When I walked into The Old Fire Station on the High Street, I had no idea what to expect, not being well versed in Persian food myself. I was prepared for anything.
When I walked into the building, I was greeted with a beautifully lit and decorated bar area capturing the essence of Cuba. I then walked up a traditional set of small and winding fire station stairs, one of the characteristics of the station which has been retained, to great effect. This then opened up into the fire station's brand new Persian restaurant, a romantically lit room, in off white, with modern, minimalist furniture, with its own unique atmosphere to the one downstairs.The venue has been split into two totally different cultural experiences for guests to enjoy. Choosing from the menu was difficult, with so much available and not just Persian food but also traditional British dishes to serve a range of tastes.
I opted for the 'Mirza Ghazemi' starter at just £3.50, described as grilled aubergine, tomatoes, eggs and garlic served with bread. It was delicious, and moreish, the flavour was strong, but not overpowering, the perfect balance had been created by the chef. For my main course I ordered the 'Joojeh', listed as a skewer of chicken fillet kebab marinated in saffron and lemon served with saffron rice and green salad, priced at a very reasonable £9. What appeared on the table was a fragrant and beautifully presented dish, which did not let itself down when I started eating. The meat was cooked to perfection.
My friend opted for the more traditional British lamb shank with creamy mashed potato, seasonal vegetables and rosemary-red wine sauce, £11.95, which he said was the 'best lamb shank' he had tasted.
The dessert list was not a let down either, with a host of tempting options from warm apple pie to 'bastani' which is saffron, rosewater and pistachio flavoured ice cream.
The service was as exceptional as the food, and I would recommend this dining experience to everyone. The new restaurant has only been open for three weeks, but this did not show in my dining experience last Friday, which was seamless. Rod Eslamieh, who runs the restaurant, said: "Persian food is so exciting and exotic, simple, delicious food using the finest cuts of meat and preparing fresh bread made to order and above all it is quite healthy as well.
"One of the biggest reasons behind the idea was after many years of talking to people who live in the area and to those new residents the feedback we got was people are crying out for something different and exciting."