Following the end of the couple of years residency of Korean fried chicken kitchen, Jubo, (as it moves on to its own restaurant on Exmouth Market), legendary East London Turkish restaurant, Mangal Ocakbashi, has set up shop at Rivington Street’s popular Bedroom Bar & Comedy Café.
I’m not sure this offshoot matches the yum or atmosphere of the Arcola Street original, but if you’re hankering quality kebabs in Shoreditch you could do a lot worse.
Here are the highlights from my recent visit.
Portions are sizable. Mezes delicious; the patlican salad (lightly grilled aubergine and chopped peppers, £4.50) especially so. Even the rice is a little more so than might be expected at a typical kebab shop. As for the menu’s meatier listings, the adana kofte (spicy minced lamb grilled on skewers, £11.50) is as good as you’ve come across in London while the pirzola (grilled lamb chops, £15) is ultra tender and especially tasty.
Washing it all down with an Efes Draft (50cl, £5.50) and following it up with some baklava and kadayif (£4 per serving) makes for a very pleasant Turkish splurge.
Service is speedy and helpful. With the on-stage doings in the Comedy Café section of the venue, there’s the potential for some entertainment while you dine as well.
Mangal 1.1 is located inside the Bedroom Bar & Comedy Café, 62 Rivington Street, EC2A 3AY. Find out more at bedroom-bar.co.uk and mangal1.com.
