Mr Falafel (Palestinian) – Shepherd’s Bush, London

“Legends aren’t born, they’re made.” That’s certainly the case with Mr Falafel, a small and unassuming sandwich bar located in New Shepherd’s Bush Market, whose golden nuggets have now become the stuff of legends.

Mr Falafel’s utterly committed owner, the ever-jovial Ahmad, continues to produce, en masse and as fresh as you’re ever going to get, his award-winning, deep-fried, doughnut ball wraps with unwavering precision.

These falafels aren’t just suitable for vegans and vegetarians, but they also happen to be “The Best Palestinian Falafel”, so reads the business’ byline.

The ever-committed Mr Falafel himself!

In fact, the 20-cover eatery spells out the origin of its falafel in more ways than one, with one side of the wall proudly painted to represent the flag of Palestine, along with black and white framed photos depicting the country in all its magnificent glory, including Jerusalem and the Damascus Gate from the 1930s, before history took a turn for the worst.

Dedicated fans, including members of FtL, will remember how Mr Falafel started off as a small kiosk back in 2000, before going through a much needed and, frankly speaking, deserved facelift in 2008. But, have those legendary falafels remained consistent up till now? Time to find out.

Word of caution, Mr Falafel should not be confused with a pretender to the throne by the name of Falafel King located nearby.

Mr Falafel offers a straightforward menu option with, of course, an assortment of innovative falafel sandwich wraps that come in two sizes: medium and extra-large.

Supreme Plus Falafel Wrap (XL, Vegetarian) – Served with hummus, tomatoes, fried aubergines, halloumi cheese, olives, avocado and pomegranate syrup, £7.30

This Supreme Plus Falafel Wrap was packed full of flavour, with the freshness of the mint leaves, which lingered pleasantly throughout in the background, being the first thing to come through.

The soft and moist halloumi cheese worked well against the strong pungency of the earthy green olives too.

But it was the textural interplay between the soft slices of avacado and the crispy-cum-crunchy falafel that we enjoyed the most.

All in all, a very flavourous wrap that we all thoroughly recommend.

Falafel & Makdoos Wrap (M, Vegan) – Served with all the classic fillings and salads plus pickled aubergines stuffed with walnuts, sun dried chillies and garlic, £6.25

The first flavour to materialise in this Falafel & Makdoos Wrap was, indeed, the pickled pink turnip, whose tanginess worked well against the heat of the sun dried chilli paste therein.

But, again, we really appreciated the way in which the squidgy texture of the aubergines complimented the crunchy composition of the aromatic falafels.

And though the walnut stuffing wasn’t as apparent as we’d have preferred, this vegan wrap was certainly distinct enough to stand apart from the above, with robust flavours that’ll keep you swiftly munching right through till the very end.

Falafel & Spicy Potatoes Wrap (M, Vegan) – Served with all the classic fillings and salads plus fried cubes of spicy hot potatoes garnished with coriander, £6.00

The addition of the spicy potato cubes was a master stroke, given how its softness coupled nicely with the crispy falafel.

However, it was the addition of the green chillis that made this wrap arguably the most complex flavoured of the four had on the evening.

We enjoyed the way in which the herby freshness of the coriander and the sourness of the pickle helped to dampen the heat generated by the green chillis and the sauteed potatoes.

And while it even had slices of aubergine, we felt that the skin left on it did, on occasions, serve as a distraction that required being removed.

Classic Falafel Wrap (XL, Vegan) – Served with hummus, fried aubergines, fresh tomatoes, pickled turnips, pickled cucumbers, lettuce and parsley, £5.75

And the one that kickstarted the legend that is Mr Falafel – the Classic Falafel Wrap.

Nothing more to say of this, except that the assortment of ingredients came together harmoniously to offer a satisfying vegan sandwich.

The mint leaves provided that initial burst of flavour, which then gave way to the two pickled condiments, followed by the distinct taste of the parsley thereafter.

There was plenty of tahini sauce too, some slices of aubergine, as well as the crunchiness of the pickled cucumber to make this a winning combination.

Bespoke falafels ordered on request, though subject to availability!

Now although these aren’t officially on the menu, we have it on good authority that the best time in attempting to grab a portion of these, along with the pungent mango sauce to the left and the aromatic chilli green on the right, is at the end of the day subject to any left over falafel mixture.

Owner Ahmad is a wonderful host who’s extremely flexible, so approach him with a beaming smile when requesting these.