Persian grub

We have now paid two visits to the new Persian restaurant in South Street, the fourth member of a family also to be found at Marylebone, Chelsea and Wimbledon. And reference 1.

Lunchtime on the first occasion, starting at the nearby Marquis, with a pint of something straightforward and a half pint of something complicated involving concentrate of elderflower. House near empty inside at around 13:00. Beer fine though.

Moved onto Diba to find that Lebanese red was off, but we could do something from Spain instead. 'Don Jacobo, Rioja, Crianza, 2018'. From the people at reference 8 and complete, on this occasion, with Persian flavoured glasses. I think we were told that the head was that of a famous Persian king of a couple of hundred years ago or so.

They had a bread oven, not unlike the one in West Croydon, noticed at reference 4, which I had thought Kurdish. Rather bigger though and gas fired. I was told that if one was quick one could do several breads at once. Also that they sometimes left the dough to rise overnight - so a good deal longer than I leave my bread dough for its first rise, which if left that long would probably rise, fall and then maybe rise again when the yeast got into its second cycle. I have not tried.

I started with some lentils which proved to be green and very good, with a generous portion. We were told that every Persian chef had his own secret recipe for green lentils - rather in the way that Indian chefs - or matriarchs - are said to have their own secret, family curry recipe. This despite a correspondent explaining to me recently that people from the Indian sub-continent do not have collective nouns for curries in the way that we have in English. Not a category that they recognise.

And moved onto some kind of grilled lamb, also very good. BH contented herself with the salmon version. The pomegranate added a nice bit of crunch to the salad.

We got into discussion with the waiter and another nearby couple about boozing in Iran. I maintained, on the basis of reference 5 below, that there was plenty of it. The waiter told us that Iran was a Muslim country which did not permit alcohol. While the gent of the couple, lately something in oil or gas in Azerbaijan and who had been to Shiraz, assured us that they still had vines there and they did use them to make wine. And that the Iranians were indeed into boozing. While looking at reference 2, I find that while the Shiraz region was indeed famous for its wine two or three hundred years ago, the modern Shiraz grape (aka Syrah grape) has nothing to do with the place and was invented in France, particularly for use in Australia. So further ahead to the extent that there was boozing in what was Persia. With comparable complications in Egypt, Turkey and Indonesia, all large countries with predominantly Muslim populations and - unlike Iran - lots of tourists.

On exit, I convinced myself that the fabric right was very like a table covering we had at home. Which, once we were home, turned out to be wrong, although I do have a sheet of vaguely similar fabric in the study, printed in roughly the same colour scheme on what is probably the the same cotton base. Possibly something called batiq (of reference 9) from the Far East - perhaps India or Indonesia. Certainly sold at a Hook Road car boot sale for a fiver or so by what I took to be a couple of nurses selling up on completion of their training. And I feel sure that it has been illustrated somewhere in these pages, but search has failed to turn it up. Memory playing tricks again.

Meat wagon just packing up in the market as we went through. I am reminded today that 'meat wagon' was slang for a quite different kind of vehicle when I was young. Mr. Perry does not seem to think that Epsom is worthy of his big meat wagon anymore, although he may park it on the market square overnight Friday-Saturday. Perhaps its Saturday destination does not allow that kind of thing.

Candytuft in our front verge still doing well.

While the elephants' ears, usually pretty robust, looked a bit sad and I gave it a few gallons to perk them up.

Evening on the second occasion, less than a week later. Much the same format, and the same meal for me, but we took our aperitif in Wetherspoon's rather than the Marquis and we took our (white) wine from the Lebanon rather than Spain. 'Ksara, Cuvée de Pape, Chardonnay, 2017'. Also very good. See reference 6.

After dinner conversation this time around moved on from booze to pink ice cream, which we now know was not on offer. White or cream or complicated, but not pink.

All in all we were well pleased with Diba and I dare say we shall be back. A variation on the theme set by the nearby Cappadocia.

PS 1: the Corral Premium Gastro from reference 8 looks rather like our own pub grub to me. And at €80 including what is probably a modest amount of wine, rather like our prices too. But then, why would it not be so?

PS 2: I make it to the Hook Road fabric in the end. See reference 10.

References

Reference 1: https://www.dibarestaurant.co.uk/epsom/.

Reference 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiraz_wine.

Reference 3: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiraz.

Reference 4: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2025/05/mayday.html.

Reference 5: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2023/07/boozing-in-iran.html.

Reference 6: https://shop.chateauksara.com/product/chardonnay-cuvee-du-pape/. 'A classic Chardonnay, grown at altitude, fermented and aged sur lie and in new oak. Full-bodied, complex, fresh and creamy with citrus, stone fruit and savoury notes, the wine is the highest example of the Château Ksara’s white wine making expertise. Ready to drink now or can be laid down for aging. Serve slightly chilled'.

Reference 7: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beqaa_Valley. A valley which was once important in the drug trade, not so much nowadays.

Reference 8: https://www.bodegascorral.com/.

Reference 9: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batik.

Reference 10: https://pumpkinstrokemarrow.blogspot.com/2012/07/car-booter.html.