Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2005 - 01 Nov 2004

Shish

Area: Shoreditch
Category: Turkish
Address: 313 Old Street, EC1V 9LE
Phone: 020 7749 0990
Website: www.shish.com
Travel: Liverpool Street/Old Street tube/rail
Hours: Bar Open 5pm-midnight Mon-Sat; 5-10.30pm Sun. Snacks served £2.75-£5.75. Restaurant Meals served 11.30am-11.30pm Mon-Fri; 10.30am-11.30pm Sat; 10.30am-10.30pm Sun
Prices: Restaurant Main courses £3.95-£10.95
Credit cards: AmEX, DC, JCB, MC, V
Service charge: 12.5%

This is the second branch of Shish, which calls itself a ‘Silk Road’ restaurant and covers cuisine from Turkey to Indonesia. There’s a bar in the basement, plus a first-rate juice bar in the main restaurant; try the striped mixed fruit juice. Water pumps (for unlimited still or sparkling water at £1 a head) dominate the long bar. Staff also serve wine and a range of bottled beers (Japanese, Belgian, Czech, but no Turkish). There’s a fixed ‘silk route’ choice of dishes, plus a shifting menu (Middle Eastern when we visited). Meat kibbeh (baked meatballs) made an exciting starter from the Middle Eastern menu, while, to follow, chicken with apricot and ginger from the main menu is highly recommended. This came with a sharp tangy sauce, a small salad and a good portion of wonderful basmati rice. The restaurant has something of a canteen feel, yet was less busy than we expected. In the past, Shish has seemed to emphasise the decor above the food, but this wasn’t the case on our most recent visit.