Black Axe Mangal is another pop-up restaurant done good. It never popped down having proved so popular with Lee Tiernan’s take on Turkish fare, his mightily efficient menu wowing the critics and locals alike. Happy to take on hectic, cramped dining experiences with heavy metal music appeal? Less likely we’re sure, but bear with us as this is an experience not to be missed. It may sound like a hellish kebab eating experience behind a rock concert but Lee brings considerable knowledge of seriously good food from his time at the sweetbread mecca that is St John. Smoked cod’s roe and crisps, falafel with roast garlic and charred cabbage with shrimp butter and that’s almost the entire menu but boy, does it work. Fay Maschler described it as ‘Haute Kebab’ and she couldn’t be more right.
Of course they don’t take reservations. Nothing creates quite the atmosphere of a rugby scrum at the door but then good food speaks volumes. Go with your adventurous friends and order it all. These noise levels would be less inclined to work anywhere else but imagine yourself as part of a social experiment done well. Good food tends to do that to people.
