The former Marrakech Delight on Church Lane, a few doors down from Vela Vietnamese, is now Uzbegim, a Uyghur restaurant specialising in Central and East Asian cuisine. I only ate at its Moroccan predecessor once or twice, but I do remember enjoying the chicken tagine.
Uzbegim joins a clutch of restaurants in our part of East London whose focus is on Uyghur food, the cuisine from the autonomous region of Xinjiang, in the northwest of China: others nearby I rate highly include Etles, on Hoe Street in Walthamstow, and the excellent Kefil Food on Homerton High Street (both of which I reviewed earlier this year here).
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If you’re unfamiliar with its straddling of East and Central Asian cuisines, there are pictures on the menu to help you choose, in keeping with other Uyghur restaurants I’ve visited. Key dishes? Noodle soups, stir fries, laghman, salads, steamed dumplings and wintry soups such as borscht. But there’s one I recommend you try if it’s your first visit.
It has to be the signature noodle dish Uyghur Laghman (sometimes also spelt läghmän or leghmen). As I soon discovered, a superior version is happily served at Uzbegim, pictured above. The addictively chewy hand-pulled noodles – some of the tastiest you’ll try, trust me – are swirled with soft red bell peppers, celery, a slightly peppery sauce and the grassy, herbal notes of coriander and dill. I chose chicken, the breast meat marinated and tender, although more traditional is the beef.
A large fresh bread roll, singed at the base, and still warm, comes in a basket complimentary to mop up the sauce: I gobbled it all up. Sure, it’s not the cheapest midweek lunch around – this main was £15 – but it’s one of the more soulful options on this stretch. With a sister restaurant in Maryland called Grand Somsa, just down from the Cart & Horses pub, this is a team who evidently know what they’re doing.
As for the interior, it feels similar to its predecessor, with its bare brick and tiling, ornate lighting, and shelves lined with bowls, ornaments and glistening bronze tea pots. Next time I plan to try the comforting sounding chicken soup with noodles, seared lamb chops, or the “manti”, steamed dumplings filled with beef and spices, served with sour cream.
Finally, don’t get any ideas about it being BYOB: “We’re an alcohol-free zone,” the server told me. So, all in all, it’s perfect for Dry January. Follow @uzbegim.restaurant.uk
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