Charles Campion - ES Magazine (June 2001)

Each generation has to discover the wonder of kebabs for itself. Like that first oyster tasting so poignantly of the ocean, that first shuddering draught of cold Guinness, that first meat pie, that first spear of asparagus, there is nothing quite like that first occasion when, stumbling along the pavement, tired and confused by energetic glass exercises, you stop for a kebab. An oven glove with stuff in it, dowsed in hot sauce that you don't really like. As you stand swaying at the roadside trying to eat your special doner - usually with a piquant amount of wrapping paper included in each mouthful - spare a thought for the noble and now debased delicacy that was first called a 'kebob', once strictly dinner party fare. Set out in that seminal work published in 1902, Indian Dishes for English Table, (written by someone wisely sheltering behind the pen name of Ketab), is the 'Hari Kebob', a wondrous recipe that involves copious quantities of roast lamb and roast potatoes. Interestingly enough, there are no skewers involved. Mrs Beeton's book also mentions kebobs. Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course lists four different kebabs - fish, Indian, lamb and (somewhat unsettlingly) Yugoslav! All this so that terribly drunk people could enjoy pitta breads filled with clotted grease and lanolin, topped with raw onions and chilli sauce. But do not fear, a champion has arisen who will restore the 'kebob' to its rightful place as a gastronomic event. These people will sell you kebabs good enough to indulge in even when sober. In a world overrun with new fast food concepts, someone has at last taken up the cudgels of kebabs, and you'll find the new dawn breaking in Willesden Green at a restaurant called Shish.

Shish is the first Shish, and it opened at the end of last month. It's pretty slick - a large, curved glass pavement frontage displays a sinuous bar counter which snakes around the dining room, leaving grills, fridges and chefs' stations in the centre. Diners simply take a stool at the counter, for all the world like being at a modernist sushi bar. All is modern, just as the current resto design fashion dictates - rough concrete here, polished concrete there, stainless steel everywhere. Towards the rear are a couple of further kitchens, one primarily for baking fresh flat-breads and the other for frying, preparation and so forth. This place owes a debt to Israeli roadside eateries (serving falafel and shish kebab) but the 'concept' (all fast-food missions have to have a concept) is much more inclusive. As is proclaimed at the top of the menu, the inspiration for Shish is the food of the Silk Road . This is a pretty cute move: for a start, most people have only a vague idea of where the Silk Road started and ended, and secondly, the Road stretches for thousands of miles, so Shish is able to include spices and recipes that vary in style from Mediterranean to Persian and beyond (somehow Indonesian even gets a look-in).

Starters are divided into cold mezze (lots of them, at under £2 each) and hot mezze (fewer dishes, at just over £2 each). They are sound enough. The tabbouleh needs a bit more of the green bits (coriander and parsley), the cucumber wasabi is pleasant pickled cucumber, the red and green falafel are well made and the red variety is engagingly spicy. The hot bread is as delicious as only good hot bread can be. The kebabs are served in two different ways - either plated with rice, cous cous or French fries, or in a wrap. The shish kebabs are really rather good. Mediterranean lamb comes up very tender, apricot and ginger teams chicken with a good tangy flavour, the Persian chicken is flavoured with saffron, turmeric and citrus fruits - and there are a number of fish and vegetarian options. Die-hard kebabbers can even insist on a satisfactorily fierce squelch of chilli sauce. It's cheap too. Lamb kofta is under a fiver, and even the king prawn shish doesn't break the £8 barrier. What's more, Shish is licensed, so there's a cold beer or a glass of wine to turn a quick feed into an enjoyable meal. Expect Shish to roll out fairly quickly - sites in W1 and somewhere south of the Thames are on the drawing board. If this is the new face of fast food, we should all be jolly grateful.