Kuwazi

• Campo Pequeno (Linha Amarela)
• €
• Av. Júlio Dinis 14 Loja 11, 1050-063

There's a restaurant in Camberwell, London called Silk Road, which introduced us to Chinese food that has no bearing on the Cantonese-influenced sweet & sour whatevers and greasy chow meins recognised the world over. Silk Road draws on the Xinjiang region in the North West of China. Kuwazi, however, brings an equally exciting experience with the gastronomic ideas of North East China.

Once we had found the place - its location in the basement of the Colombia Shopping Centre just off Campo Pequeno doesn't let it stand out - we were straight into the skewers above. All of which performed miracles in the mouth as the succulence of each meat and offal gives way to the chilli and cumin. A transcendental experience.

These were followed by two main dishes of kung pao chicken and cold noodles with vegetables, the sheer range of textures and flavours of which place Kuwazi miles ahead of all other Chinese offerings in Lisbon.

Intrigued if the description was a mis-translation or not, we also ordered one of their Chinese hamburgers. What a delight this is: slow cooked beef, in a lush and decadent sauce, rammed into a toasted bun.

Washed down with a couple of Tsingtao each, and only just topping €32 for the two of us, I can't believe anywhere else is likely to beat Kuwazi for flavour and value any time soon.

Don’t forget to order: Any of the skewers. At 90 cents each, getting 10 and calling it dinner is an acceptable way to live