Restaurants

Primarily, Best Mangal is a very busy takeaway, but squeezed behind all the carry-out kerfuffle is a serviceable small restaurant, seating about 30 at close-set tables with thick cloths. A painting on one wall shows the magnificent Ottoman Blue Mosque, but very obviously the work was inspired in 21st-century Istanbul. It’s a good sign that many of the diners here are Turkish. Service on our last visit was efficient and remarkably fast. Patlıcan esme made an excellent starter: both smoky and creamy, served with a basket of excellent pide and piping-hot saç bread, which was replenished without us having to ask. To follow, the yaprak döner kebab that was placed before us showed the heights to which this generally maligned dish can aspire. An enormous pile of sliced meat was accompanied by a large fresh salad containing finely sliced red cabbage, carrot and lettuce. Desserts tend to be high quality too, and in general portions are generous. Best Mangal has built a deserved reputation in this Turkish neighbourhood and is continuing steadily along its chosen path.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009