Wow! What a van, if indeed it should be called a van - more apt would be a mobile restaurant! Sooo much choice! Where else could you indulge in the tastiest kebabs and burgers (that actually look like they do on the menu)? Golden crispy chips,that are not soggy; an assortment of tasty traditional halal meat dishes and as if that wasn't enough to satisfy your palate, then how about good old fish & chips or hand-made pizzas cooked in an oven (they don't go near a microwave, I'm pleased to say). If you fancy washing this all down with a nice cup of tea or other hot beverage then stick around as Ahmed's never too busy to indulge you. Pudding perhaps? No problem with at least seven flavours of icecream - yum! Ahmeds' piece de resistance? Five star hygiene rating and served by the nicest people you could hope to meet

Here’s one we nearly did earlier. However, last time we made two mistakes: both of us had too much chilli sauce. Having received an e-mailed admonishment for not saying anything about the more palatable aspects of Ahmed’s, we decided to go back and take a slightly more cautious approach.

The first thing you notice about the van is the extensive menu. There is enough here to keep even the most avid reader awake all night. In fact, Ahmed himself seems to stay awake all night, with his van being one of the last still plying its trade until the small hours.

Ahmed’s is very good on sauce... that is to say, if you ask for just a little chilli, you will probably find it the best in Oxford. In fact, if you ask for the aioli, they will offer you some chilli with it. Presumably they realise that the chilli is one of their strong points, and frankly, the aioli isn’t. It has a cumulative effect, not giving you the full garlic flavour all at once. Other sauces include ’000 island and mint.

The portions are not the biggest (price against mass) in Oxford, and even an extra large can leave you feeling somehow unsatisfied; also the pitta is dry and chewy. However, the meat is good, though the chicken isn’t what it used to be, and the salad is of prime quality. If you can be bothered (or you are in an ‘impressionable’ state of mind), go to Mehdi’s, get a kebab and carry it over to Ahmed’s for the chilli sauce.

TOKE rating: Kebab: 6, Chicken/other meat: 5, Sauce: 7, Salad/accessories: 8, Service: 6, Total: 66%.

Kebab - £2.00–£2.40

Chicken Kebab - £2.40

Shish Kebab - £2.70

Mixed Kebab - £3.00

Veggie Kebab - £1.80

Special Veggie Kebab - £2.20 (with egg and cheese or fried mushrooms)

Also available: tuna kebabs, hot dogs, chips, baguettes, spuds with a huge range of fillings (including cheese, kebab meat and salad all at once in the ‘Special’)