By Syma Sayyah and Paul Sanford

Tehran is a very big and extremely busy city, by any definition cosmopolitan and with great potential, and in such a place what is most missing for those who are the more well-traveled is a variety of good restaurants. We were delighted to learn that a new restaurant was opening and we went there on its opening night last week.

The restaurant is in a great location, on the corner of Kamranieh Street and Farmanieh Street in the north of Tehran, on the first floor of the Koohenoor shopping centre building.  It is a charming restaurant, exquisitely decorated.  The chairs are most comfortable and there is a variety of seating arrangements.  The staff were attentive, polite and friendly.

There is a mezzanine floor upstairs which we thought would be fantastic for birthday parties or small business events.  Touch is a new venture by three great guys Human Karimi, Makan Meshkati and Dr Hamid Ehtesham, who are also behind the Lounge restaurant and the Food Connection.

We were very impressed with the lovely cocktail drinks that they served, and as they had taken the trouble to serve them in cocktail glasses somehow it felt like the real thing. The food, as we expected, was excellent.  First we were served a lovely tomato and basil soup, followed by a wonderfully tasty salad course, with fresh vegetables wrapped in rice paper.  This was followed by a main choice of either fish with tamarind and ginger, served with wild rice, or a deliciously tasty marinated steak - we ordered one of each and shared (as always).  They were both well presented and excellently cooked - the fish was most divine.

The last course, of watermelon baby cuts, cherries and apricots, served with a chocolate sauce, was most welcomed by our young nephews who were there with their mum Tina, herself the queen of cakes and desserts in Tehran.

We found the opening well organized except that some of the invited guests did not turn up on time or at all. The restaurant is decorated wonderfully yet due to space there are no toilets there and the public ones two floors down are just not acceptable for such a chic restaurant.  We hope the managers will find a solution soon.

We learnt that from next week us that they will be serving breakfast with three options and next month they will start serving brunches on Thursdays and Fridays.  I am sure that it will be prove to be very popular and successful.

Touch: 12 Koohenoor Shopping Center, Kamranieh Avenue, Tehran.

021 22832258,  021 22832268

Lounge Restaurant:  http://www.payvand.com/news/07/jun/1195.html

... Payvand News - 06/05/08 ... --