Mangals in Syston

On Saturday night, after a day full of organizing, cleaning and DIY around the house, my husband and I were in the mood to crash on the couch with a takeaway. Unfortunately takeaway options are limited in Leicester.

“What shall we have tonight? Curry? Chinese? Pizza?”

We had curry earlier in the week, and Dominoes is so not appealing, and don’t get me started on Chinese food. So we were back at square one with what to eat.

And then we remembered a little Turkish restaurant we visited with a Groupon a few months ago in Syston called Mangal that also do takeaway.

There are quite a few vegetarian options, and we ended up ordering two mains and three side dishes. For our mains, we ordered the vegetarian kebab which comes with different veggies (red and green peppers, aubergine, onion) in a thick tomato sauce. We also ordered the guvec, described as “a selection of vegetables & herbs in tomato sauce cooked in a special turkish pan.” It is similar to the kebab, but has a smokier flavor and the addition of mushrooms. Both were very, very tasty. My only criticism is that they are both quite oily… but as this is a weekend takeaway were were willing to look the other way, so to speak.

We also ordered the hummus, dolmas and cacik (cucumber and a hint of garlic in yogurt sauce), all of it so flavorful and perfect accompaniments to the main dishes. With the order, Mangal also include flavourful white rice, crunchy salad (carrot, lettuce, purple cabbage, tomato, cucumber) and this fluffy, soft bread that reminds me of soft pretzels. All this for £26! It’s easy to see why they do a roaring takeaway trade at the weekends.

I think, aside from the cacik and vegetarian kabab (apparently cooked in a butter sauce), that the rest is made without animal products. However, I cannot be sure of this so it’s best to ask if you’re a vegan.

I would certainly recommend this place as an alternative to the usual takeaway options in Leicester. It’s also a great little place to dine out, especially if you and your partner or friends have varying tastes and dietary needs.