Tags: Food Establishments, Food Preparation
By KC Santos
PASIG CITY, METRO MANILA- I am not really a big fan of minty, herby, and mushy food but the raves and praises this Persian restaurant has been getting gave me enough reasons to give it a go.
Arya Persian Restaurant is located at The Podium in Ortigas. This branch is just one of the few mall branches in the city. It stands out based on the entire ambiance of the place, which depicts nobility and simplicity.
True to my impression, “arya” in Sanskrit means “noble”, which was exactly how the traditional Iranian tunes subtly playing in the background make incoming guests feel.
Arya Persian Restaurant is a family-owned business, which is why guests would often spot a Persian gentleman named Shin overseeing operations. His wife, meanwhile, hand takes care of the goings-on in the kitchen.
The menu is a combination of Persian, Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean food. This diversity is something I found easy to relate with as Filipinos also share the same fondness for diversity with our local food.
Since it’s the season of Ramadhan, we were offered dates for starters. Dates are prune-like fruits that Muslims traditionally eat first before any other meal during the “iftar”, or the evening meal that signifies a temporary break from fasting.
With no time to waste, I dug into the appetizer plate of hummus (chickpeas and tahini paste), pita, sambuseh (flaky triangle bread filled with mashed potato, coriander leaves and cheese) and chopped cucumber. They only serve this combination by request.
The hummus was very light yet perfectly textured. The grainy texture was important since the pita bread was pretty regular. The sambuseh is similar to empanada, only healthier and crispier. The minty diced cucumber got rid of the after taste of the appetizer which wasn’t awful but wasn’t very pleasant either.
It was refreshing to be familiar with the main course so I ordered the Beef Koobideh (376 pesos) which was just as fun to eat as saying the name of the dish. It was perfectly chunky and buttery crisp in the outside but was juicy and really flavorful when eaten with the basmati rice.
I was too full for dessert and decided not to have any. But the excellent service and the equally sophisticated food presentations merits a second visit to this unique Persian restaurant.
Get more information about Arya Persian Restaurant
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