Have a meal worthy of Scheherazade

Persian for queen or for that matter a king when you feast on an elaborate meal at The Persian Terrace

Pleasant weather has always been the mainstay of Namma Oru Bengaluru. As a result, the city has witnessed a mushrooming of open air cafes and restaurants over the years. Making the most of this situation, Sheraton Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway has created the perfect foil for delicately flavoured Persian food by coupling it with a romantic open air ambience complete with laid back lounge chairs, cabana style sofas and colourful Moroccan glass lamps in the form of The Persian Terrace.u00a0

The persian
Terrace
Food: excellent
Service: attentive
Ambience: romantic


Mezze Platteru00a0u00a0 Pics/Satish Badiger

The Persian Terrace, a restaurant that offers authentic Middle-Eastern cuisine is set up under a starry sky and is open only for dinner. With an infinity pool glimmering away at the end of the terrace and fragrant frangipani trees swaying in the breeze, this was a perfect setting for experiencing a complete feast, much like royalty.u00a0 The restaurant comes with a live barbeque counter too but unfortunately, the counter and sofas were not in operation the day we visited, thanks to the incessant rains and we settled on comfortable wooden chairs under a shade.u00a0

With so many tongue twisting names on the menu, we decided to seek the chef's advice and we don't regret it. Chef Amit Gera's first offering of pita bread with typical Middle Eastern dips like Burani Spinach (Rs 255), Hummus (Rs 225), Baba Ganoush (Rs 225) and Keshk e Bedanjan (Rs 215) kick started our experience. The Pita crisps served with the dips went well with the creamy and lemony roasted aubergine dip Baba Ganoush, while the Burani Spinach topped with caramelised onions had a garlicky aftertaste. The Hummus and the Keshk e Bedanjan, also another aubergine dip were standard accompaniments to the crisp pita.u00a0

But the highlight of our entrees was the Ash e Sabsi, a traditional, thick Persian soup made out ofu00a0 green moong, spinach, parsley, coriander and topped with noodles. The soup was broth-like and had a creamy aftertaste thanks to it probably being slow cooked for a long time.u00a0

We also tried an assortment of grilled fish, lamb, beef and prawns basted with Middle Eastern spices and melted butter. All these meats and seafood traditionally had, are served with buttered basmati rice and grilled vegetables. The Jojeh Kabob e Ostokhan (Rs 655), chunks of charred chicken grilled and served on a bed of buttered fragrant rice and vegetables melted in our mouths. The chicken was juicy and buttery and went into our mouths at top speed.

By now we were warming up to the main courses which the chef promised would comprise meaty stews and flavoured rice. Brought to our table in an interesting compartmentalised tray and carried by a handle, were a couple of stews like Khoresth Mago (Rs 655), a prawn stew complete with onions, capsicum and tomatoes infused with tamarind juices and Kheeme Bedanjan (available on request), a chicken dish with chana dal and dried lemon or loomi.

A burberry (specially brought down from Iran) and saffron flavoured rice, Baghali Polo (Rs 655) and Zereshk Polo (Rs 655) basmati rice flavoured with dill and ground lima beans were the accompaniments. While the prawn stew tasted mild and tangy and went well with the dill flavoured rice, the Kheeme Bedanjan, a chicken curry cooked with boiled chana dal and flavoured with dry and blackened lemon was the highpoint of this elaborate meal. The nearly bitter lemon (yes we did bite into it) had lent a beautiful sour and tangy flavour to the curry which could be had on its own and left a slightly bitter aftertaste in our mouths.

Persian desserts are a different story altogether. Like their fairy tales, the desserts are also many layered and richu00a0 with several complex flavours. While the chilled Sholleh Zard (Rs 355) much like our kheer comes with a hint of saffron and nuts and tinge of rosewater aftertaste, the Arabic sweet treat Om Ali (Rs 255) is a many layered affair with puff pastry layered with warm saffron flavoured custard, nuts, raisins, coconut and topped with thickened sweetened milk. The Sholleh Zard cooled our souls with its mild flavours, the Om Ali was rich, creamy and hot and probably packed in enough calories for an entire meal.

Though Persian food is easy on the palate, we would urge you to get a recommendation from the chef when you visit, in case you cannot get through the Persian tongue twisters of names that you will find all over the menu.u00a0

Where: Sheraton Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway 26/1 Dr Rajkumar Road, Rajajinagar
Call: 42521000
Meal for two: Rs 2,500