Whilst Leyli Homayoonfar is best known for the epic Mexican barbecue that she serves at her Bab Haus Mex street food stalls across south Wales, my first encounter with her cooking was something entirely different. Back in 2019, at a supper club in Cardiff’s Tramshed, I devoured a vibrant Joon and Co Persian feast inspired by her family’s Iranian heritage.
Earlier this year, in response to the devastating humanitarian crisis in Iran, Leyli decided to revive her Joon supper club as a way to celebrate Persian cuisine and culture as well as to raise money for humanitarian and medical aid.
Hosted over the last few months at Insole Court’s Potting Shed café on Friday and Saturday nights, it’s been one of the hottest tickets going. We finally made it to the last of the currently scheduled dates at the end of March.
The Potting Shed is a cosy and intimate venue which is ideally suited for a supper club. Its homely feel gives off the vibe that you could be sat in Leyli’s dining room. The fact that Leyli’s family also runs the front of house only adds to the intimate atmosphere.
Whilst you’re sat at long communal tables, the food is served for couples to share. So, there’s no bickering with strangers (just with Mrs G) over who gets the last spoonful of each dish.
£65 buys you three very generous courses of Persian cooking. There’s no way you’re going home any way other than stuffed.
To drink there’s a small selection of four wines available. We shared a bottle of fresh and fruity L’Artiste pinot noir (£27) and followed it up with delicious glasses of stone fruit soaked Alvi’s Drift viognier (£7.50).
Whilst we waited for our starters to arrive, we picked at vibrant green olives coated in nutty walnut paste and dotted with cleansing pomegranate pearls.
Mazeh, the first course of the night, was the ultimate selection of picky bits.
Salty and creamy cubes of feta and crunchy walnuts were drizzled in sweet honey and were guzzled down with leaves of fresh parsley and dill. Lightly pickled cucumbers, radishes and baby carrots brought crunch and acidity to the table.
Warm barbari bread had a crackly crust and chewy crumb and was dotted with sesame and nigella seeds. It was essential for scooping up the colourful selection of dips, which were up there with the best I’ve eaten. Each packed in so many layers of flavour and texture.
Warming spiced smoked aubergine was elevated by the sweetness of charred tomato and topped with toasty fried shallots.
The thickest of creamy labneh was fragranced with preserved lemon, mint and za’tar and flecked with fresh cucumber.
Silky black garlic hummus was crowned with a stupidly good Baharat spiced, sweet and fiery date chilli crunch.
Finally, earthy and zingy beetroot borani was pooled with burnt butter and toasted hazelnuts.
Mains were delicious but I think the starters edged it for both of us.
Bronzed skinned bone-in chicken pieces were bathed in a whopper of a sauce with saffron, the sweetness and fragrance of citrus peel, plenty of butter and the tartness of barbery seeds, which were vital in balancing all that richness.
Long cooked hunks of seriously tender Welsh lamb shoulder were hidden in the depths of a big flavoured meaty broth that was seasoned with distinctively fragrant fenugreek, Persian dried lime, and fistfuls of vibrant fresh green herb.
On the side, gorgeously fluffy and buttery saffron rice was topped with compellingly crisp and caramelised rice nuggets.
Thick and tangy wild garlic yoghurt and a finely diced salad of cucumber, tomato and onion brought further balance to all that decadence.
Dessert was a collection sweet and sharp delicious things, the centrepiece of which was a gorgeously thick and smooth slab of white chocolate cremeux. It was hidden beneath piles of candied pistachios, a tangle of Persian candy floss, and thin shards of white chocolate. Crucially, a hefty hit of fresh citrus brought balance to it all – there were slices of blood orange, a cleansing sorbet, and a tart grapefruit gel.
Absolutely stuffed, Leyli had thankfully already boxed up the last bonus course of the night for people to take home. A Persian love cake, heady with rose water, cardamom and citrus, was delightful with a cup of tea the next day.
Generous and homely, massively flavoured yet deftly balanced, I love Leyli Homayoonfar’s cooking and her Joon supper clubs have fully delivered on the aim of celebrating her Iranian heritage. Whilst this is the last date in the series for now, I’ve heard talk that there may be more dates in the offing. Keep an eye out as it’s a supper club that’s not to be missed.
