What I had for my tea: Yuvalama at Shamata

"This is true ethnic food", says Melda the chef, pointing at my plate. "From the time of the Ottoman empire. You won't get anything like it in any of the other shops. I make it because I love it and put it on my specials."

It's Thursday and we have made our weekly outing to Shamata to have our tea before my daughter's music school (the excellent Hackney School of Folk, if you're interested). The kids know what they want: Melda's hand-made American style burgers for my girl; a bowl of chicken pesto pasta for the boy. I've got into the habit now of simply asking what Melda's been cooking up that day for her specials. They're nearly always good Turkish home-cooking, very unlike the dishes that get made daily in the mega-restaurants that surround them.

Last night's dish was outstanding. It's called Yuvalama - a warming, wintery dish of lamb, chickpeas and bulgar dumplings in a soup flavoured with yoghurt, mint and chilli. Served with toasted sesame bread and pickles, it was filling and full of flavour. 

Washed down with (in my opinion) the best blend of Turkish tea on the strip ("We brew it fresh every hour all day. The other places they don't do that, they leave it too many hours"), I was yet again impressed with the quality of the food in this friendly and homely cafe run by three of the nicest folk on Green Lanes. 

Pay them a visit soon and don't forget to ask what the special is. Or pop in for a Turkish tea.