Mangal II
Turkish
4 Stoke Newington Road, N16 7XN
£££
Mangal II has been a Dalston establishment since 1994. It is the second restaurant owned by chef Ali Dirik, who moved to London from Istanbul in 1987. Ali made a name for Mangal 2 with delicious old school Turkish classics at ridiculously reasonable prices, it became known as the perfect accompaniment to your evening, and as a destination in itself. In 2020, Mangal 2 was taken over by Ali’s sons; Ferhat and Sertac. Their vision was to break out of the typical Turkish Ocakbasi that the street is washed with and offer something a little more refined. It was a brave move considering the original success of the place, but given the popularity (we had to book a couple months in advance to secure a weekend dinner table) it seems to have paid off.
After hearing a couple of good reviews from friends who had been, four of us decided to venture to Mangal II to brighten up a Saturday night in late January. When we arrived at 7 the restaurant was heaving and our table not quite ready, so we waited outside for around 10 mins. Once seated, our lovely window seat which helped keep the acoustics controlled and meant we could hear each other despite the intimate setting and number of diners. We were greeted by Ferhat who handed us over to a lovely waitress who was friendly, informative and efficient throughout. We weren’t left waiting for a dish that never arrived and she advised us on the perfect amount of food to order, instead of telling us to overorder as many places do.
To start with we went for a bottle of the Tuscan Red (£32) which was the cheapest on the menu: a sign that things really had gone upmarket from the modest kebab shop beginnings. For food we ordered a Sourdough Pide each (£3), two portions of Cull Yaw Kofte (£4), the Grilled Leeks (£8) and the Grilled Mackerel and vine leaf (£12) from the first half of the menu. As is telling of any good restaurant, the bread was sublime. Chewy, crispy, doughy, sour and slightly charred - with a lovely creamy butter alongside. Yum yum yum. The kofte packed a punch and was lovely and tender, but did come as a single stick which was little more than a mouthful once shared between two. The leeks arrived cold, which was unexpected but not a negative – they were delicate, fresh and balanced: topped with a salty cheese and drizzled in walnut oil: the type of dish that would make vegetarians happy to be there. Without doubt, the best part of the starters was the Grilled Mackerel in Vine Leaf (£12) a delicate, smoky fish which was encased in a fragrant vine leaf and fell apart in your mouth. Again, this was small to share between 4 people so I would suggest getting your own next time around as it was so lovely.
Next up was the Yaprak Doner (£21), Lemon Sole with Mussels and Barley (£26) and Cull Yaw Loin with a Mutton Jus (£34), we also got some Bitter Greens (£4) as a side. The doner was rich, chewy, glazed meat with rich and smoky undertones – it reminded of the mountain meat I ate when staying in the Cretan mountains, in a good way. The plate was enough for all of us to have a couple of tastes, but is obviously far from any normal kebab, which also comes ladened with bread and salad etc. The Cull Yaw Loin was 50% pure fat and 50% tender pink meat. Tom loves the fatty parts of lamb so helped us with the majority of this half, and I focused on a couple of pieces of the loin which was tender, juicy and perfectly cooked, though lacking in as much fierce flavours as the other dishes.
Similarly to the first round of plates, the star of the show had to be the fish dish. A generous hunk of Lemon sole sat elegantly on top of garlicky, lemony, herby barley which had mussels swimming within and had soaked up all the fantastic flavours. The fish literally fell off the bone, making it easy to fillet and get stuck into. The barley was a perfect compliment to the fragility of the dish: classic, sophisticated flavours which had warmth but didn’t come close to overpowering. Again, it was so memorable that I wish I’d had the whole thing to myself as whilst I’ve had many good kebabs in my time, I haven’t yet had Turkish seafood that is quite this impressive.
I still haven’t quite made up my mind on Mangal II. I don’t mean that as a reflection at all on the food, most of which was superb, and I cannot fault. I respect and I understand what the guys are doing here, and it is taking Dalston by storm in all fairness to them (however it is the biggest nod to gentrification I have seen in a while). Despite its success, for £50 a head when the food used to be £50 all in for a group of 4 it can’t help but feel a bit sore. I’m a lover of small plates and multifaceted flavours which the new Mangal really does do well, but I’m also a lover of the kebab shop at the end of my road. When I compare the two, I genuinely don’t think they’re a million miles from one another on anything other than price. I would seriously recommend coming here for the fish alone, as although the meat options were good, you would be able to find the same thing for much cheaper elsewhere.
Mangal II serves a purpose in standing out from the crowd and providing a sophisticated alternative to the abundance of Turkish joints on the strip, although for me this was a distraction. I think it would be safer having Mangal II somewhere apart from the epicentre, so you see it in its own right and aren’t reminded that you could be getting 4 portions for the price of one literally next door. Overall, Mangal II for me is a place to come for some delectable fish dishes and an original take on your classic favourites. There is a big question mark as to whether this new, upmarket, ‘posh’ version with a very distinctive clientele is overwhelmingly better, or if the infamous Mangal II from before is secretly sorely missed. Whilst indulging in the opulence and refinery of Mangal II, it is important to remember that higher price doesn’t always mean better food and that there is something magic, honest and still damn delicious about your local kebab shop too.
OVERALL RATING: ****
No images in this are my own so don't necessarily reflect the dishes spoken about. They are there for you to get the general idea as to how this has changed from traditional kebab joint into small plates haven not as a direct reference to the review.
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