Melbourne’s blessed with a surfeit of excellent Persian restaurants, but the fact people trip over themselves to recommend Maryam speaks volumes. Fork-tender koobideh, the king of kebabs, eats as softly as the butter you just deployed over your rice.
Tachin, Iran’s baked saffron rice masterpiece, looks too pretty to eat, its gilt crust festooned with barberries and pistachios. Then there’s the herbal glory of ghormeh sabzi, a rich lamb stew that pings with dried lime, a talisman of Persian cooking. Everything comes on ornate steel plates, but the real gem is the homemade ayran: a savoury yoghurt drink that could quickly inspire a habit.
Iranian food is thrilling by default, but Maryam is the kind of place where you go when it’s time to celebrate. And, even if it’s a quick catch-up lunch, you’ll probably eat more than you intended to and take some home.
Must-order: Koobideh, ghormeh sabzi, tachin, ayran.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
