Tangritah Uyghur Shishkebab Restaurant, South Australia by Big Fil

Most Chinese food in Adelaide tends to be variations of Cantonese or Shanghainese cuisine, with the occasional Sichuan place thrown in. There are however a small number of Uyghur style places around too if you know where to look, the most prominent of which is Tangritah Uyghur Shishkebab Restaurant on Grote Street. Again a very casual dining room, basic but not unpleasant.

If you're going to try the food here a love of lamb would be advisable, as would a taste for spicy food. It's a long way from more familiar styles of Chinese food - the Uyghur are a Turkish people and the food is central Asian in style. Polow style rice (I think that's how they spell it here) is nice and fluffy but slightly oily. With carrots and a little bit of meat it's pleasant enough but not necessarily something I'd order again.



Better was the lamb pie. Crispy on top, slightly soggy on the bottom where the juices from the lamb had soaked through, and filled with minced lamb and onion. As with all the dishes on the day the flavours are strong and not necessarily to everyone's taste, but if you're looking for something not too fussy that will stick to your bones a good choice.



I have to say I love the noodles you get with Uyghur cuisine. Hand pulled they have a great texture and flavour with just enough resistance when you bite into them, sort of like al dente pasta. The actual chicken which came with the dish was a bit overdone and dry and the sauce comes with a bit of a kick, but the noodles sitting underneath are excellent.



Best dish of the day and of most visits to Uyghur restaurants, the lamb skewers or kebabs. These sometimes look a little dry when you first see them, but because they don't use overly lean pieces of lamb the fat keeps the meat moist and boosts the flavour content. The meat is also highly spiced - if you don't like chilli let them know when ordering or you may be in for a hot surprise!


Overall
If you're interested in trying something a bit different well worth giving a go. Nothing terribly subtle or pretentious about it all but just good, flavoursome simple food.

Verdict
Food - 8
Service - 6
Ambience - 6
Price - 7.5

Address
116 Grote Street
Adelaide SA 5000
Tel: 0413 726 280