Damaskino is London Greenford’s first proper Halal eatery
By Imran Kadir
Aside from the fact that this is Greenford Broadway’s first proper Halal restaurant (excluding Greenford Tandoori, as they don’t openly advertise their status; or Siam Pinto which is more a take away joint), another reason I was keen on trying Damaskino, was because of their grocery store next door, which had opened up much earlier.
In all, therefore, it’s two shops under the same brand name, but with two separate entrances.
I figured, therefore, that at the very least, the food would be fresh.
The place itself is a 36-seater eatery that does get rather busy considering its limited menu.
Actually, the menu smacks of fast food despite their attempts at trying to cram in a large contingent.
Having walked and driven past here on numerous occasions since its openings, I’ve noticed that during the very busy periods, diners, particularly families, are inclined to order the above rotisserie chicken along with rice.
So when I visited, I too was naturally inclined towards doing what the locals do.
Before trying the half chicken and rice, one thing that kept niggling at me, and a question that always bugs me when I come across these slow cooking rotisserie chickens, is: how long have these poor things been dizzily rotating for?
As I feared, I was presented with a golden, crispy skinned chicken, that was positively dry and hard!
The legs had shrunk and shrivelled down to a singularity of such nothingness that even a die hard leg-lover would be turned off.
Once you tough it out against the exterior and reach the inside, the meat turns out… bland!
No spices. No seasoning. No nothing (yes, I know that’s a double negative so don’t bother amending it Mr Editor).
As for the rice, then it was batch-made and left to dry and get stale. Reheated, this tomato-based one had nuts and sultanas making it edible at least.
The only redeeming factor about this dish were the amazing accompaniment of pickled vegetables and a killer garlic sauce.
The second reason people enter this place, I believe, is the lamb shawarma. But, this was decent and came with some amazing bits and pieces – picked veg, fresh but hard, which wasn’t a put off.
The sauce was genuinely homemade garlic, which was more garlic in taste than anything I’ve ever had, without it being nasty. The lamb pieces though, while being good, were dry and hard, with the taste not being anything special.
Given its limited menu, Damaskino should have the food down to a tee. Since this first time, I’ve heard from friends and neighbours that their consistency apparently is up and down.
Damaskino
500-502 Greenford Road, London, UB6 8SH.
T:Â +44 (0)20 8617 3435 |Â W:Â facebook.com/damaskinooÂ
Opening Hours: Mon-Sun 8:00 – 22:00
