Permalink Reply by matt on January 29, 2009 at 11:29
Good to see the owner of one of our best local restaurants quoted in the article;
Owner of Turkish Bingol [should read Flame] Restaurant, Riza Alpkan, in Green Lanes, Harringay, says these kebabs have given Turkish food a bad name.
He said: “It’s not just simple food, we do very rich Turkish food and homemade kebabs, but not only kebabs. There are a lot of restaurants in Green Lanes but there are fast food shops as well.
“The fast food shops use cheap meat, they use minced lamb and put other things in it.
"80 per cent of fast food shops buy it in frozen from a factory. You don’t know when they’ve made it, six months or a year ago, and you don’t know which meat they use.
“I’ve never gone there in my life. I am used to seeing drunk people after midnight when they’re hungry and that’s their only option.
“They are sold for only £2 or £2.50 - what do people expect? People want it cheap and then they get poisoned. Maybe they want to save money.
"I recommend people go to a traditional restaurant rather than fast food."
I think the meat in the Ocakbasi restaurants on Green Lanes is usually very good, and seems quite low in fat content. I don't eat Doner kebabs, though: as my husband said - "You don't know who the donor is."