Restaurants

London’s numerous Iranian restaurants seem divided between those attempting to evoke the opulence of ancient Persia and those content to emulate the warm familiarity of bustling Tehran kebab houses. Faanoos is among the latter – its clay walls matted with straw and embellished with occasional sepia prints of pre-revolutionary Iran, its staff on first-name terms with justifiably dedicated locals – but the food is cosmopolitan enough to rival pricier Kensington establishments. A combination starter plate was uniformly excellent, mixing some smoky kashk-e bademjan (mashed aubergine with garlic and whey), zingy masto musir (shallot yoghurt), salad olivieh (shredded chicken salad) and torsh, a Persian pickle packed with chunky vegetables. Mains were similarly satisfying: a tender chicken kebab was yellowed from a long marination in saffron, lemon and onion, while a stew of ghorm-e sabzi (lamb with dried limes, kidney beans and bitter greens) was heavy on the meat and hearty of portion; both were served with mountains of perfectly fluffy, saffron-tinted rice. Plan to save room for a rare Persian dessert; both the faloodeh (frozen rice noodles in rosewater) and bastani (traditional ice-cream) are seldom seen in London.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009