LDNReview
Included In
Home cooking is often food at its best. Carbs and sauces are attacked from all angles of the table. Stains appear and napkins fall. No matter how full, you can always have just a little bit more. A final fork. Just one more dip before defeat. This fulfilling kind of cooking isn’t exclusive to the home though, and no restaurant demonstrates that more than Uyghur restaurant Etles in Walthamstow.
From the piles of steaming hot hand-pulled noodles, to the pristine floral tablecloths soon to be chilli oil-stained—everything at Etles comes from a husband and wife duo. This living room of a restaurant, complete with two-tone walls, lacy curtains, and a chintzy chandelier, suits all kinds of situations. But given the warm hospitality, we always want to eat here as a family—relatives or not. This spot prides itself on feeling like a home away from home.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Uyghur cuisine comes from the predominantly Turkic Muslim group from Xinjiang in north west China. But their very idea of home is under threat from reported human rights abuses by the Chinese state. The cuisine is little represented in London and in a piece by Fuchsia Dunlop for Eater, Etles co-owner and chef Mukaddes Yadikar said that she and her husband “chose London because there are so many Chinese people here, and they love Uyghur food”. It’s easy to understand why.
Etles’ mix of sizzling skewers, freshly baked naan, hand-pulled noodles, and plump dumplings are a delicious mix. The star of the menu is undoubtedly the large plate chicken—an enormous platter of springy hand-pulled belt noodles topped with a heartily spiced chicken stew. It’s sloppy and spicy, generous and moreish. A dish that’s made for everyone and, like Etles as a whole, has home in mind.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Lamb Tugur Dumplings
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Traditional Leghmen
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Mixed Skewers
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Etles Large Plate Chicken