Uyghur cuisine – big on noodles,lamb,offal and bread,with liberal sprinklings of cumin – is best expressed in the crowd-favourite dish at this long-running institution.

Chopped lamb is tossed with cumin seeds and shreds of fried naan,which come in handy later for mopping up other dishes. Noodles are all handmade but it’s hard to resist the lesser-seen noodle cubes – centimetre-wide chunks that bounce between your teeth. Try them in a rich stew of lamb mince and crisp garlic shoots.

Wind sand” fried chicken wings live up to their name,coated in a fine layer of dried onion and breadcrumbs. Chicken gizzards dusted with Sichuan pepper are so mouth-numbing they’ll have you ordering another tangy yoghurt drink. Pride shines through in attentive service,generous plates and hand-painted murals of musicians,camels and volcanoes. Another gem in Box Hill’s treasure chest.

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Melbourne’s Eastern Suburbs

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