Turkish Chargrill Restaurant in London

The Turkish grill — the chargrill, the ocakbasi — is the centre of any proper Turkish kitchen, and it's the centre of ours. We cook over real wood charcoal rather than gas, in an open kitchen at the back of the dining room on James Street. The smoke and the radiant heat are part of the cooking; the cuts and the marination are tuned for that heat profile, and the rotation off the grill is constant rather than batched. Most of what's good on a Turkish menu comes off this one piece of equipment, so it's the piece we look after first.

The lamb cuts run from shish to chops to Adana. Lamb shish is hand-cut from the leg, marinated overnight in olive oil, onion juice, garlic, sweet pepper paste and oregano, then skewered and cooked over the coals to a finish that's still pink at the centre. Lamb chops come trimmed and grilled rare to medium with sea salt and lemon. Adana kebab — minced lamb hand-pressed onto a flat skewer with red pepper, parsley and a measure of fat — is the most technically demanding piece on the grill, and the one we cook to order rather than ahead.

Chicken shish takes the same approach with thigh meat (never breast), a yoghurt-and-paprika marinade, and a shorter time over the coals. The kofte — minced lamb, onion, herbs, breadcrumb — is grilled in flattened patties rather than balls, and served with rice and a grilled tomato and pepper. Iskender, our most-ordered grill plate, is sliced lamb doner over toasted pide bread with warm tomato butter, melted lamb fat and a side of strained yogurt — a complete dish in a single bowl rather than a kebab handed across a counter.

The mixed grill for two is the way most groups order: a single platter that brings lamb shish, chicken shish, lamb chops, kofte and lahmacun together, with rice, grilled tomato, grilled pepper and a side of warm bread. Lahmacun itself — a thin Turkish flatbread topped with minced lamb, onion, parsley and pomegranate molasses — is baked in the wood-edged oven next to the grill and rolled around fresh parsley and lemon at the table. Kebab pide, cheese pide and spinach pide all come from the same oven.

We've been on James Street since 2005, the meat menu is fully halal, and the kitchen is open every day until 22:30 including Sundays and bank holidays. Vegetarians and vegans have a clear path through the menu — large salads, mezze platters, börek, falafel and pide options — though the chargrill is the room's centre and most of the seasonal specials orbit it. To see the current grill list, including pricing and the small print on cuts cooked to order, view the menus, or reserve a table online for confirmation within minutes.