Amira Arasteh

Persian cuisine is one of the oldest in the world, but it was the Iranian revolution in 1979 that led to the migration of many natives across the world. London was a base many chose, creating one of the largest Iranian diasporas globally. Persian migrants brought with them fragrant and flavoursome dishes, full of barberries, pistachios and saffron. One of the first Persian restaurants in the UK was The Omarr Khayyan, which opened on Cannon Street in 1961. But what is Persian food exactly? Predominantly divided into kebabs (there is nothing as important to Iranian culture as chelokebab) and khoreshts (the various stews), Persian food is either lamb or chicken based. But Persian stews can be adjusted to be meat-free in multiple ways, with the most popular versions swapping lamb for aubergine (in ‘gheymeh’, a lamb and split pea stew) or removing it completely from ghormeh sabzi, which is sometimes known as the national dish and includes a wealth of greens, herbs, and kidney beans. Khoresht bamieh is naturally vegetarian, with okra the star of the show. A quick tangent on hummus. Hummus is great. Hummus is delicious. But hummus is (sadly) not Persian. Both chickpeas and sesame seeds are used a lot in Iranian cooking, but hummus is a dish Persians cannot claim as their own. The reason it’s on a lot of Iranian menus in London is because it’s a crowd pleaser and sits harmoniously with the cuisine’s other dishes, but if you’re looking to narrow down your favourite Iranian food, hummu

Named after a suburb in northern Tehran known for its culinary heritage, at Naroon you’ll find stylised small plate starters as well as traditional favourites. The kashke bademjan is super satisfying and smoky, and there’s also a half size take on tahchin and kuku sabzi (a herb omelette) is cooked perfectly. The ‘shishlik’ (lamb chops) at Naroon are an absolute must-order, with both the ghormeh sabzi and fesenjān stealing the show when it comes to the stews. Drinks-wise, opt for a rosewater martini, saffron G&T or Bloody Maryam – classic cocktails given a twist with classic Persian ingredients. Naroon also serves breakfast and brunch, with vegetarian nargesi (baked eggs with spinach) and khagineh (a sweet Persian omelette with sugar, pistachio, cardamom and rose) on the menu.

Considering most Persian restaurants are based in north west or west London, it’s refreshing to find out located south of the river. You'll find Kish Mish at the start of Crystal Palace Parade – keep your eyes peeled as you might almost miss it, thanks to a narrow entrance that leads you downstairs. A sizable flatbread scooped up lashings of mast moosir with complete ease, while the salad olivieh is pretty good, too. The loobieh polo featured tender chunks of lamb, complimented nicely by the leftover yoghurt, and the kebabs didn’t let the side down either. Taking a leaf out of Bob Bob Ricard’s book, buttons grace every table and you can ‘press for champagne’ (or anything else) to be delivered to your table seamlessly.

A West Ealing hotspot, Molana is massive, with a vast number of tables – ideal if you're looking for a quiet lunch where you won’t feel like you’re on top of other patrons and also great if you like a bit of a buzz, as the dinner rush is electric. It’s great to see the original take on the classic barley soup that is soup-e jo still being served (many restaurants now serve the equally tasty milky version), while the freshly baked bread is great washed down with a glass of doog. Though they offer a slightly smaller kebab than other chelokebab eateries, the quality is still up there – and if you're looking for ghormeh sabzi that’s as good as your mum makes, this is a good place to start.

Almas’ bright and sparkling decor is fitting, considering the restaurant's name means ‘diamond’. Nestled in the heart of St John's Wood, you’ll find all the Persian classics here. Starters wise, opt for the salad shirazi (a mixture of cucumber, tomato, onion and dried mint with a squeeze of lemon juice) on a warm day, while the failsafe ash-e reshteh soup is a dependable choice if you're searching for some soothing comfort food. The jujeh kebab on the bone was particularly flavoursome, while Almas is one of the few spots where you can enjoy a whole grilled fish (not just the fillet). If you're trying doog, just get a pitcher for the table to share – the ambience is so nice, you'll want to stay for hours.

After a brief stint on Haverstock Hill, Tandis is back to its original digs in Finchley Road. Despite changing ownership over the years, this Persian restaurant has retained its chef, ensuring the same excellent food makes its way to diners’ plates. Starter favourites include the tahdig (crispy rice) topped with ghormeh sabzi (although guests can choose for the lamb or aubergine gheymeh, too). Mains-wise, the kebab dishes never fail, with the barg (lamb fillte) at Tandis being some of the best in London, as well as a delicious zereshk polo (rice with barberries and chicken) and baghali polo (herb rice with broad beans and lamb shank). What's important to note about Tandis is the quality of its meat, as well as the quality of cooking; every kebab is incredibly tender while the lamb shanks and braised chicken fall off the bone at just a touch. The soup-e jo (a barley soup that can be either milk or tomato based) has an added depth to it, too. The interiors are modern, with colourful artwork on the walls, and the restaurant is spacious enough to fully indulge yourself in a huge Persian feast.  

…according to John Li, 34. Some of London’s best street eats are made by amateurs ‘I’m not a chef. I was working in a bank and just wanted a weekend hobby. In fact, I had no experience making dumplings – it was just that no one was selling them at London’s food markets, so I started Dumpling Shack. It’s not just me who turned around to do this: Mandy from Sambal Shiok used to be a lawyer and now makes the best laksa around.’ Slinging dumplings takes a thick skin ‘This is a passion project. It has to be, as I’m here seven days a week.  You’re not going to please everyone, and you do get people who don’t love the food. I used to ignore bad reviews – I’m pretty sensitive about that stuff. But it’s a business and you have to take the rough with the smooth. Besides, seeing people love your food is incredible.’ Rain is a trader’s worst enemy ‘We make the dumplings fresh, so we have to make everything on the spot and then clear down at the end of the day. If it’s a rainy day, you still have to be there all day. And with street food, when it rains, people disappear and you have to throw a lot of stock away. It’s heartbreaking.’ Londoners are incredibly fickle ‘One minute people want cronuts; the next, it’s all about the freakshake! Trends come and go, and that did scare me about opening seven days a week at Spitalfields: I wasn’t sure if we were just a weekend hype thing. We just have to keep believing that we’ve gone past the trend phase. You need to create something that people thi

…according to Tauland Babi, 33. If you can’t stand the heat… don’t worry, you’ll get used to it ‘As kitchen porters, we work in a small space with a few dishwashers on all the time. It gets quite warm in there, and it was a shock at first, but when you’re working full-time it becomes familiar. At least we’re not running about like the servers! ’ London diners don’t seem fussed about food waste ‘Being in the pot wash, you see all the waiters bringing down guests’ plates with leftover food. All the waste is separated and recycled here,  which is good, but it’s shocking to see what people can’t eat because they’ve over-ordered or got too full too quickly.’ London restaurant kitchens are a microcosm of the multicultural city ‘Before working here at Sticks’n’Sushi, I wouldn’t have known how to approach certain cultures. But I now understand how to communicate with people based on where they’re from, because there are so many cultures and nationalities here. Working in a sushi restaurant, we have to learn a bit of Japanese on the side too.’ Loads of people can’t use chopsticks ‘We have alternative cutlery for people who aren’t good at using chopsticks, but it is funny to see how many guests need to use it throughout the shift. I always find out, because waiters regularly come down to see if I can wash up some more cutlery quickly for a guest!’ Waiters do whatever it takes to keep going through long shifts ‘There’s one member of staff who comes down to the pot wash and sings Italian