What you will fine is the menu selection is small.. which is great because they've chosen their best dishes to serve... plus I hate being such a noobie to a cuisine and be presented with pages and pages of choices...
We started off with some Shirazzi salad - finely diced cucumber, tomato and onion with lime, black pepper and mint dressing. This didn't really add any wow factor but was definitely nice to have a salad break from all the meat and rice main dishes.
With all meals, they seem to pair it with bread and a plate of salad as well. With the amount of rice we ordered... the flat bread remained packaged. Hmmm I wonder if the bread remained closed... do they just reuse it for the next customer?
The most adventourous part of the meal was when we ordered a jug of Doogh (pronounced doo). Doogh is a savoury yoghurt based beverage that's seasoned with mint.
The mint was provided in the cups rather than in the bottle. I read reviews how this is the perfect drink to pair with a kebab and was extremely excited to try.
One gulp and our faces expressed the same instant regret on not ordering a small portion to sample. I'm not saying this is bad... just saying it's something you definitely need to have grown up on... a definite acquired taste scenario. I manage to get a full glass down (because I felt like it was such a waste)... but that in itself was a struggle.
The waitress did a good job in guiding us with our order... especially with her limited English. Next up was Gheimeh - lamb cooked with split peas and dried lentils. For me the lamb was a bit rough but I didn't mind the texture and taste of the split peas and lentils. I've been smashing lentils instead of rice during the week in hope to control the weight gain. The dish is generally topped with potatos or aubergines... and in this case... potato chips. I recall reading an article why they chose this topping.. to which they simply replied "It tastes better".... fair enough.
Our safer and more hearty part of the meal came which was the Shahi - a combination of Joopeh and Koobideh... which essentially was chicken marinated in lemon juice and lamb mince marinated in onion.... with a massive side of basmati rice. For me the highlight was the rice... it was soft, fluffy and so unlike the heaviness of Jasmine rice. They even provided a packet of butter which can be added on the hot rice and it made it even smoother and creamier than you could imagine.
The other meat/rice combo we settled for was the Barg - Lamb Back Strap marinated in onion. I think we all loved this meat the most... well my wife did at least. It was also served with large portion of rice and butter.
We then settled for the Zereshk Polo - Chicken with Berberis rice. Unfortunately the chicken was sold out, but she was more happy to mix and match with the Baghali Polo and offer us lamb shank instead of the chicken. To which we politely accepted.
The berberis are berries that are rich in Vitamin C and offers a sharp acid flavour.... which was quite a shock on first bite. The basmati rice, yet again, was soft and fantastic.
For me I found the lamb shank a bit dry and bland... but I normally prefer dishes with extra kick and sauces...
We were shocked at how much rice came to the table... but we manage to polish it all off and not feel overly bloated afterwards. Such a nice change from eating Jasmine rice.
I think my wife loved it more than I did.... but in saying that we both can't wait for a revisit. A definite must try for a true authentic experience...
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