Archive for the ‘Tehran, Iran’ CategoryA few months ago, Anthea from Temporary Dwellings wrote a review of the Ananda vegetarian restaurant in Tehran. Run by the Iranian Vegetarian Society, it’s a great resource for vegetarians in a country where vegetarian food rarely makes an appearance on restaurant menus. While Andy and I were in Tehran, we couldn’t pass up the chance to visit a second vegetarian restaurant, run by Iranian Artists Forum. Set in a pretty city park called Honar Garden off Taleghani Ave, the restaurant has a shady terrace and bright and cheerful main room. It’s a great place for people watching as the restaurant is always full of fashionable Iranians who prove that there is much more to Iran than the conservative image promoted in the West (and that the Government mandated hijab can be chic). The food is a mix of Iranian and international vegetarian dishes, including pasta, pizza, a vegetarian stew, felafel and fake meat kebabs.
If you have an appetite, the restaurant offers two “meal deals” called the lotus and gita sets. The smaller of the two, the lotus set, is good value and a fun way to sample Iranian food, coming with rice, salad, soup, stew, yoghurt, pizza slice, dessert and a natural fruit drink (I recommend the pommegranate juice). The salad, stew, rice and dessert change daily, so you can safely order the set (or each dish from the a la carte menu) on consecutive visits.
I enjoyed the ever-changing stew and rice on each of my visits. On my first try the stew was tomato based, with potato, zucchini and paneer. On later visits it had a spinach base, but still had paneer. The rice was never served plain, being either flavoured with saffron or else served as a pulau with dill and butter mixed through it.
The highlight of my meal was always the ice cream. The saffron ice cream was a brilliant yellow hue and infused with flavour. The walnut flavour was equally authentic and tasty, with pieces of walnut mixed through the walnut flavoured base. Vegans should be aware that most of the food on the menu came with dairy products, however I’m sure that the restaurant could accommodate non-dairy food products. The staff at the Artists Forum cafe were very friendly, and the manager (who speaks excellent English) kindly wrote out Farsi translations of the phrases “I am vegetarian” and ” I would like a dish without meat or fish” for me, which were a godsend during the rest of our trip. The restaurant included some information on vegetarianism in Farsi and English, and also recommended a vegetarian store in Tehran called Govinda. The store stocks natural and organic products, TVP and tofu, soy products and pre-made vegetarian food and runs vegetarian cooking classes. The Iranian Artists Forum restaurant makes a great pitstop during a stay in Tehran, offering the rare chance to try Iranian vegetarian food and to sample Iran’s rich alternative and artistic culture. Highly recommended and a Super V in a very V-ware country. Coffee Shop and Veggie Restaurant of Iranian Artists Forum Govinda Vegetarian Store
V Rating: VVVVV Veggie Friendly’s intrepid foreign correspondent, Anth from Temporary Dwellings, recently came across a vegetarian haven in Iran. Ananda Veggie Restaurant and Coffee Shop is run by the Society of Iran’s Vegetarians and is a lovely and peaceful place to escape the traffic and din off Tehran. Tucked away down a small road in the north of Tehran the restaurant has a small outdoor terrace and a comfortable air-conditioned dining room indoors. The restaurant provides a range of pizzas, pasta and lasagna and also has a small offering of Iranian food. As tourists we decided to stick with the Iranian food and ordered a plate of soy kebabs and vegetable curry with rice. The food arrived promptly and looked delicious. The kebabs were chargrilled and had a great bbq “lamb” flavour. The dish looked great with the kebabs served on sesame and herb flat bread with pickle and rich, roasted tomatoes on the side.
Our other dish was a lovely tomato curry with vegatables and tasty cubes of panir cheese served on some of the best rice I have ever tasted - white grain rice cooked with chopped dill (this is a traditional Iranian dish called “pulau”) and to complete it a slice of deep fried panir on the side.
As an accompaniment we had some green olives (9,000IRR) which were served with grated lemon rind and sweet sultana chutney. Other side dishes include yoghurt. Unfortunately, we were in a bit of a rush and so we couldn’t sit back and enjoy any of the fresh smoothies, juices or deserts that are on the menu. - Anth, from Temporary Dwellings. |
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