By Syma Sayyah, Tehran
Once in a while one comes across an
experience that although not great certainly is interesting. I have been trying to find out regional
restaurants in
Last week a couple of my cousins and
myself went to try it out. It is
called Khoshbin and they only serve Shomali (northern) food. The place is now run by the two sons of
the late Mr Khoshbin and I am sure it has seen better times. The menu is quite varied and prices are
not as high as some places in north
The restaurant seems well known to
many and, believe you me, it is a very busy place - the table next to us changed
customers three times in the one hour and the second time we went there a few
days ago, we had to wait a long time to be seated. I noticed that their take away business
is also flourishing. What impressed
me most were the very cool head waiter and the charming
chef.
I am sure you can see that the
ambiance is not too much to write about except that it has not changed much for
many years. As for the quality and
taste, well that is another story. I am lucky to have several in-laws and
friends who come from the North so I have been spoiled with great home-made
Rashti and Shomali cooking; therefore it takes a lot to satisfy my
trained taste. Let's just say for
value for money it was good.
I found their Kebab Toursh
(sour kebab) good and their Zeytoun Parvardeh (marinated olives in
pomegranate juice with crushed walnut and herbs) absolutely
exquisite.
Their Baaghali Ghatough (a
stew made from special broad beans and dill), and Mirza Ghassmi (a
mixture of egg plant, tomatoes, onion and eggs) was
acceptable.
What made it such a great treat for
me were the people who came there to eat.
Mostly men, they had such interesting faces and body language that I had
a hard time not staring. When I go to such places, real-life spots, then I can
see some of the answers to my many questions about
I recommend the experience for sure
and hope that the sons (who did not want to be photographed) become more proud
of what they do to keep the memory of their father alive. I have a few photos for you to share my
experiences there and give you a taste of the place.
Khosbin Restaurant,