercorns are the backbone of this small but might spoonful of zhoug. This version has a thicker consistency than most hot sauces and is similar to Kramer’s mom’s recipe. Our green herby recipe is equally as versatile.
Photo by Brandon Harman5/11Vegetables
Marinated vegetables can be prepared in advance. This puntarelle salad is tossed with plenty of nigella seeds, roasted green tomatoes, and whole fresh mint leaves. In warmer months, you can use tomatoes or peppers like in this marinated summer vegetables recipe.
Photo by Brandon Harman6/11Olives
Kramer and Hymanson marinate their olives in harissa spices—coriander, cumin, caraway, Aleppo pepper, bay leaf, vinegar and a lot of orange. If you're better than store-bought olives (you are!) try making your own citrus-marinated version.
Photo by Brandon Harman7/11Cheese
Feta cheese is marinated in aromatic oils and mixed with seasonal vegetables like kale or squash. Try adding lemon peel, black pepper, garlic, and your other favorite spices to olive oil to infuse additional flavor into marinated feta. Make it in bulk and use any leftovers with white beans on toast, in salads, or puréed and spread on pita.
Photo by Brandon Harman8/11Fruit
In the winter, Hymanson and Kramer serve California dates as the fruit component in the Turkish-ish breakfast. In the summer months, this detail may switch to fresh peaches dressed with olive oil, chili, and salt, and, in fall, it may become poached quince.
Photo by Brandon Harman9/11Bread
This sourdough Barbari comes from local baker Bub and Grandma's, but you can totally make your own.
Photo by Brandon Harman10/11Salad
A green salad, lightly dressed with fresh herbs and house vinaigrette, completes the meal.
Photo by Brandon Harman11/11Kismet is located at 4648 Hollywood Blvd., in L.A. You can order the breakfast spread from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., seven days a week. We will most definitely see you there.
