Rice Dish from Iran

we've been mandi-ing ourselves with this superb yemeni dish so often that it's about time to try out something new.

so last saturday night we headed on to an iranian restaurant to try out their dish. mr. khairul had been here once and had been wanting to take me there. situated in the middle of a busy sect of bur dubai, the 'special ostadi restaurant' signage is in true blue. easy to spot.

parking can be a hassle - we parked at the musalla mall nearby but it's very expensive! however you can park for free if you purchased 100dhs worth of stuff from the mall. huh? nak beli ape kat sini? (musalla mall is like a small imbi mall - computer stuff) nways, a quick chat with the guard confirm that we can even buy a 100dhs hp top-up to get the free parking. ok, problem solved!

a bit of walking and we're there - the special ostadi restaurant. special sangat ke?

framed pictures of dubai rulers, and the second floor section

this is the family area. mr. khairul said the common area has better interior decor, showcasing a more authentic iranian feel. takpe lah. sini pun ok!

potraits of dubai rulers adorned the walls, as well as murals of ships with the uae flag. the family area was kept simple and less cluttered than the common area. there's wooden stairs up to another family area that looks down towards where we're sitting.

simple. macam kedai mamak di malaysia.

special ostadi restaurant

in its menu, names of food are listed in their language - cholo mahi, kolak barg - to name a few but has a description of what the food means. i let mr. khairul take charge as he knows what's good here!

oh, another thing about the decor in this restaurant, notice the tables? as we waited for the order to arrive, we had fun scrutinizing the bank notes from other countries...

the plate of vegetables, yoghurt mix, chicken soup and plate of spring onion

the waiter first brought a plate of vegetables - sliced cucumber, tomato and onions. also, two bowls of yoghurt mix (to be dipped into with popadom or bread). another interesting serve was this plate of daun bawang (spring onions)! tak potong-potong pun!

mr. khairul also ordered a bowl of chicken soup that tasted heavy on chicken bits and dahl. the taste is just ok for me, but any soup is fine when served hot.

paper-like bread with grilled sour chicken

for starters, we munched this bread that really felt like recycled paper to the touch. really! it's served lukewarm, much to our disappointment, but underneath the bread were chunks of super-hot grilled chicken!

now the chicken looked yummy with charcoal bits - but it tastes sour - too sour for mr. khairul that he had to dump a plomp of chilli sauce on top. i complement the sourness with the cucumber slices. helped with the taste!

yummy iranian rice!

then came the main course - the sultani rice. it doesn't look as inviting as a mandi rice with its plain white color with sprinkle of yellow-colored rice on top. the grilled meat was buried underneath the pile of rice. interestingly enough, it's served together with the mini butter, to be melted on top of the hot rice. the prospect was very inviting!

a spoonful of sultani rice and grilled meat - indescribable. the rice melted in my mouth with its incredible softness! even as i took bites after bites, i kept telling mr. khairul there were no words to describe how delicious this rice is! it's not like nasi minyak, it's not like nasi briyani, nor nasi mandi. there are no words!

korang gi lah try!

the grilled meat, however, is - if you wanna imagine - just like a really, really well made burger patty - with its rich herb and spices. excellent.


ever the tea-fan, mr. khairul had the iranian tea, similar to what he usually have in al-tawasol - in a small glass, complete with mint leaves. slurp!

all in all, when you come to the 'special ostadi restaurant', leave out the sour chicken, if it's not your cuppa tea but the sultani rice is a must-try, together with the skewer of grilled lamb. highly recommended! nampak plain tapi memang special!

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throughout the whole meal, if you noticed, kahfi refused to be left out in his snug stroller so i had to hold him or else dia membebel-bebel dalam stroller. whereas khaleef was off to slumberland, with his ben10 aliens and jack sparrow on pirate ships...