FtLion Awards 2017: Best Kebab of the Year?

Mixed Iskender Kebab – Marinated grilled chicken and lamb minced presented on a bed of thin bread and served with grilled tomato, peppers and herbs, £16.95

This Mixed Iskender Kebab by Kilikya’s in London’s St. Katherine Docks was an unusual dish vis-à-vis its composition, but one which managed, consequently, to maintain our collective interest. Comprising of three layers, the bottom was made up of a layer of bread seemingly soaked in tomato sauce, which itself was covered by a layer of tart yoghurt, and then topped by a gently spiced minced lamb patty, and a thinly pounded and lightly grilled fillet of chicken breast. Although it took time for us to find our feet with this one, once we did, we appreciated the marriage between the sweet tomato-infused bread base, and the sour yoghurt with the lightly spiced meats.

Mixed Grill – Grilled marinated lamb, chicken cubes and Adana shish served with buttered mixed veg and side home made chilli, £14.50

Expertly grilled selection of meats by Mesa Kitchen’s chef who has undoubted pedigree and know-how. While the lamb (hidden under the adana) was juicy, meaty and wonderfully succulent, the chicken had an attractive char across the top and was as moist and tender as you’d like. The adana shish, however, stole the show here, with a crispy barbecued and well spiced exterior that somewhat betrayed the soft, chewy texture of its interior. The mixture of veg comprising of soft carrots, beetroot and pungent earthy green was the perfect foil to all that meat. Similarly, the bowl of chutney was a fruity-sour and mildly spiced concoction that helped to combine all the elements into a coherent and delicious mouthful.

Adana, Chicken Wings, Chicken Shish – £12.90 each

Please note that the above doesn’t represent the Skewd’s default portions, and was presented thusly for review purposes only. The finely minced Adana kebab had a crispy, charred exterior; soft interior; that familiar sweet undertone of a subtly marinated Adana; and with a squeeze of lemon over the top, resulted in something quite special. As to the chicken wings, then both these, and the chicken shish, were again well cooked, and satisfying, albeit fairly small.

Adana Shish – (Chef ’s Special) Grilled spicy mined lamb served with mac & cheese,garnished with tomato salad and red cabbage coleslaw, £16.50

Tarshish has two nominations in this category, and with good reason too given that they were winners of this year’s British Kebab Awards for Best Newcomer Restaurant/ Takeaway in London. This Adana Shish was another beautifully cooked kebab. It had the most wonderfully crispy charred exterior, while at the same time managing to retain the soft, tender interior of a perfectly made Adana Shish. What made this particular one different was that it wasn’t as plain as many others we’ve had, but sufficiently spiced, with the strong flavours of the pepper spice coming through really well.

Lamb Shish – Marinated cubes of lamb served with mac & cheese, garnished with tomato salad and red cabbage coleslaw, £20.00

The quality of this perfectly seasoned and expertly cooked Lamb Shish was obvious. Soft and succulent on the inside, and with a tender chewy bite, it was immediately obvious why they’d won said award. What’s more, the incredibly creamy Mac & Cheese accompaniment was superb in the way in which its sweet cheesy taste worked against the crunchy and equally creamy red cabbage slaw.