№ 214 — Kingsland Road, London
Ocakbaşı · Est. 2014
Fire lit 11:30 — last skewer 23:00
Hand-minced.
Oak-fired.
Never rushed.
Isotvale is a charcoal kebab house in East London. We mince lamb with a two-handled zırh knife, press it onto flat iron skewers by hand and turn it over glowing oak until the fat sings. Six regional kebabs, one fire, no shortcuts.
340°C
at the grate
220 g
per Adana skewer
14 h
mince rests on ice
№ 01 — The Ledger
Today on the mangal
Adana
Adana kebabı
Hand-minced lamb, tail fat, hot red pepper
220 g
£19
Urfa
Urfa kebabı
Same mince, smoked isot, no chilli heat
220 g
£19
Beyti
Beyti sarma
Wrapped in lavash, garlic yoghurt, butter
260 g
£22
Şiş
Kuzu şiş
Lamb shoulder cubes, onion juice, thyme
240 g
£24
Patlıcan
Patlıcanlı kebap
Mince and aubergine, alternated on iron
280 g
£21
№ 02 — Heat Index
Pick your heat.
We grind the isot ourselves.
Every kebab is marked 0 to 4 on the ledger. Tell your server a number and the grill master seasons the mince to order — not the sauce, the meat itself.
0
Mild
Sweet red pepper, sumac, parsley. For children and the cautious.
1
Warm
A pinch of Aleppo flakes. Bright, fruity, gone in a second.
2
Urfa
Sun-dried, smoked isot. A slow, raisin-dark burn.
3
Adana
Hot red pepper kneaded into the mince. The house standard.
4
Fire-eater
Charred green chillies and a second grind. Ask twice.
№ 03 — The Method
From block to blade
in four turns
01
Minced with the zırh
Shoulder and tail fat are chopped with a two-handled crescent blade — never a grinder — so the meat keeps its grain and its juice.
02
Rested on ice for 14 hours
Salt, pepper and isot work into the mince overnight. Cold fat binds; warm fat drips. We wait.
03
Pressed onto iron by hand
Wide, flat skewers hold the mince as it shrinks. Every ridge you see is a fingerprint from our grill line.
04
Turned over oak, four times
No gas, no lava rock. Oak charcoal at 340°C, a quarter turn each minute, rested on lavash to catch the drip.
№ 04 — Kebab Atlas
Every skewer
has a postcode
Adana
37.00°N · 35.32°E
Cotton-belt heat: pepper in the mince, onions with sumac on the side.
Urfa
37.16°N · 38.79°E
Smoke over fire: the dark isot pepper this house is named after.
Gaziantep
37.06°N · 37.38°E
Pistachio country: lahmacun thin as paper and baklava to finish.
One fire a day.
We don’t cheat it.
— Selim Arık, grill master since day one
№ 05 — Pull up a stool
Sit at the grill.
Watch it turn.
Mon – Thu
12:00 – 23:00
Fri – Sat
12:00 – 00:30
Sunday
12:00 – 22:00
