Pinner Observer 08/07/04 – Shish 2 - 6 Station Parade, Willesden

Shish is definitely not a gentrified kebab shop, but nor is it your typical outlet full of drunks on a Friday night.

The restaurant in Walm Lane, Willesden Green, is a wonderful place to relax and watch life go by from its huge glass windows. Central to the eatery's menu are dishes inspired by the cuisine of the Silk Road - all served up from an open kitchen.

A good way to sample the range of food is to try a variety of small dishes known as mezze.

My flatmate and I ordered the four hot mezze, which proved to be excellent. The prompt waitress brought a plate of duck and spring onion rolls, spinach borek, falafel and pandana chicken. It was the first time I had tried pandana leaves, which were used to wrap the tangy chicken. It was then deep fried, making the leaves crispy and slightly sweet.

Best of all was the dish of falafel which was crisp on the outside, but still green and moist inside, and my flatmate's favourite was the borek which was spinach wrapped in filo pastry and fried. All the mezze can be sampled with dips such as tahini and chilli.

Before moving onto the main course, I want to put in a good word for the juice bar. We ordered a mixed fruit and an orange and pineapple juice, which were both excellent accompaniments to the spicy food. The drinks were freshly squeezed and the mixed fruit turned out to be a rainbow of multi-coloured layers of fruit juices in the glass.

For the main course I opted for the lamb kofta and my flatmate ordered Chinese chicken. The lamb kofta was excellent as it had been marinated and cooked with garlic and pine kernels.

It was inside a bed of chopped lettuce salad and wrapped in a pitta bread, although strangely it came wrapped in paper. My flatmate said the chicken was nicely spiced, although she became a bit bogged down in all the lettuce, which remained mainly on her plate.

James Diamond