Surprise results among winners of British Kebab Awards 2014

NEWS/UK TURKS

A capacity 400-people attended last night’s British Kebab and Retail Awards (BKA) at a plush ceremony at the Sheraton Park Lane. A total of 12 awards were up for grabs.

Best Chef was won by Mangal 2’s Ali Dirik, the Outstanding Contribution to the Kebab Industry had three winners (Vatan Catering, Tees, and Efes Nevstar), and Stoke Newington’s The Best Turkish Kebab followed up its 2013 BKA award by being crowned this year’s Best London Takeaway. Among the surprise winners on the night was a chip shop that was awarded Best Kebab Takeaway Outside of London, and Sheesh in Chigwell, which trumped many well-known, Turkish-owned restaurants for the Kebab Fine Dining award.

The cream of the kebab industry attended along with many distinguished guests including: Lord Paul, MPs Nadhim Zahawi, Keith Vaz and Bob Blackman. The event was sponsored by Just-Eat, the UK’s biggest online food delivery service, and organised by the Centre for Turkey Studies, led by İbrahim Doğuş. BKA co-founder and chair of the judging panel Mustafa Topkaya opened the event with a short speech. T-VINE editor İpek Özerim was the evening’s host.

The winners and runners up for the Best Kebab Awards 2014 are:

1. Best Chef: Ali Dirik, Mangal 2, 4 Stoke Newington Road, London N16 8BH

2. Best Kebab Fine Dining: Sheesh Chigwell, Ye Old King’s Head, High Road, Chigwell, Essex IG7 6QA
• Highly commended: Hazev, Discovery Dock West, 2 S Quay Square, Greater London E14 9RT

3. Best Value Restaurant: Likya Ocakbasi, 68-70 Golders Green Road, London NW11 8LN

4. Best Newcomer Kebab Restaurant: Gokyuzu & Kervan, 183 High Road, Wood Green, London N22 6BA
• Highly commended: Efes, 230 Commercial Road, London E1 2NB

5. Just East Best Delivery Restaurant: Mozz, 887 Green Lanes, London N21 2QS

6. Best Takeaway Kebab Shop in London: The Best Turkish Kebab, 25 Stoke Newington Road, London N16 8BT
• Highly commended: Charcoal Grill, 12 Chase Side, Southgate, London N14 5PA

7. Best Takeaway Kebab Shop Outside London: Bullring Chippy, 4 St John’s, Worcester WR2 5AH 

8. Best Young Chef: Haydar Polat, Troia, 3F Belvedere Rd, Waterloo, London SE1 7GQ

9. Young Restaurateur of the Year: Mazlum & Serdar Demir (Skewd Kitchen, Cockfosters)

10. Best Related Business: Quik Cut, 73 Thurlstone Road, Penistone, Sheffield S36 9EF

11. Customer Satisfaction: Kazan, 93-94 Wilton Road, Victoria, London SW1V 1DW
• Highly commended: Capital, 271 Fore Street, Edmonton, London N9 0PD

12. Outstanding Contribution to the Kebab Industry – 3 winners:

• Vatan Catering, 37-43 Mill Mead Industrial Centre, Tottenham, London N17 9QU
• Tees Ltd, Unit 48, Cromwell Ind Est, Staffa Road, Leyton, London E10 7QZ
• Efes Navstar Ltd, 76 Kilbirnie Street, Glasgow, Lanarkshire G5 8JD

The finalists for each category can be found here: http://ceftus.org/2014/01/05/the-2nd-british-kebab-awards-shortlist/#.UtSL0tJdWGN )

Main picture by T-VINE Food Critic Leyla Kazim