Little Persia

Geeta Rizki Septianti

5.0

“Little Persia...indeed.”Update 04/22/18We’re back here and we ordered take away food plus some veggie and chicken shawarmas for dine-in. It’s very good!Move over Hossein’s!Our day was planned to be spent outdoors and out of the busy city life. Our plan was diverted due to the persuasion of my husband’s very good friend. Persuasion in their culture is with coaxing and a lot of gentle subliminal messages of sort.😁 well, it worked and we ended up going to the favourite place of my husband’s friend. At first, I was hesitant to go since I am a big fan of Hossein’s (and I have reviews about it) and only Hossein’s. Mind you, I don’t get discounts or whatever from there. It’s just an honest opinion. But when we got there, I realised that the sassy little place offered more than just the name. Kebab, khoobideh, barg, mast etc. etc. etc. These are things that one can find in a Mediterranean menu. Usually, Mediterranean menus differ because it highlights a certain region or race or country like for example Turkey or Greece or Arabic. When I wasn’t too familiar with specific Mediterranean food, I call everything Arabic which I didn’t know was offensive for some and it feels like comparing my mother’s specialty cooking to another person’s mother’s cooking. What I like about the menu here is that it concentrates more on the Persian (we all know it as Iranian and I really prefer the term Iranian since for me it feels more authentic) cooking. Unlike Hossein’s where their menu is mixed and messy and they offer too many things which they don’t even specialise on (in short, when you go to Hossein’s just order kebab and nothing more.) In Little Persia, the menu is more consistent (except for the salpicao (origin may be Filipino-Spanish but the word itself is Portuguese), the mozzarella sticks, (mostly found in Italian menus), the biryanis (Indian which I love by the way), keema (Arabic), and maybe the ox brain (I have no idea where this originated) oh and shawarma is a Turkish specialty but it is found in Iran as well. Little Persia’s specialty is their Khoobideh (we all know it as kebab like from Mr. Kebab’s). I learned that they have an Iranian chef who they flew in to make their delicious khoobidehs and bargs! Can you imaginge? In this sassy little place is an Iranian chef! I’d like to exchange notes please😁. We ordered of course soltani (beef khoobideh and barg) my husband’s friends ordered chicken and beef Khoobideh, and I ordered barg (beef cubes). I know, I know...I’m supposed to be transitioning into vegetarianism then to veganism. But...how could I resist the temptation of not tasting the food in this place?!My verdict:Oh! By the way, I also ordered the mozzarella sticks (which I know is not Iranian but what the heck) they were humongous! Tasty too while it’s hot, but not for reheating.We also had yogurt with cucumber (I really really recommend everyone to eat it with the meat and rice, or use it like a sauce or “sabaw”) it looks weird but I tell you, it is a definite game changer. Also, ask for sumac, and that one you take a pinch then drizzle it on your meat. 🤤 the thought of it just makes my mouth water!We also ordered their mirzaghasemi (an eggplant dish similar to babaganoush but this one is Iranian style which is heavenly) this got wolfed down fast!Okay...the verdict...the food was A-amazing! The meats were moist and flavourful! The khoobideh (beef) was really really good! Better than Hossein’s kebab! The barg was tender and not chewy...the khoobideh was oh sooooo amazingly soft like pillows in your mouth 🤤 The rice...perfect with the tahdik (crunchy bread they put at the bottom of the pot where they cook the rice), the mirzaghasemi as I said was equally amazing! The mozzarella sticks were huge but since it’s not an Iranian specialty, I won’t dwell on it. It was good though. The serving sizes were big which is a plus factor to everybody! We always want a bang for the buck right?I just wish they will offer other authentic Iranian dishes occasionally.I am a website (as my husband calls me) but I appreciate the history of food not just the taste. Together, it creates an image in each bite I take. Iranian food has a beautiful history that should be shared. Like Filipino food and Chinese food, each dish and recipe comes from a long line of people with a very colorful background.The price: very affordable and fair to the serving sizes. A++ comparing it to Hossein’s of course it is way way better priced! Comparing the price to Behrouz’ (yes, another Iranian place) way better!To summarize, everything from price to food experience was amazing. The place is small but preppy. This is my husband’s new favorite place...And mine as long as I haven’t gone down the road of vegetarianism. Good bye Hossein’s and Hello Little Persia!Kudos to the chef and the owner! Little Persia rocks!!Go visit the place and enjoy!

Cutputrirahmi

5.0

Underrated Persian restaurant. Has the biggest servings of kebab I've experienced so far and the basmati rice is always amazing. Get on website/honestbee, I'd order you guys all the time.

Christalia Tanbunan

4.0

Dweet is my go-to place for beef kebab and yogurt shake. My favorite combo would be beef kebab with grilled tomatoes, extra butter, and yogurt shake. It's so good and comforting. Price is quite reasonable too.