Thursday 4 November 2010

Cyprus Mangal - Warwick Way, SW1

The perfect Doner
I’m a simple man, I get excited by simple things and one of those is a proper Kebab. Something about the sweet scorched meat, crisp and juicy at the same time just gets me salivating like a fatty eyeing up a Mars bar.

I feel like the luckiest man alive at the moment as I've discovered Cyprus Mangal just round the corner from my new gaff and I can already see that it may be the cause of my early death.  Hardens says “200 cab drivers can’t be wrong” and I'm inclined to agree with them.

Inside this rather unassuming looking restaurant and take-away hides something amazing, the charcoal grill belches and billows with smoke as the meat is cooked before your eyes.  The Doner is what I headed for though, a good one is well worth its weight in chilli sauce!

Unlike its cheaper cousins where the meat is one homogeneous lump, the Doner at Cyprus Mangal is clearly defined cuts of meat.  I love just watching the meat spinning, like a pole dancer stuck in a tanning booth the fat dripping off only adding to the temptation.

Stick this all in a decent wrap, that’s toasted ever so lightly on the charcoal grill and thrown together with some good salad and Chilli sauce and you've got a little taste of heaven.

A good Kebab is street food at its best and Cyprus Mangal for me hits the nail on the head and at £5.50 the pricing is spot on as well. I’ll be back soon and you should to...

Cyprus Mangal on Urbanspoon

7 comments:

  1. Oh stop! I can't get a good kebab here in the sticks of Austria to save my life (there are only the stuck together ones) and it makes me feel somewhat weepy.

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  2. Wow, that Kebab looks great!! (The lamb look so juicy and succulent!!

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  3. I feel for you Sasa, it's nightmare when you can't get a good take-away! Maybe worth opening one yourself though?

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  4. Oh you're a wicked cruel person! LOL Being in London, we've got no chance of getting there. *harumph*

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  5. Your description of the rotating doner is fabulous - and worth repeating here: "I love just watching the meat spinning, like a pole dancer stuck in a tanning booth the fat dripping off only adding to the temptation"

    I share your preference for doner consisting of defined slabs of lamb. Beyond that I would like to see kebab enthusiasts distinguish between doner of either style that is sculpted in-house (infrequent) and that which is sourced from major suppliers (common). Would you know if Cyprus Mangal's is homemade from scratch?

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  6. I'll ask next time I'm in, I'd imagine they make their own but if they don't the supplier knows what they are doing... I'll let you know!

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  7. Lovely post. I have a very good Turkish restaurant up the road from me, with the doner assembled from slabs of lamb each day. I've managed to get the first doner of the day a couple of times now - hose outside, slightly caramelised bits make a very fine lunch. Simple pleasures. Can't beat 'em.

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