(This venue is closed.) This Uzbek restaurant stretches the Central Asian canon with dishes such as norin — a soup of "handmade short noodles" with dried veal — and a cucumber-carrot salad topped with sauteed ground beef.
And unlike its Brighton Beach kin, it's directly north of the Wonder Wheel, so you can give it a try as an alternative to Nathan's (or in my case, and perhaps yours, as a follow-up). Since I had only about ten minutes to spare, the fellow taking a break out front suggested a samsa ($2.25); Timurlan's version of this baked pastry stuffed with lamb meat was chunkier, chewier, and more oniony than most. Next time I'd call in a special order: For a dollar more, the restaurant will supplement a samsa with lamb short rib, or prepare an "extra heavy" version with lamb meat and extra fat.
Timurlan
1047 Surf Ave. (at West 12th St.), Coney Island, Brooklyn
718-266-0016