Dilara

Uyghur food: probably not known by most but to those that do, it is something magical. Shaped by its location at the crossroads of Asia and the religion of its people. It is a spectrum of influences coming together to form incredibly dishes. I’ve been twice and twice I have ordered Big Plate Chicken. It is spicy and numbing - eat the dried chillis if you dare! The chicken falls off the bone. The potatoes have lost all structural integrity being held together by the intense viscous broth. Said viscosity enables the coating of the thick hand-pulled noodles which have a perfectly chewy texture. What a dish! The lamb kofte are also very good with a classic flavour from the mangal. The same can be said for the cumin and chilli splatted lamb skewers served on fresh naan. These are a bit chewy for my liking but increases the length of time the flavour lasts in your mouth. The lamb buns (name forgotten) are straight out of the tandoor and have the attitude (flavour) to prove it. Then, a classic Pan-Chinese cucumber salad seasoned with the romantic pairing of soy and black vinegar. Finally, I insist you finish with the Uyghur milk tea. It tasks like unsweetened salted caramel. Litres could be drunk if not for the previous onslaught. I asked how they made it but they gave a cheekily guarded answer ie they know I’ll be back for more. A must.

I had a delightful experience at Dilara Uyghur Restaurant in Finsbury Park. The food was exceptional, and it was a unique and enjoyable opportunity to savor Uyghur cuisine, which I hadn't tried before. One of the standout features was the affordability; it was pleasantly inexpensive. What added to the experience was that we didn't need to make advance reservations, making it convenient for a spontaneous dining choice. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone looking to explore new flavors without breaking the bank.

I'll do my best to give a fair review as we were in a rush yesterday. Food was generally quite good, wouldn't say it blew my socks off but it was nice! The speed of service was excellent as we told them we were in a hurry (also keep in mind we were the first people there). The portions were also very good! I wouldn't mind coming back again to try some of the other dishes. We had the chicken stew and uyghur polo. Oiler than I'm used to, the polo reminded me of an oiler version of qabuli pilau for reference. A minor room for improvement would be to maybe have more cutlery already on the table as we just had forks.

Halal Order: (Medium) Large Plate Chicken, Dumplings, Uyghur Milk Tea Large portions, as shown in photo- could serve up to 4 people. Popular for couples/families. Noodles are handmade(?). Unique cuisine. Comfortable, cushioned chairs and well-decorated interior. As previous reviews mentioned, Staff aren't the friendliest/welcoming and service is slow-forgot one of our items. Note: the 'Uyghur Milk Tea' is sour (unsure why- sour cream?).