LOCATION Persian Room is located at the waterside end of Harris Street in Sydney’s Pyrmont.
DETAILSKeep going towards the watery end of Harris Street and you discover beating from the corner of Scott Street the proud heart, home and talents of Persian Room’s head chef and owner, known simply as Maryam.
The décor is ornate, intricate, open-plan yet cosy, and definitely lives up to our hostess-with-the-mostest who was overflowing with welcoming warmth.
Maryam takes a no-nonsense approach to her cooking. This is because behind each authentic, wholesome Iranian dish there's an intriguing tale that tells how the dish was created and how it has altered through time, being passed down from generation to generation. When you know the history of these passionate Persian plates, it adds further appreciation and fondness to the entire dining experience at Persian Room. With historical food this heartfelt, predictions for the future are always satisfied diners with very empty plates. Maryam takes pride in making sure of this. Apparently, this specific kind of Persian ‘soul food’ is only created in the homes of the Iranian people and you’ll struggle to find food like this, even in the restaurants across Iran.
All produce tasted fresh and is mostly hand-picked from local organic farms and growers markets. The bread is warm, gluten-free, yet so well baked you’d never notice the difference.
Whatever conception you have of the classic kebab, erase it now as Persian Room’s super kebab will take you to a far superior level. Dips were made from a unique organic white eggplant; the recipe comes from The Caspian Sea. Vines leaves were drizzled with a sweet-savoury pomegranate sauce. The magenta beetroot bowls were covered with Borani Laboo - ask Maryam! The lamb was lean, clean and fell apart softly, served with rice, split peas with another warm touch, delicious drunken plums.
The pastel saffron ice cream with rose water topped with a fun pistachio fairy floss was oh-so full of true Middle Eastern promise. All that was missing was the belly dancer offering Persian delight. However, Maryam provided enough delights to feed a small Iranian village.
Scott Winter