Stoke Newington restaurant Testi crowned kebab king of North and West London
Testi owners Huseyin Uzum and his father Hasan Uzm with their award. Picture: British Kebab Awards - Credit: Archant
A Stoke Newington kebab restaurant has beaten off competition from north and west London rivals to scoop a top prize at the British Kebab Awards.
Testi, in Stoke Newington High Street, took home the award Best Kebab Restaurant in North and West London gong, bettering last year’s effort when it came second.
Run as a family business since 2000, owner Huseyin Uzum was proud to have knocked aside the competition’s fellow front runners.
Testi was the only restaurant in Hackney to make the shortlist.
“We came first and wiped out everyone else in the area – it’s a proud feeling,” said Huseyin, who’s worked at the restaurant since he was 13.
“The award is amazing. It shows how all our hard work is paying off.
“Our customers always say we are the best so when we told them about the award they said they already knew!”
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The restaurant attracts regular celebrity visitors such as Game of Thrones actor Ed Skrein, Rudimental artist Kesi Dryden and The Inbetweeners producer Christopher Young.
Fresh produce is the key to their popularity, said Huseyin, who often has to turn away kebab hopefuls when over-capacity on the weekend.
“We source all of our food and meat locally. We go to Spitalfields Market twice a week and offer lots of vegan options too.
“We’re passionate about what we serve to our customers and these are the fine details that make us the best.
“The customers are always happy to see me so I try to be on the shopfloor as much as possible.”
Having put in the hard yards for this year’s trophy, it’s now a case of looking forward for Huseyin and his dad Hasan, who he runs the business alongside.
They plan to close for one month in July to refurbish their premises and scoop even more kebab gongs.