When it comes to kebabs Manchester, it seems, has got it skewered.
The humble sandwich, once derided as the food of the late-night drunk, has never found so much expression.
Whether it's shawarma, doner, gyros, souvlaki, shish, sheekh, kobeda or shami, you'll find it.
READ MORE: The Chinese restaurant above the Wing Yip supermarket? It's a bit of an adventure
And now there's One Star Doner Bar at Escape to Freight Island to add to the mix, which is most definitely at the boutique end.
It's so called because its creator, Brad Carter, is the chef behind Michelin star restaurant Carters of Moseley in Birmingham - he launched his kebab project while his restaurant was closed down due to Covid.
The result is a Michelin-style breakdown of key kebab ingredients - from the pide bread sourced from a Turkish bakery, to the doner meat made with Cornish lamb - but without the fine dining prices, you'll pay £10 for the kebabs at One Star Doner.
To set my review in context I've been on something of a kebab odyssey in recent weeks.
Kebabs elevated to first tier classification during my tour include Levenshulme Bakery (for many the Holy Grail), Jaffa in Rusholme, Bab in the Northern Quarter, and Venus in Longsight.
So how does One Star stack up against the competition?
To answer the question I have a crew of tasters, including two Greek Cypriots who you'd think might know something about kebabs.
Only one pint of Pomona Phaedra into the evening we order both the Lamb Doner and the Chicken Shawarma - (both £10) - to test out Brad's assertion that the kebab will 'taste as good at 2pm as it will at 2am'.
Starting with the bread, the kebab immediately scores highly - I'd place it alongside Levenshulme Bakery or the acclaimed German Doner for quality, perhaps higher.
There's a pleasing crisp texture from the griddle to the exterior while the centre is soft and fluffy, without compromising the structural integrity crucial to its function.
We're divided on which meat is best.
There's some 'cheating' with the chicken. Brad has borrowed from the kings of barbecued/fried chicken the Koreans; using gochujang to marinade the thigh meat.
The chilli sauce gives the garlicky chicken an unmistakable sweetish tang which, as I know from making Korean fried wings myself, is simply irreplaceable.
However, my vote goes to the lamb doner meat, which is made by mixing lamb shoulder with frozen milk to produce a texture which I'd compare very favourably to pastrami.
The effect remains doner-like but there's airy, lightness of touch which elevates it above any other doner meat I've tried.
One Star's salad filling and sauces are also of the highest order. Laced with a myriad of julienne onions, white cabbage and pickled chilli peppers, it's topped with an easy going chilli sauce, soothing yoghurt and dried chilli sprinkles.
Most enthusiastic props go to the coleslaw which hits the spot through a combination of refreshing veg and rich flavour: turmeric and soya sauce making for an inspired combo.
To complete the picture is a blistered long green pepper Turkish style, its flesh retaining plenty of texture and bite.
Conclusions from my fellow tasters are very positive indeed.
Greek Cypriot Nik declares it a 'really good concept' while compatriot Fivos was impressed but still believes Levenshulme Bakery is king.
Richie, who has undertaken some very extensive research indeed, gives One Star a big thumbs-up but declares Al Aqsa in Longsight to be king with its mix of shawarma, kobeda and tikka.
Imraan says the bread and coleslaw elevate the kebab to the first tier but not above Rusholme cafe Jaffa where, I agree, salads and condiments are of the highest order.
Personally I'd put One Star alongside Levenshulme Bakery for overall impact.
It definitely wins on presentation and balance, but for satisfaction, availability and price Levenshulme is hard to beat, as is its very particular combo of fillings, including a delicious red cabbage.
I've never been to Escape to Freight Island before (inside the converted Mayfield development next to Piccadilly) but this unbeatable combination of Pomona beer and kebab will have me heading back...very soon indeed.
One Star Doner, Escape to Freight Island, 11 Baring Street, Manchester, M1 2PZ Opening hours 4pm to 11pm, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 12pm til 12am on Fridays, and 12pm til 1am on Saturdays and 12pm til 8pm on Sundays.
To get the latest email updates from the Manchester Evening News, click here.
