Dindin Kitchen - restaurant review

Dindin is a fine fast-food updating of Persian cuisine — think an Iranian Itsu, says Andrew Neather
Andrew Neather2 July 2015

In London, Iranian cuisine remains the Middle East’s best-hidden delight. At least west of Marble Arch, you’re never far from Lebanese shawarma and hummus. Turkish kebabs dominate swathes of north London. But aside from a handful of Persian restaurants in Olympia, Iranian food is hard to find and fairly traditional. Dindin aims to change all that: think an Iranian Itsu.

The brainchild of former City worker Vida Tayebi, it’s a bright, white space with a central fast-food-style ordering counter; even in its first week open, service was speedy. You can take away or eat in — from take-away boxes — at the simple white tables and chairs. Most importantly, while there are a few of those ubiquitous Lebanese dishes on offer, there’s a good selection of Iranian standards (all rendered entirely in English on the menu).

At breakfast there is a range of flatbreads, cold pots with fruit and muesli, and hot egg pots, some of the latter with Iranian flavours (pomegranate sauce, or yoghurt and mint), others not (smoked salmon and avocado).

Thus ab gosht, thick lamb soup with chick peas and tomatoes, gets its distinctive Iranian twist from the pungency of dried limes; it’s served with flat bread (lavash).

Peyvand was impressed with Dindin’s ab gosht: “It’s quite remarkable for us to be able to get this in a paper cup like this.” Or you can get a cup of the large and very hearty meatballs in tomato sauce, which also got high marks from Peyvand for their authenticity.

At the heart of the menu are the grills, though, “finished to order” on the grill so that they arrive quickly. Chicken skewers, best eaten with rice studded with sweet-sour dried barberries, saffron and cumin, were very tender and flavourful.

Lamb shish wasn’t bad if less unusual, though the rice with broad beans and dill (a favourite Iranian flavouring) was beautiful.

There is a range of salads and mezze portions to accompany the grills. I enjoyed the “aubergine and lentil salad” (kashk-e-bademjan, aubergine with whey and fried onions), even though it was served cold. “Vegetarian soufflé” turned out to be kookoo sabzi, the classic Iranian frittata thick with herbs and greens. And spinach with yoghurt (mast-e-borani) went well with just about everything.

If you’re still hungry there’s a decent selection of pastries, none of them Iranian. Peyvand grumbled: “They need to get some Persian tea brewing. The whole point of Iranian food is the tea afterwards!” I somehow doubt I’d want to linger over tea at Dindin. But it’s a fine fast-food updating of Iranian cuisine.

52 Gray’s Inn Rd, WC1 (dindinkitchen.com), Mon-Fri 7.30am-9pm. No reservations, no licence. A meal for two with soft drinks, about £25.

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