The Menu

How we cook

One charcoal grill, lit at three in the afternoon, seven days a week. Lamb and beef are trimmed and skewered by hand in the morning. Chicken sits overnight in saffron, onion and lemon. Nothing goes on the grill that was frozen.

Bread, yogurt and herbs arrive or are made fresh daily. The rice is steamed in the afternoon so the tahdig comes out of the pot near dinner service — when it's gone for the evening, it's gone. Stews are started in the morning and cook slowly until they're ready; we don't rush them and we don't reheat yesterday's.

Ask us about substitutions. Rice for salad, grilled vegetables instead of meat, sauce on the side, less salt, no butter on the rice — none of it is a problem, and none of it costs extra unless the swap involves a more expensive protein. Just tell your server when you order.

Dinner

Tue–Sun, 5:00–10:00 pm

Weekend brunch

Sat & Sun, 9:30 am–1:30 pm

Closed

Mondays

Prices

In Canadian dollars, before tax

Charcoal kababs and rice plates

Every kabab comes with saffron basmati, a grilled tomato and butter on the side. Say the word and we'll swap the rice for Shirazi salad or grilled vegetables at no charge. Tahdig is $7 extra while it lasts.

• Koobideh — $24

  Two skewers of hand-minced beef and lamb with grated onion. Charcoal only, turned by hand. The plate we've made longest.

• Joojeh Kabab — $25

  Chicken thigh marinated overnight in saffron, onion and lemon. Ask for breast if you prefer it leaner.

• Barg — $31

  Beef tenderloin, flattened thin, seasoned simply and grilled fast. Best ordered medium.

• Shishlik — $36

  Four lamb chops, frenched, with saffron and lemon. Our Friday and Saturday favourite — we cut a limited number each day.

• Soltani — $38

  One skewer of barg and one of koobideh on the same plate. For anyone who can't choose.

• Chenjeh — $29

  Cubed lamb sirloin, marinated in yogurt and onion, grilled with peppers.

• Vegetable Kabab — $21

  Eggplant, zucchini, mushroom, peppers and onion over saffron rice with sumac and lime. Vegan as served.

• Baghali Polo ba Mahicheh — $34

  Lamb shank braised until it falls apart, with dill and fava bean rice. Limited each evening.

• Zereshk Polo ba Morgh — $26

  Saffron chicken leg with barberry rice — sweet, sour and bright. A birthday plate in most Persian homes.

• Extra Skewer — $12

  Add a second koobideh or joojeh to any plate. Good for sharing with a child.

Weekend brunch

Saturday and Sunday only, 9:30 am to 1:30 pm. Last order at 1:15. The grill stays cold until evening, so kababs aren't available at brunch — everything here comes from the stovetop and the oven. Walk-ins are welcome, though tables for six or more should book.

• Nan-o Panir-o Sabzi — $14

  The Persian breakfast plate: warm barbari, feta, walnuts, fresh herbs, cucumber, tomato and honey. Vegetarian; contains walnuts.

• Adasi — $13

  Lentils simmered with cumin and turmeric until creamy, with bread and lime. Vegan. The dish our staff eats before service.

• Haleem — $15

  Wheat and shredded turkey cooked overnight to a smooth porridge, served with cinnamon, sugar and melted butter. Sunday only.

• Omelet-e Gojeh — $14

  Eggs scrambled slowly into tomato and turmeric, eaten with bread. Add feta for $3.

• Kaleh Joosh — $13

  Warm whey soup with walnut, mint and caramelised onion, poured over torn bread. Contains walnuts and dairy.

• Saffron French Toast — $16

  Thick barbari soaked in saffron custard, griddled, with rosewater cream and pistachio. Contains pistachio.

• Brunch Plate for Two — $34

  Nan-o panir, one omelet, one adasi, a pot of tea and dates. Enough for two hungry people or three grazers.

• Children's Brunch — $9

  Soft-boiled egg, buttered bread, cucumber, feta and a small glass of doogh or juice. Ages ten and under.

Dietary notes and allergens

We cook in one kitchen with one grill, so we'll always be straight with you about what we can and can't guarantee.

Vegetarian and vegan

Salad Shirazi, adasi, sekanjabin, faloodeh and sholeh zard are vegan as written. The vegetable kabab, adas polo and the mushroom ghormeh sabzi are vegan when we hold the butter and yogurt — tell your server and we'll plate them that way. Our saffron rice is finished with butter by default; we steam a portion without it every service for vegan guests, and if we've run out we'll say so rather than guess.

Gluten

Rice plates, kababs, most stews, Shirazi salad and faloodeh contain no gluten ingredients. Barbari bread, ash-e reshteh, haleem and baghlava do. We fry in dedicated oil, but bread is torn and handled throughout the kitchen, so we can't promise a coeliac-safe environment. If gluten is a medical issue, please tell us when you book and we'll talk it through honestly.

Nuts

Walnuts, pistachios and almonds are used daily and openly across the menu — in fesenjan, mast-o khiar, sabzi khordan, kaleh joosh, bastani and every dessert but faloodeh. Ground walnut is in the air of our prep area. If someone at your table has a severe nut allergy, call us before you come so we can plan the evening properly, including where we seat you.

Dairy, eggs and halal

Yogurt, feta and whey appear in many starters. Eggs are in the brunch dishes and mirza ghasemi. All our beef, lamb and chicken are halal, sourced from a supplier in Burnaby we've used since 2011. No pork is cooked in this kitchen and we don't cook with alcohol.

Telling us about an allergy

The best time is when you book — there's a notes field on the reservation form, and it comes straight to the pass. Second best is when you sit down, before you order. Either way, tell us the allergy and how serious it is, and we'll tell you exactly what we can make. We'd rather steer you to a different dish than hand you a plate we're unsure about.

My daughter can't have nuts. They called me back the same afternoon, went through the menu line by line, and on the night the chef came out to say which pan he'd cooked her rice in. We've been back nine times.

Rana D., Lynn Valley