|
 Have you ever
tried Persian food? Shiraz is the first and only Persian
restaurant in Milton Keynes located next to Waitrose in Central
Milton Keynes. My guest and I visited Shiraz with her parents on
a Saturday evening, two weeks after the doors opened. Robin the
manager welcomed us with warmth and seated us at a table with
huge Persian rugs covering our seats.
Kasteel Cru beer was
served with chopped strawberries. This was soothing and light.
Décor
The
restaurant is large with about thirty tables. There are large
spaces between the tables that let Shiraz down a little as the
restaurant lacks intimacy. Robin advised me that changes are
being made to rectify this. Large patterned rugs line the walls
making the restaurant bizarrely unique. We also noticed the
upside down lamps hanging from the ceiling. These had been flown
into the UK especially. Shiraz has other quirky items around the
restaurant such as bookshelves at the front of the bar and mini
Persian table mats. Fresh flat bread is made in the centre of
the restaurant in the clay oven, hand made by the bread chef.
There is also an ingredients shop at the back of the restaurant
so you can buy lots of goodies for the home.
Atmosphere
 Shiraz wasn’t
particularly busy, as it has only recently opened. A lot more
marketing needs to be done to promote the business. Persian
music was playing in the background and I am sure if Shiraz were
full, then there would a better vibe about the place.
Service
If you’re not
sure what to choose or like to know more about the dishes on the
menu then please ask for Robin as he knows how it’s made, where
the food originates and what the ingredients are. In fact he is
brilliant. The staff are friendly, thoughtful, keen to help and
worked well as a team to deliver all of the food and drinks on
time.
Food
We started
with a shared mixed maze - 4 dishes £10.00.
Individual
prices marked below.
Dolme-Vine
leaves stuffed with rice, herb nuts and raisins. These are
little green parcels filled with soft rice and tasted sweet.
£4.00
Kashk e
bademjoon- Baked aubergines crushed with, walnuts, herbs and
garlic. This was lovely and perfect for dipping your warm bread
into £4.00. We decided this was the tastiest dish.
Falafel –
Fried bean & and herb croquettes with tahnini £3.20. These were
not as dry as most falafel I have tried and they were tasty too.
Kibbeh
Shameyieh – Fried lamb and wheat meatballs stuffed with sautéed
lamb, pine nuts and onions. The lamb had lots of flavour and
will be ordered again. £4.00.
We had a side
dish of sabzi, which is mixed herb platter with radish, feta and
walnuts. These are traditional in a Persian meal and really open
the pallet between dishes.
Mains
With the
mains we chose to order four dishes and share them from the
centre of the table. This is a good idea if you enjoy a mini
buffets. The yellow and white rice was well cooked; nice and
fluffy and served with a portion of butter to add flavour.
Makhloot is a
combination of Cheng, Jujeh and Koobideh. See below.
Cheng –
Tender yoghurt and saffron marinated lamb in cubes £9.80.
They’re as stated - tender and full of flavour. The meat was
good quality and juicy too.
Jujeh –
Tender chicken off the bone, marinated in saffron and Persian
spices £8.90. The chicken was a bit bland and could have been
marinated a little longer. We could not taste the Persian spices
either.
Koobideh –
Two grilled skewers of mixed lamb and onion £6.50. These were
also on the bland side.
Sea Bass –
Grilled sea bass marinated in olive oil, coriander and lemon
Juice £12.95. My guest’s Mum mentioned this dish was bland and
lacked any flavour. This is disappointing at this price.
We finished
with a selection of Persian pastries, which were dry and not
appealing but maybe that’s just our opinions? We finished with
Persian tea.
The portions
are generous at Shiraz but many dishes lacked flavour. A lot
more has to be done to open the taste buds and get people coming
back to sample new food. All in all it was a pleasant evening
and once the teething problems are out of the way Shiraz will be
a success in Milton Keynes. |
