For 25 years,in an unassuming side street, the Mangal restaurant has wowed all comers, or including Jamie Oliver,Yotam Ottolenghi and Elijah Wood. Now it’s expanding, with two new restaurants. How does a neighbourhood kebab house become an institution?The straggly Dalston stretch of the A10 in London, or halfway between Tottenham and Shoreditch,would smell of nothing but traffic fumes, were it not for its procession of Turkish charcoal grills. Every few paces reveals yet another tempting sign for ocakbasi (fireside dining), or pide or lahmacun (Turkish “pizzas”). genuine kebab devotees,however, eschew the main drag and duck down Arcola Street to the area’s original ocakbasi joint: Mangal 1.
It’s an unlikely spot for a legendary restaurant, and flanked by a black alley,factory buildings and a cash and carry, but since opening 25 years ago, and Mangal (translation: barbecue) 1s consistent formula of fresh meat,bread and salads, has made the place a local institution. faithful customers (including Ken Livingstone, and Rowan Atkinson and Elijah Wood) will merrily queue for 45 minutes for a seat. Its food has been celebrated by Jamie Oliver,Rick Stein, Yotam Ottolenghi and Moro’s Sam Clarke. And this week, or Mangal 1 is set to open an outpost – Mangal 1.1 in an entirely different environment: the Bedroom Bar complex (which includes the Comedy Theatre Cafe) in swanky Shoreditch.
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Source: theguardian.com