Black Axe Mangal

Head banging mangal

Dexter mixed grill

Black Axe Mangal is a tiny restaurant located just off Highbury & Islington station, specialising in Turkish inspired flatbreads and kebabs. The first thing that hits you as you walk through the door is the noisy rock and heavy metal music,it's extremely loud so I wouldn't recommend this place if you can't stand non-stop drum and drop D guitar blasting. For me personally, I think the only thing that is missing at the restaurant is more space that can allow people to do some moshing and head banging to Iron Maiden and Queens of The Stone Age while you wait for your food to arrive!

Squid ink flatbread

Pig cheek and chilli

The squid ink flatbread was seriously impressive, the salty and mild bitter flavour of the squid combined with the rich and earthy cod roe worked wonderfully. The lamb bak ken combined the lovely spiciness of pepper with the coolness of yogurt, the perfect accompaniments to the smoked tender lamb. The Dexter beef mixed grilled showcased some excellent use of lesser know cuts, all expertly seasoned and moist, especially the kidney. The 'bam reuben' was the weakest dish on the night, it tasted more or less like a salt beef sandwich with cheese and mustard, but at triple the usual cost.

Lamb bak ken

Bam reuben

Black Axe Mangal is far from your typical Turkish restaurant or kebab joint, I really admired the creativeness of the kitchen, using prime cut of meat with the essence of Mediterranean cuisine and a modern European touch. Service was also fairly decent, the only thing that really put me off was the no booking policy and that you must wait for everyone in your party to arrive before you're allow to be seated. It's just one of those places that doesn't suit all tastes; loud music, closely packed tables and some rather colourful and 'special' artwork from floor to ceiling - definitely not a place to bring kids.

Food 3/5

What I paid: 
£25 per head with beer

Average cost without drinks and services:
£20

156 Canonbury Rd, London N1 2UP

www.blackaxemangal.com