Kebab feast helps food legend grow
THEY say you can judge how good a restaurant is by how busy it is. So if the punters queuing down the street outside Leve Bakery on a Thursday lunchtime are anything to go by, Stockport’s newest kebab house is off to a flying start.
The eatery in Edgeley, just a stone’s throw from Stockport train station, only opened its doors a fortnight ago, but bosses say it has been busy every day since. There is a reason why. The shop is an off-shoot of the hugely successful Levenshulme Bakery on the A6 Stockport Road down the road in, you guessed it, Levenshulme.
It has become legendary for its shawarma kebab sandwiches on freshly baked bread, hailed by many as the best kebabs found anywhere in Greater Manchester.
The restaurant’s founder Alonso Ahsan has moved into the world of franchising and allowed a new branch to open using his name and menu.
That shop, where I am today, is in the heart of Castle Street, Edgeley’s high street.
It is run by Jootyar Khoshnaw, 19, a friend of Alonso who describes him as ‘like a brother.’
Alonso is leaving Jootyar and his team to run it independently as long as they stay true to his reputation and ethos.
Having never been to the original, I approached with an open mind but expecting big things given the original bakery’s lofty standing in the region’s kebab world.
For many kebabs are simply the often regretful appendix to a boozy night out.
Yet for the initiated, they are a thing of joy and I am one of those people who enjoy them any time of day or night, without the need for intoxication.
And I certainly wasn’t disappointed by the delicious simplicity of what was on offer here.
It is small and cosy inside, with only three four-seater tables if you want to eat in, however most of its trade comes in the form of takeaway.
As you walk in you can see the chicken and lamb shawarmas and the donner, roasting on those familiar swirling sticks.
These can be served on naan or Samoon bread.
You can see the staff, all dressed in branded red polo shirts, kneading and stretching the dough before shaping it and slapping it down onto a hot plate to cook. It’s clear why they proudly still have the word bakery in their name.
The Samoon, in particular, is an unexpected delight.
A traditional Iraqi flatbread, at first glance it looks like a mini sourdough loaf and not something you’d normally associate with a kebab.
But it is crispy on the outside with toasted sesame seeds on top and soft, spongy, and slightly sweet on the inside.
And it is made even better with some of the juicy shawarma meat stuffed inside.
The meat, which is freshly made and marinated overnight, is unlike most other kebab meat you’ll have tasted before in that it is succulent and juicy.
Yet there is no grease swimming in the bottom of the tray.
The chili sauce is the perfect level of spice and nicely balanced by their minty yogurt dip and the side of hummus in the tray is an added bonus, as are the pickled gherkins and fresh chillis.
Considering it is all fresh it is amazingly good value. A single kebab in some places can cost over a tenner these days. But here a kebab costs £3.50 on Samoon or £4.50 on naan.
However, if you’re like me and you are the type of person whose eyes are always bigger than their belly, for just a couple of quid more you can get your meat in a tray, along with all the salad and humus, meaning you get just that bit more.
For just over a tenner (11.40 to be exact) I got a feast that could feed three people comfortably including a kebab tray with both naan and Samoon bread, chips, and a fatayer.
And that was the real star of my visit. I found myself questioning how it was, and if I’m honest, regretting, that I’d got to the age of 34 without having tried it.
It is essentially a middle eastern pie that can be stuffed with ingredients such as meat and cheese.
But the way it is done here, with a crispy dough base and melted cheese on top, it tasted almost like a pizza with kebab meat stuffed between the layers.
If you are the type of person who can never decide what to have, with pizza also on the menu here, this is the dish for you - combining the best elements of both, and also being served with salad and sauces.
With some delicious exotic fruit juices, which taste almost like smoothies, as well as your usual cans of fizzy pop, to wash it down, there really is nothing you can fault here.
Simple food made with love, care, and attention that will make you want to come back again and again.
Greater Manchester’s best kebab? They just may be right.