Paradise
- Food served: Mon–Sun 12pm—10.30pm
- Also offers: Vegetarian options (at least ¼ main courses)
- Music on stereo: Traditional Iranian music
- Open since: 2008
Send us more details about this place.
The 2011/12 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).
Styled to look like a souk – complete with ornate water feature – entering Paradise is like stepping on to a film set, or indeed into another world. It’s a bit over the top, but oddly charming too. Starters include melt-in-the-mouth dolmeh (spiced rice wrapped tightly in vine leaves), a variety of simple but freshly made salads – particularly addictive was the paneer sabzi, a feta cheese and walnut concoction, and mirza ghasemi – a rich, melting aubergine casserole that is an extremely popular dish in Iran. The main courses are just as good (Iranians are famed for their rice and Paradise does not disappoint) but for some reason the restaurant has chosen to serve six of its special dishes on separate days of the week, which narrows the menu – and the chances of your favourite dish being served – considerably. Dishes include khoresht baamieh, a traditional Middle Eastern meal of diced lamb. okra and peppers in a rich spicy tomato sauce and khoresht bademjan - fried aubergine and lamb with whole dried limes. In keeping with the Persian culture Paradise doesn’t serve alcohol, but a glass of doogh (watered down yoghurt) or fresh fruit juice should compliment your food wonderfully.
- High point: Delicious traditional meals
- Low point: Restrictions on menu depending on the day
Reviews of Paradise (411-413 Great Western Rd, Glasgow)
- 2. JT82, Glasgow – 29 March 2010, 4:10pm
ParadiseReport -
The decor of the restaurant is certainly eye-catching, with multitudes of objects to puzzle over should there be a lull in your dinner conversation. Watch out for the scary plastic dolls though...
Despite the restaurant having contacted us on the evening of our booking to push the reservation time back by 40 minutes most of our party were left standing awkwardly as the second of our two tables was cleared. Given that it was a Saturday night it was understandably busy; however, no apologies were made for the fact that we were left to loiter uncomfortably.
The restaurant itself doesn't serve alcohol but operates a BYOB service. The corkage of £5 per bottle of wine (and a reputed £2 per bottle of beer) seems steep, and resulted in a tidy profit for the restaurant as our party had 5 bottles (one of which wasn't going to be opened but was being charged for anyway).
Once we were all seated we were given little time to read through the menu before the waitress came back to take our order. This is in contrast with the slow service that followed thereafter, with an almost half hour wait for a pot of tea. Service throughout was neutral at best, and I didn't notice the waiting staff smile once.
Given that I don't eat red meat and wasn't in the mood for chicken I opted for the vegetarian version of the stew khoresht bamieh. I note that a wide variety of dishes can be cooked vegetarian which is refreshing in a meat-based restaurant. It was tasty and the portion size was reasonable but the dish was sadly unremarkable. Others complimented the lamb and chicken skewers; however, one friend commented that the sauce her chicken was in was just like the sauce in a tin of Heinz ravioli. We decided to try the doogh which was interesting... I'd recommend people try it though you should prepare yourself for an unusual taste experience!
Ordering doogh alongside wine and a jug of water for the table highlighted a problem. The restaurant doesn't appear to have sufficient glasses! Despite us having three drinks each most people were given two glasses only, and some only one. We asked for further glasses but they never appeared.
The restaurant provides interesting surroundings in which to dine; however, the service lets everything else down. I wouldn't rush back to Paradise for a meal as there are many far superior restaurants across Glasgow.
To post a review you'll first need to log in: Forgotten your password?
Not registered? Sign up – it only takes a minute.
RSS feed of these reviews
