Honest Turkish grill house

Testi is a large and bustling Turkish restaurant, and, somewhat disappointingly, the testi from which it takes its name is not testicles (as the rumour would have it), but testi as in the Turkish word for water jug.

At the centre of the dining room is the obligatory open grill and the design theme is frills, rustic implements, terracotta-coloured plasterwork, and a red ceiling splattered with fine white squiggles.

The staff manages to be both efficient and friendly, prices are low and the grill chef is significantly gifted.

The starters are very sound - humus is nutty and smooth; ali nazik is a dish of aubergine in creamy yogurt; kisir is stunning... bulghur wheat, plus very finely chopped tomatoes and peppers.

The sucuk izgara is grilled Turkish sausage, discs of pleasantly musty-spicy sausage, very distinctive.

The hot bread is wonderful.

For main course you should order what are billed on the menu as 'Thesticals' - koc yumurtasi - and to avoid confusion subtitled 'lamb testicles marinated and char-grilled'.

They are delicious.

A soft texture, crisp outside, yielding within, smoky from the grill.

And while you're at it, the grilled kidneys are good, the liver is good, and the grilled quail is good.

The 'kaburga', lamb spare ribs, is outstandingly good - chewy, crispy and salty all at the same time.

But if you cannot bring yourself to grab dinner by the thesticals, the menu lists all the old favourites: shish kebab, chicken wings, lamb chops.

And all the grills here are served with some very fine accompaniments, including a dish of charred sweet onions that comes in a sauce made from sumac and lemon juice.

Testi Ocakbasi Restaurant
Stoke Newington High Street, London, N16 7PL