There is something quite wonderful about buying food from a trailer. 

Al-Lazeez has been based at a car park in the heart of the Whalley Range district for many years and here at Asian Image we do like to pay homage to all the classics.

Funnily enough though, it is the kind of place that you get told about but never actually visit.

Having driven past numerous times I have never actually bought anything from there. Not entirely sure why?

The Al-Lazeez has a basic menu, it is after all still a trailer, but it certainly puts it up there with some of the best kebab houses I have been too.

In many respects we have become a little too detached from what made British-Asian style food great in the first place. 

There is a sense that everything must be all bling and served superfast so we can gorge it down and move on to the next pit stop serving processed meat.

The thing I like about Al-Lazeez is that it is a rare survivor of the days when you went somewhere because you wanted too. One is attracted to the place not because there is great seating (there isn’t any!) or because you or your wife is impressed by the chandeliers. 

On my visit I decided to go for the mix kebab which came with chips. It took a little while to arrive and I waited in my car patiently listening to 909 Five Live commentary.

The food arrived stuffed in a tray and it was certainly a lot bigger portion than I had been expecting. The kebab ranks up there with some of the best of the region and it actually took me back to a time when kebabs were cooked in the traditional fashion.

I also liked how they hadn’t drowned the kebab and chips in layers of sauce.

The Al-Lazeez may not be everyone’s cup of tea. On a cold and wintry evening you may not want to get out of your car. But on a hot summers night there is no better place to smell the aroma of a freshly cooked chicken kebabs.

If they ever do a traveller’s guide to the town of Blackburn the Al-Lazeez deserves to have it’s own star. I don’t think we are asking too much.

Presentation 3/5
Venue 2/5
Value 5/5
Taste 4/5
Service 4/5