Mangal II is one of my favourite Turkish restaurants in London. Having lived in the midst of hipster ground zero for 12 years (we had a house on the back of Columbia Road), we were within sniffing distance of the temptations of the ocakbasi superhighway (the A10 between Tottenham and Shoreditch).
Ferhat, Ali's son (who founded Mangal), became somewhat of a cause célèbre on Twitter, raising the profile of Mangal II and imbuing the account with acerbic wit and humour. He was unreserved, entirely unapologetic and persistently skewered the political establishment. Deservedly so. For a restaurant that promotes T-shirts with the slogan 'Love Kebabs. Hate Racism', it's no surprise that he abandoned Twitter after Elmo took over.
His newsletter on Mangal II's website resurrects his writing in long form and he wrote a post yesterday entitled 'Manners'. It resonated as a damning indictment and illustration of the challenge of running a restaurant. It's worth your time. In his inimitable style, he starts strong, but the post is more substantive than the opening might suggest and no less impassioned.
What happened?! When did an unbearable percentage of the general dining public become such insufferable, entitled, unforgiving pricks?
Personally, I want to support restaurants with passion who produce exceptional food and understand hospitality. I don't want to support the likes of vanilla Jamie-fucking-Oliver. I want to ensure that the plucky independents stick around because they find reward in what they do and because it's economically viable to do so. You can’t have the latter if your cash flow and the profit opportunity of your floor plan are being impacted by fewer covers than were booked. Cumulatively, it adds up. We are all poorer when they close.
I share his infuriation with the whinging, mealy-mouthed reviews where vindictive and capricious guests mete out 'justice'. So many seem to be grounded in the reviewer's lack of comprehension skills too - either in understanding the food concept or that there are consequences to accepting the terms of a booking.
Go and see Mangal II, you won't be disappointed. Oh, and be nice.
There’s a confusing connection with Mangal 1 (Arcola Street) and Mangal II on Stoke Newington Road. Mangal 1 (Mangal Ocakbasi) is the original, on Arcola Street in Dalston — a long-standing, more traditional ocakbasi grill spot. Mangal II is nearby on Stoke Newington Road, originally run by the same family but now run by the founder’s sons. In recent years, Mangal 2 has shifted toward a more modern, creative Turkish menu, blending traditional flavours with contemporary plating. Mangal II has always been well known in East London, partly for its food, partly because the artists Gilbert and George used to eat there five nights a week. (“We saw that it featured testicles and we thought: ‘Wow, tablecloths and testicles’, and we never looked back,” they told the Guardian). They are separate restaurants though.
