He might not have the light touch of a Heston Blumenthal or Gordon Ramsey. But Huseyin Uzum’s customers rarely complain.
His much-loved Stoke Newington kebab shop, Testi Restaurant, has for the second year running been nominated for the British Kebab Awards.
The restaurant on Stoke Newington High Street will next Monday face off with nine others in the 6th annual awards ceremony for Best Kebab Restaurant in North and West London.
Last year he finished second, behind Ali’s Berlin Doner in Ealing. But Mr Uzuma is confident of going one better.
“I think we have a good chance of winning,” he said.
Amid the streams of London kebab shops, Testi stands out. It has a rating of four-and-a-half stars out of five on both TripAdvisor and Google.
Last week one happy customer wrote that “every order I’ve had from them has been perfect”. Another said “every morsel” is “a delight”.
Another said the service was “exceptional” and the staff had a “nothing is too much trouble” attitude.
One called it the best Turkish food they had tried in London.
Mr Uzum said: “If you’re in Stoke Newington you definitely will have heard of us. I always hear people saying, ‘Testi, Testi, Testi’.”
The family run business has been growing since opening in 2000 and now employs around 15 staff. Mr Uzum took over the restaurant from his father, Hasan, three years ago. The two have run several restaurants in Turkey and Cyprus in the past three decades.
“I’m quite young but I learnt a lot about the family business growing up,” he said. “I would always go in after school and gradually pick things up.”
Mr Uzum said Testi prides itself on offering a variety of dishes for a variety of customers.
“Our slogan is actually ‘Where the meat lovers and the vegetarians unite’,” he said.
“We serve a lot of vegetarian and vegan-friendly dishes. We’re known for serving the best lamb chops and ribs as well as a lot of vegetarian moussaka.”
Looking to the future, he said: “We’re planning to have a massive refurbishment, hopefully in July, and come back with a new modern restaurant.
He added: “Obviously our goal is to win the awards, which will push us even further.”
