I’m guessing your instant reaction is “lunch is too early for a kebab”. This genre of food is instantly associated with the late night drunk, and not with any sort of quality. However not all kebab shops are created equal…
You see I had been there already, a relatively new place in Harrow called “Sultan’s”. The first time was (ahem) a late evening visit, but the lamb shawarma stuck with me…in a good way!
Trusting my post pub judgement we arrived there for lunch. The place looked pretty standard albeit very clean. There weren’t many people at the tables, but the waiter insisted we sit upstairs. Ushering us up the steps I was a bit concerned as to what we had let ourselves in for, but I had no need to worry. They have refitted the upstairs into a light, airy, modern “proper” Turkish restaurant. There were even flowers on the tables!
When you sit down a home made flat bread appears almost instantly, but it’s hardly flat when it lands on the table like a beach ball, but like magic it slowly deflates in front of your eyes…
A wonderfully shameless act of theatre!
I opted for the mixed special kebab (£9.00), which offered a full selection of their kababy wares (not that I’m greedy or anything ;)).
When it turned up it certainly looked special on the plate. The shish chicken and lamb chunks were soft and succulent with a great flavour coming form the marinade. The shawarma, again both chicken and lamb, was as good as I remembered it. Thin sliced and managing to pull off the “crispy yet moist” trick, which in my opinion is kebab perfection!
Next on the plate was a lamb adana kebab (a kind of kofte). Again they were spoiling me, the herbs, spices and a little chilli heat cutting through the rich lamb.
The final piece of this meaty jigsaw was a lamb chop. No spice this time, just seasoned and char-grilled to medium.
I opted for the rice instead of chips, as one has to watch the calories ;)…They even gave me salad!
Delicious homemade chilli sauce, garlic sauce and mixed pickles were excellent and complimented the food perfectly.
Being a vegetarian my partner went for a mixed mezze (£6.00). A beautiful selection of falafel, humus, cacik (tzatziki), dolma (vine leaves), saksuka (a kind of aubergine/pepper dip) and kisir (like tabouleh). All served with Turkish bread.
All of the mixed mezze was tasty, moreish and an absolute bargain considering the size of the portion.
All this from a little kebab shop in suburban London, incredible!
Every year millions of people must pass through Harrow on the Hill on the train and never know this place exists. I am pretty sure this story is repeated not just across London, but across the whole nation.
This restaurant is a real gem and truly fit for a Sultan. So kebabs for lunch? YES PLEASE!
Sultan’s, 358 Station Road, Harrow, Middlesex, HA1 2DE. Tel: 020 8861 5151
Do you have a restaurant near you which you might not even notice when walking by, yet is a real foodie find?
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Michael, that looks luscious. Is it family friendly? As the only time I’m gonna be able to go is with the kids tagging along behind me.
I keep looking at the photos – it’s on my to visit list 🙂
It’s certainly family friendly, and lot’s of lovely stuff on the menu 🙂
Just looking at the veggie plate makes me want to go again…tomorrow maybe?
Why not 🙂
HI Michael! This is my first time visiting, Living to eat hungry to blog Great Header 🙂 I am going to have to remember to eat something first before I visit again This bread looks wonderful This is course is my downfall I love fresh bread.. And Kebabs Yummy!! I do live in the north woods of Wisconsin and there really isn’t a whole lot of choices when it comes to food, so I do like to visit new blogs and get new idea’s because we don’t really go out to eat a whole lot.. Thanks for sharing and looking forward to learning more from you here.. Chery 🙂
Welcome and thank you Chery. I hope our recipes offer some inspiration, check them out 🙂
The veggie plate looks just as delicious as you described it – it’s great that you’re writing about these out of the mainstream places – what a great find this one is.
Thank you! It is such a good place and has been added to my local regular restaurants now 🙂
You had me at kebab. I love Mediterranean food. Rice, lamb, spices, and pita bread. Yum. We have a few venues like this in the Chicago, IL, USA area, where I live. And it’s well worth my money every time I eat at one of them.
Mediterranean food is often simple but incredibly delicious. Kebab shops in the UK are on every high street, though not all are as good as this one 🙂