Better miss out on Shish

This review was published in June 2001

Another proponent of the fast-food-can-be-good-food principle, Shish has oodles of atmosphere. A huge, ultra-modern bar and restaurant in the furthest reaches of Willesden Green, it has borrowed heavily from conveyor belt sushi bars, with a glass frontage, bar stools ranged around a central cooking area and mineral water taps between every couple.

The menu, says their paper place-mats, draws its inspiration from 'the food of the Silk Road', a usefully meaningless phrase that in this case has been stretched to cover everything from Indonesian Satay to Lamb Kofta. Starters are ordered from a list of traditional mezze, which appear good value at £1.95 until you realise that you need about ten of the portions to make up a decent starter for two.

While picking at these mini-crucibles, we watched our kebabs being chargrilled (and then some) in front of us, before being served up with chips, undercooked rice and a one-for-all garnish.

It was all terribly disappointing, enlivened only by the erratic cabaret, otherwise known as service. Duplicates of our orders appeared every five minutes, and we even got someone else's meal altogether. When we were stubbornly determined to eat the bread we asked for, we had to demand it half-a-dozen times. Our bill, for indifferent food and two small beers, came to more than £50.

In the post-modern fast-food stakes, Shish may have the style, but it won't get the girl.

Shish - Willesden Green
2-6 Station Parade, NW2 4NH