Persian Jewel

Artin Restaurant Artin is an Iranian name meaning Righteous and was the name of an ancient Persian king of the region of Medes from where, tradition says the wise men or Magi came to visit the infant Jesus. The chef is called Mohammad but he named this newly opened restaurant after his son, Artin. This conveys the chef's devotion to his work. He prepares the meals in his restaurant with the same devotion as he shows to his son. Some of the wisdom of the Magi shines forth from the menu of this restaurant wherein Mohammad has created a little island of ancient Persia. The decor is dramatically Persian: red and blue walls make a strong contrast relieved by subtle examples of the classical Iranian art, pictures, figures relieved by lush greenery. The tables and chairs are stylish and comfortable to sit to. And now we come to the menus: simple yet varied. As the restaurant's publicity material says, “Persian recipes have matured over the centuries to bring the taste out of the fresh ingredients used to prepare the unique Persian food, and following this tradition, Artin only uses the finest fresh ingredients to prepare its dishes." To begin with, you can enjoy one of over a dozen starters such as Kashke Bademjan, in which aubergine is mashed together with kashke, a strong tasting whey of Iranian cheese and blended with herbs, spices, mint and onions to make a pleasing alternative to pate, eaten with the more refined, Persian form of nan bread. For a main course, one of my favourites is Sabzi Polo Mahi, pan fried trout beautifully seasoned and served with rice though this is only available on Thursday. This is a peculiarity of this restaurant in that a few of the dishes are only served on certain days. Mahicheh, for example is only served on Friday and Saturday. Another of my favourites, it is a delicious lamb shank served with Basmati rice mixed with broad beans and herbs. As touched on above, the herbs used in these recipes are fresh from the garden and everything is specially prepared using traditional methods. For those not so adventurous, the restaurant serves a delicious variety of the more familiar kebabs. Choose from then dozen on the menu or share the house special mix of koobideh, barg, chenjah and jojeh kebabs all roasted on skewers and brought to your table with portions of rice for a buffet to remember and relish.

Zoe Butler - 15/05/2012 | report this review