I came to Apadana for a friend's birthday and was my first experience of Iranian food of which I was pleasantly surprised.
Firstly, the table was booked for 16 people which was split up into two rows of 8. The birthday girl was not happy and in Persian, she asked them to put the tables all together in a square which they happily did.
As we were waiting for people to arrive, we ordered some bread and dips. The bread was cooked freshly in front of us in a tandoor type oven which was ready within minutes. The dips consisted of houmous, Mast o Khiar which was a thick yogurt with fresh dried mint and diced cucumbers and Mast o Musir which was a creamy thick yogurt dip made with shallots and wild garlic. All of the dips were delicious with the bread, my favourite probably being the Mast o Musir.
For mains I opted for Joojeh & Koobideh which was grilled chicken and a grilled lamb kebab which had the option to be served with saffron rice, salad or bread. I opted for rice to be served with mine. My partner opted for Makhsous which is a chargrilled skewer of tender lamb fillet and skewer minced lamb served with grilled tomato and saffron rice which came with salad. Both were really tasty and full of flavour, with the meat being juicy and tender. I loved the saffron rice and salad as well, the whole meal went really well together. It also felt somewhat healthy, and although I was full up, I didn't feel fit to burst after!
An added bonus was actually being able to see them cook the meat on the grill through a little window into the kitchen which was nice! Overall the service was very accommodating, especially as the restaurant was so small! They didn't have a drinks menu, and when we asked them what they had, the selection was limited. Still got a glass of wine though which was good! read more