Let’s get this straight, provincials and tutting snobs – I’m not talking about doner kebabs here. Their inherent evils are well known and I’m not making a case for them, at least not now that Turkish Delight in Chorlton have stopped making their own doner from finest lamb shoulder.
No, what I’m largely concerned with during this mini-series of blogs is documenting the Middle Eastern phenomenon known as kobedeh kebabs – a wondrous concoction of minced lamb, turmeric and spices served on a near-2 ft naan with sauces and salad. I shall highlight noteworthy Mancunian vendors of said slabs of lamby meat, in no particular order – the numbering system is merely chronological, as opposed to a TOTP-style chart placing.
Special dispensation will be given to fine purveyors of seekh kebabs (the minced lamb equivalent from the Indian subcontinent) and, grudgingly, to decent chicken kebabs if you’re that boring.
#1 – Al-Quds, 187 Wilmslow Road, Manchester, M14 5AQ
Manchester’s Rusholme is known as the curry mile and I’m a regular visitor. However, it is not the curry that draws me here, being predictable fare of a standard that can be readily purchased elsewhere in Manchester and beyond. Rather, dear reader, it is the Middle Eastern kebab houses that are things of splendour, and few if any are more splendid than Al-Quds.
Meat: Kobedeh, and possibly the finest in all of Manchester town – succulent, piquant and with a pleasingly-yellow turmeric tinge. Wonderfully seasoned and cooked to perfection in Al-Quds' clay oven. A double kobedeh option is available, though your mobility will be limited for up to three days afterwards. Excellent chicken tikka kebab too, though I recommend you proceed directly to the kobedeh.
Bread: A large handmade naan, stretched thin and strategically burnt in places. Satisfying and filling - I have occasionally visited the Indian sweet shop down the road for dessert after visiting Al-Quds, though this is strictly from greed, not necessity.
Salad: A fairly standard, though always fresh, selection of tomatoes, lettuce and onions. Some cabbage would have been nice, particularly red, but this is a very minor gripe. A large pickled chilli was provided, which was flavoursome with the added bonus of being amusingly long and pointy.
Sauce: A fairly lively chilli that definitely requires ample servings of the in-house yoghurt to temper its fiery ardour. Otherwise, functional and unremarkable .
Ambience: A favourite with the local Asian community and equally receptive to kobedeh converts such as myself. Staff are always friendly and welcoming, though with an unfortunate tendency to play modern commercial pop music on the radiogramme. Indeed, I was subjected to some frightful ditties by Rihanna and J-Lo that must have been generated by computer algorithm with no visceral human involvement. Still, once eating commences one transcends temporarily into kobedeh-based nirvana, with the flaysome din of the modern world left flailing and earth-bound.
Join me next time for more exciting adventures in spicy minced lamb, dear friends.
I would add the advice that, Like Andrew has done here, you should request your sauce in a separate tray. Otherwise your kebab will be, in the words of Larry David, 'too saucy'.
ReplyDeleteA single? Isn't that a bit like smoking Luuur Tar tabs?
Nice post.
Cheers! Indeed, the sauce comment is worth making - a soggy mess is best avoided.
ReplyDeleteRe the single/double debate, unfortunately I was back at work that afternoon and wished to avoid a suspension due to kebab-induced sloth.