I started off my meal with some Baba Ganoush; the eggplant was perfectly mashed and seasoned, leaving just the right amount of chunks as I spread it onto the home baked combination of naan and pita. As I took my last bite of dip I was tempted to order more so that I could have an excuse for another bite of the soft, warm bread. I decided against it, to move onto bigger and better things... the main course was on its way to the table. My eyes were drawn immediately to the large oval dish covered with lamb shanks and rice. The tenderness of the meat was extraordinary and the explosion of delicious spices, exquisite. Jack, my waiter, who turned out to be the owner of the restaurant as well, brought out extra side dishes that he felt were missing from what is required for a perfect Iraqi dinner.

When I finished, Jack brought me on the tour he had been promising. We headed to the back of the restaurant to take a peak at the bread maker he had been raving about. He stressed the importance of the clay ovens and how it is the only way to produce traditional Iraqi bread. The pieces of dough were slabbed onto the inside of the hot surface, sticking until they are ready to be served. The rest of the kitchen was busy cooking, one man preparing a fish which they planned to marinate for the guest who wasl not to be coming to enjoy it for another two days.

"Shanar" is a tree that grows in the mountainous region of Iraq, a place enjoyed by many. Jack thought that naming the restaurant after this holiday spot would encourage people to enter. "All the Iraqi people and many Arabs go there, it is a beautiful tourist place. Anyone who walks by and reads my sign, they know this." While it was the ‘open’ sign on the door that originally drew me in, Jack's welcoming and warm personality, his great suggestions, and the wonderful food are all what has drawn me back on this mini-holiday to Edgware Road.