Randomness Guide to London - Differences between Version 4 and Version 3 of Galleria, W1G 9UA

Family-run Persian restaurant and takeaway in Marylebone, at the end of New Cavendish Street. The menu (in both English and Farsi versions) features Persian grills, sandwiches and other traditional dishes, plus Mediterranean-style salads, with daily specials chalked on a board. There's a discount for online takeaway orders.

It can get rather busy at lunchtimes so Kat and Ewan booked online for a visit in June 2014, but on arrival the room was unusually empty for 1pm, and the serving staff said we could sit where we liked. A seat by the windows seemed a better bet than the tables outside (due to both the weather and the traffic).

We shared starters of mast khiar (like a cucumber and mint raita) and mirza ghasemi (aubergine, fried eggs and tomato) with Persian flatbread. The mast khiar on its own wouldn't have been very substantial but it was a good counterpoint to the mirza ghasemi, which had a good earthy flavour (Kat enjoyed it even though she doesn't like fried eggs normally). Mains of ghalieh mahi (fish stew with herbs) and fesenjan khoresht (chicken stew with walnuts and pomegranate) both came with an enormous mountain of rice (mostly boiled, with a layer of pilaf on the top), far too much to finish. The fesenjan khoresht had an oddly unbalanced sweet/sour taste thanks to the pomegranate — Kat was glad she'd tried it but wouldn't order it again. The meal (including service and a soft drink) came to around £20 each.

Kat's verdict: A friendly, relaxed environment to try out some Iranian dishes. I'm not quite sure pomegranate is for me though, so I'd try the grills next time.

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