12.01.08: Out to Fanoos

Interesting culinary adventure just a few miles away: the small but well-formed Fanoos. We sat right by the bread man and his tiled barrel of a clay oven...
He rolled out the dough with sesame seeds, draping each thin disc over a little mound wrapped in a tea-towel. Then he slapped the discs against the inside walls of the oven. They take mere seconds to bake before he pulls them out again with the tongs...
We had two. They're like a cross between a naan and a chaptati. And they go especially well with the Kashk o Bademjan starter, a puree of aubergines, onion and yoghurt (it's much yummier than it sounds).

HE SAYS: Fanoos was faboos! The Khoresh Gheimeh, a sort of lamb stew in a tomato broth with yellow split peas and, oddly, shoestring fried potatoes floating in it, didn't look very promising, but was very tasty and quite light. With the saffron rice and some of the bread, it made for a fulfilling, cheap nite out. The atmosphere was nicely buzzy, and intimate too.

SHE SAYS: My Koresh Ghormeh Sabzi, another thin lamb stew, was nearly too sour from all the lime juice, but the whole dried lime accompanying it was intensely delishy and almost sweet. Hot mint tea poured from a small pot into delicate glasses lifted the flavour of everything. I think the Kashk was the best bit, but the portion was rather small. I'd come back and try a joojeh kebab plate.