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A Turkish ocakbasi grill, plated and ready to go

Mangal 1 Ocakbasi
THE ORIGINAL TURKISH GRILL IN DALSTON
Time Out published the first review of this groundbreaking Turkish ocakbasi (charcoal grill restaurant) in 1992, but we’d recently been hearing reports that Mangal’s ‘just not as good as it used to be’. Stuff and nonsense, if our revisit last week is anything to go by. It’s true that the service could be a lot more polished and that sitting near the grill’s extractor fan is like having dinner under a jet engine, but you come to this, the original branch of Mangal, for heaps of prime meat at low prices – and its BYO policy. There’s no printed menu; you choose skewers of meat from the glass display counter and they’re grilled in front of you. Shish (marinated lamb chunks), beyti (spicy minced lamb), pirzola (lamb chops) are all exemplary and served in generous portions with a huge mound of salad and warm leavened bread – be careful you don’t order too much. The cacik (garlicky, thick yoghurt) and patlican salad (a smear of smoky, puréed aubergine on a plate, topped by a dollop of creamy yoghurt) are also excellent. If you prefer your surroundings a little less basic, go for Mangal II just around the corner.
Mangal 1 Ocakbasi, 10 Arcola St, E8 2DJ (020 7275 8981/www.mangal1.com). Dalston Kingsland rail then 73 bus. Unlicensed: no corkage charge. Feature continues

Anatolia Ocakbasi
A proper local Turkish ocakbasi, where kebabs are freshly prepared behind the grill before being assembled to your preference. Lamb doner kebab is a stunner, all juicy meat encased in quality pide and served with a thick, buttery tomato sauce with peppers and various vegetables.
Anatolia Ocakbasi, 253 Mare St, E8 3NS (020 8986 2223). Hackney Central rail/48, 55, 253, 277, D6 bus.

19 Numara Bos Cirrik
A simple but outstanding Turkish ocakbasi restaurant just around the corner from the longer-established Mangal 1 Ocakbasi.
19 Numara Bos Cirrik, 34 Stoke Newington Rd, N16 7XJ (020 7249 0400). Dalston Kingsland rail then76, 149, 243 bus.

Pomegranate
BEST FOR GREEK
This new Greek grill, bar and restaurant serves simple no-frills souvlakia – grilled meat on skewers. Choose from lamb, chicken or pork and it will come to you fresh from the chargrill on a bed of red onion and topped with a flurry of wild rocket. Supplement the meal with a signature pomegranate cocktail, top-notch range of meze, fresh-tasting taramasalata or tzatziki and delightfully chewy pita bread.
Pomegranate, 139 Upper St, N1 1QP (020 7704 1002). Highbury & Islington tube/rail or Angel tube.

Antepliler
This adventurous restaurant (the only proper one on a street famed for its caffs) continues to impress. We rate the sogon kebab – meatballs served with sweet grilled shallots and pomegranate sauce, served piping hot and with some fine pide bread and crisp salad.
Antepliler, 46 Grand Parade, Green Lanes, N4 1AG (020 8802 5588). Manor House tube then 29 bus or Harringay Green Lanes rail.

Yildiz
Yildiz may borrow happily from nearby Mediterranean cuisines, but some of its finest offerings are staunchly Turkish. All meals start with complimentary dishes of grilled onion in turnip and pomegranate sauce, so you can skip starters and move straight to the mains: halep kebab consisting of an adana (cayenne-spiced mince) cloaked in buttery tomato sauce dotted with mushrooms works on all sensory levels.
Yildiz, 163 Blackstock Rd, N4 2JS (020 7354 3899). Arsenal tube.

Bakko
BEST FOR KURDISH
Here Kurdish cuisine is king, though there are also Turkish and other Mediterranean influences. A kuzu shish was excellent – succulent pieces of lamb (grilled on charcoal) with great heapings of long grain rice and a pungent chilli sauce.
Bakko, 172-174 Muswell Hill Broadway, N10 3SA (020 8883 1111/www.bakko.co.uk). Highgate tube then 43, 134 bus.

Gem
‘Kurdish Turkish’ food, as the waitress will tell you, such as grilled quail or iskender kebabs made with lamb shish (ie, chunks of whole lamb instead of the more usual, but inferior, doner meat).
Gem, 265 Upper St, N1 2UQ (020 7359 0405). Angel tube or Highbury & Islington tube/rail.

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