Uzbegim - Review - Leytonstone - London - The Infatuation

"Just around the corner from Leytonstone station, Uzbegim is an easy breezy Uzbek-meets-Uyghur restaurant and your priority here should be the laghman. These hand-pulled noodles are long enough to start python paternity rumours and have the bounce of someone on their fourth espresso of the day. Thankfully, this is the kind of place where no one bats an eye at unabashed noodle slurping. It’s a homey, cocoon of a restaurant with enough lanterns to pass the department-store-lighting-display threshold and a runway counter that suits some of our favourite forms of transitory dining behaviour. Say, stopping by for a natter with the banter-ready staff and a grab-and-go portion of hearty, herby beef stew at lunchtime, or parking yourself in front of the TV after work to toe-tap along to old Sting music videos while nursing some chewy, bulbous manti and those must-order noodles. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Pause Unmute Food Rundown Manti We’ve had an easier time pausing a Pringles session than stopping ourselves from leaning in for another bite of these meat parcels. The filling, a combination of hearty beef, onions, and light, tingly spices, is a comfort-first medley but it’s the tender, steamed dough wrappers that make for meditative chewing. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Traditional Uzbek Laghman Chew factor is Uzbegim’s speciality and these noodles are their jaw workout calling card. You can opt for chicken, lamb, or beef as the noodles’ meat sidekick, but we’d opt for the latter so it can soak up the aromatic peppery sauce. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch" - Heidi Lauth Beasley