Persia

The 2012 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).

This review is taken from the current (2012) edition.

A wonderful wave of exotic scents hit you as you enter Persia, and the menu certainly offers a unique taste of the Orient. Start with the baba ghannouj, perfect in its consistency with just the right amount of garlic to give it a kick, or sample the equally delicious ‘kash k-o bademjan’ – mixed aubergine, mint and sautéed onions with yoghurt and fried onion. The choice of mains is impressively varied, ranging from grills to stews and seafood cooked with a Persian twist, including pomegranate shrimps. The ‘khoresht-e-bamieh’ stew, made with diced lamb in tomato sauce and okra served with saffron rice is nice but slightly bland. To finish the baghlava is, despite being drenched in honey, a bit dry. However, the Persian ice-cream made with saffron, rosewater and pistachio is a real eye-opener, and something your taste buds will either love or detest. This is perhaps not the best venue for a romantic meal as the windows reaching from floor to ceiling leave you feeling very on display to those walking by on Great Western Road, but the ambience is nevertheless warm and welcoming.

• High point: Enormous nan bread with the starters
• Low point: Long wait for the dessert menu