Imagine this: beer is trying to hold its ground in your stomach against the last couple of tequila shots that you threw in before the last call and things are getting nasty. You need to put something solid in there to settle things down a little bit. What is the first thing that you’d crave for at this time of the night? Kebabs for sure! Tas Firin is just around the corner as you walk down Bethnal Green Road. It’s not rare that my friends and I find ourselves at a fork in the road at the intersection of Brick Lane and Bethnal Green at the end of a night out in Shoreditch. We turn left, walk toward the overground station and call it the night OR we turn right walk towards Tas Firin and let the games begin! They make kebabs but it is not your usual drunk kebab that you don’t remember buying while waiting for the night bus and regret eating the next day (as soon as you wake up memories of last night start flooding in). First of all they are not open until that late. They close at around midnight so don’t wait until you get too wasted, it might be too late. The menu is quite rich from meat and chicken kebabs to many different types of pide (a kind of pizza).
My favourite is the lamb. Lamb chops(£10.50) or lamb shish kebab (£8.50), which you can also buy in a wrap (£5) but only if it’s for takeaway. Other favourites are the pides and lahmacun which is a very thin layer of dough baked in a brick oven with minced meat, onion and parsley on top. Make sure you ask for extra onions and lemon to squeeze on top. I’m not saying this is the perfect place for a romantic dinner so be prepared to smell!
If you’re up for a real dinner I recommend the fish. It’s a whole sea bass or sea bream (full deal with the head and the tail) cooked in earthenware in a wood fired oven. If you’re going for this dish do it properly and order a glass of raki as well. Raki is an anise-flavoured traditional Turkish drink with 40% alcohol. It is similar to Greek ouzo, French pastis or Italian sambuca. It is a colourless drink, mix it with water and watch what’s going to happen!
While you’re at it order some hot and cold mezes and you’ll have yourself a traditional Turkish tavern dinner. As for the cold starters I recommend the Aubergine Salad (£4.00) and the Grilled Onion (£4.00) and from the hot starters Arnavut Cigeri (sauteed diced lamb liver)
(£4.00) is always a favourite.
I have to admit that there are restaurants in London that make better Turkish food but there’s something about Tas Firin that makes it special for me. Maybe it’s because it’s always there for us when we are desperately hungry when it’s actually too late for dinner or maybe the food is plenty, cheap and delicious at the same time. For whatever reason it may be it does the job for us and you should give it a try sometime. Yes, salt beef is great but so is shish kebab wrap!
Address: 160 Bethnal Green Road, London,
E2 6DG, United Kingdom
