What had been planned as dinner for two at Dish Dash in Chelsea turned into a meal for four and quite fortunately, as the best way to enjoy the Persian food experience, as it turned out, is to share with friends. Charming host and owner Rob Holland happily accommodated our amended booking as a Tuesday night on a summer in Chelsea is notoriously quiet, apparently: Dish, Dash is a restaurant popular with locals and everyone has decamped to their homes on the continent for the season.
Being four made the ‘Royal Banquet’ – "a feast of sharing foods" – the natural choice for dinner and also eliminated the need for those uninitiated in The Persian Way, to make a decision on many dishes that were unfamiliar, such as kookoo (Persian omelette) and khoresht ghormesabzi (lamb stew with herbs and kidney beans).
First up was the Cold Mazza – a selection of dips accompanied by two types of Persian flatbread. The humous was smooth and not overly garlicky and the maast o khiyar (yoghurt with spring onion, cucumber and sultana), a light balance of sweet and savoury. The delicious aubergine, tomato and lentil mirza was a surprise hit with our life-long hater of aubergines.
As is traditional, the cold mazza was followed, inevitably, by the hot mazza – although, less traditionally, this was washed down with vodka cocktails, an excellent Alsace (Cave de Turchheim ‘Sables & Galets Pinot Gris 2004) and a smooth Pasquiers shiraz-viogner.
Of the hot appetisers, the kookoo – with a hint of lemon from the ground sumac – and the esfenaj (pan friend spinach with chick peas, garlic and onions) were polished off, along with the cottlet (croquet of minced lamb), which, though deep fried, was light and nicely textured and was lauded "the best so far".
The final course comprised the kebabs and khoresht stews. We tried the halloumi kebabs with grilled vegetables and the koobideh kebab of ground lamb, paprika and cinnamon. Though nicely flavoured and, as Holland explained, made with healthy 80 per cent meat, a slightly fattier, less virtuous kebab might have been tastier. The deliciously moreish khoresht ghormesabzi and stew of bell peppers, green bean and tomato were served with spicy fried potatoes and the house special "jewelled" rice – basmati flavoured with saffron and honey – which was light and subtly sweet. The dessert platter was a simple array of nuts, dried fruits, yoghurt and baklawa.
Our Arabian night ended late with a cherry and rose hookah pipe on our terrace table. And if it hadn’t been for the two traffic wardens outside ruining the evening of some poor unsuspecting diner, we might have even forgotten we were in London.
Royal Banquet £17.50 per person, plus drinks.
Dish Dash, 9 Park Walk SW10 (020 7352 1330; www.dish-dash.com)