Turkish Grill

19 Numara Bos Cirrik I, Dalston, London, N16 7XJ

Came into this unassuming looking place for lunch, it's surrounded by other Turkish restaurants but the recommendation from a friend made this the one to search out. The menu was expansive with a vast selection of grilled meats on offer for mains but one of the starters was the dish to try - lebanese style grilled lamb's liver and it was fantastic, if you ever go here you've got to try them. For mains we tried the classic adana kebab and the unusual lamb ribs, both were superb but the ribs stood out as something little bit different than normal and were so gorgeously succulent. A great complimentary dish of grilled onions in pomegranate syrup was a brilliant accompaniment as were the smokey flavoured grilled spicy breads.

We drank a half decent bottle of red which was ok priced but not as cheap as the food. We came out of here with massive smiles on our faces especially as we'd had Turkish coffee with compliments from the chef sitting behind the grill - who the waiter informed us had voted me man of the day for coming in with two attractive ladies.

Easily the best value for money Turkish I've had in London, not the most refined or formal but we didn't want that. If your faced with choosing from the vast array of Turkish places round Dalston & Stoke Newington simple choice is just come here, it's friendly, cheap and food is a cut above most places.

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Afghan Curry

Camden Head, Angel, London, N1 8DY

A really good example of an old victorian pub, its even got the brass water taps on bar still. The beer selection is pretty poor and most of the ales on the pumps were off but didn't feel missing much as I've drank quite a bit of Doom Bar recently and have gone off London Pride totally, instead I went for a Leffe and it was pretty decent. Overall this isn't a pub I'd go back to and I'd made that decide without factoring in the soft rock soundtrack, Bon Jovi is quite possibly my least favourite band ever.

Afghan Kitchen, Angel, London, N1 8DU

Just around the corner from the Camden Head but unlike that it's on a busy road in the heart of Angel. There is a small space with two tables downstairs and only a few more tables upstairs, we were seated upstairs at table with two couples. The service was slow and they seemed a little stressed, most people just seemed to be drink water with their meals and after we had a glass of red wine we saw why - it was ridiculously cheap and even chilled, wasn't fit to call itself wine and we just left it. The food was a totally different kettle of fish though...

Lamb with Spinach

Tender stewed pieces of lamb sitting in a mass of spinach, the spicing was very simple and quite subtle but brilliantly done. Tasted and looked like real proper authentic Afghanistan curry not an Anglicised version and with the amount of spinach and the lack of greasy coating it seemed quite healthy.

Chicken with Yogurt

This was just a fantastic curry, the cool yogurt was fighting with the deep and hot chilli as well as the generous refreshing mint. Easily one of the nicest curries I've ever eaten and just thinking about it now is making me hungry.

To go with the curries we had some excellent rice to go with our bread, the bread was like a thick wholemeal nan but much heavier - obviously just out of the oven it was so nice soaking it in the yogurt sauce with came with my curry. We also ordered some pickles and chutney, unfortunately the chutney was all done for the day, I really liked the pickles which were just like normal but spicy British pickles with the cabbage being especially good - I was the only person who though they were nice though, I am partial to strong acidic vinegar though.

For what it is this place is superb, what it isn't is a restaurant, it's an informal laid back almost haphazard place to eat which you should treat that way. I can see people going here and getting wound up by the service and drinks but just go and enjoy the curries because you're unlikely to get something so tasty for such a good price almost anywhere else.

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Go to The Winchester and wait for all of this to blow over

The Winchester, Angel, London, N1 8LN

I quite like the Winchester but this is probably only the fourth time I've been here since I first visited for a friends birthday 3 years ago. It seems to have chilled out a bit in that time and become a bit more grown up and just better.

Being valentines day and just meeting a friend I was so relieved when the only thing different than normal they were doing was a ladies only cocktail party downstairs, upstairs it was just right for quiet Sunday and I found a table straight away. I had a pint of the Portuguese beer Sagres while waiting which was nice but unremarkable, after finishing our first drink we decided to give the Sunday lunch a go even though not planned to eat anything.

Rolled leg of lamb with roast new potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, carrot and parsnip

Nicely presented with the Yorkshire pudding on top of the meat and full to brim with gravy, when cut into the gravy ratio was spot on, I do like a lot of gravy with my Sunday dinner. The lamb and everything else was cooked well, my only gripe - well my only two gripes were the Yorkshire pudding which I'm sure Aunt Bessie had a hand in and the mint sauce which seemed to have been left under a hot lamp for too long so had a crust on top.

I'd say the dinner was just above average but what made it was the value the meal offered, the Sunday dinner was 2 for 1 and with a decent selection of wines for about £15 a bottle it cost less than £30 for two of us with wine, I thought we'd got a total bargain and on Valentines days too!

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