The top three: aubergine dishes

For a bunch of mates

Hala

29 Grand Parade, Green Lanes, N4 (halarestaurant.co.uk)

This buzzing Turkish restaurant has a traditional menu with everything from kahvalti (a classic breakfast) to mercimek (lentil soup). There’s little they don’t know about aubergine: have it sautéed with garlic and tomato, charcoal-grilled on a kebab, or baked as Imam bayildi, which means ‘the Imam fainted’ — it’s that good (£4.50).

For adventurous eaters

Kazan

93-94 Wilton Road, SW1 (kazan-restaurant.com)

The food at this smart Turkish restaurant has Ottoman influences and is best shown off in dishes such as hunkar begendi (Sultan’s delight, £14.95), a slow-cooked, spiced lamb stew served on smoky aubergine mash. Or try aubergines that have been roasted until they blacken and blister, in the baba ganoush (£4.95).

For speedy lunches

Yalla Yalla

186 Shoreditch High Street, E1 (yalla-yalla.co.uk)

A sister to the two busy Yalla Yallas in the West End, this Lebanese pop-up will be around for another five months. Try fattoush, a colourful salad with crispy pitta bread; crispy flaky pastries stuffed with cheese or lamb; and don’t miss the Beiruti-style aubergine dip, baba ghannouj (£4.50), served with pomegranate seeds.