How do you spot good döner?

The craft of döner begins with the stacking, not the meat: thin slices of meat and fat are threaded onto the spit by hand in balance. Seeing those layers separately on the cut face is the most reliable sign.

The second measure is the colour and moisture of that face. On a cone that turns steadily and is carved regularly, the surface stays bright and moist; a dark, dried face has been sitting under heat all day.

The third is the clock. Early lunch and early evening are when the spit has just been built and the carving is fresh. Where the counter turns over fast, döner does not wait.