You often get the feeling pretty soon after arriving at a restaurant whether it’s onto a good thing or not.
In the case of Persian Nights, a Middle Eastern restaurant located on Cardiff's Woodville Road, the positive vibes hit you as soon as you cross the threshold and encounter a clay oven where a friendly baker churns out freshly baked bread to order.
All the other signs are promising too, from the warm welcome to the cosy interior with nods to Persia, and the compact and reasonably priced menu of grills, strews and dips.
We kick off the meal with kashk bademjan (£8), a beauty of a hot dip that combines savoury charred aubergine with sweet caramelised onions, a hint of garlic and dried mint, the creaminess of whey and a scattering of crispy onions.
It's lovely with the aforementioned freshly baked bread that arrives seconds after being plucked from the fiery oven.
Chicken kebabs often disappoint as they tend towards being slightly dry. This is most certainly not the case at Persian Nights as their joojeh kebab (£16) is remarkably juicy. Marinated in golden saffron and lemon, and lightly charred around the edges, it's arguably the best chicken kebab I've eaten in Cardiff (alongside the now sadly closed Mowlana).
On the side, there's a mountain of fluffy rice with an optional pack of salted butter included for extra decadence. There's also sumac dressed onions and a charred fiery green pepper and a sweet tomato, the latter of which could have been cooked a bit more.
I order the makhsoos mixed grill (£20), which has all the same components as joojeh, but with a lamb koobideh kebab thrown into the mix. The minced lamb kebab is excellent - it's juicy, tender and well-seasoned without any bounciness from being overworked. A jar of tangy sumac is also brought in case we want to add extra fragrance to the meat.
To accompany our kebabs, we order ghormeh sabsi (£7), a brooding bowlful of earthy stewed herbs, tender kidney beans and dried lime.
Whilst Persian Nights serves the ubiquitous baklava, there's also a trio of Persian desserts on offer - saffron ice cream, frozen vermicelli with rose water, and nan khame (a cream bun).
We of course order the cream bun (£4.75) and it’s very good. Light choux pastry is absolutely crammed to the edges with thick vanilla scented cream.
We’re recommended a pot of tea to go with it and opt for mint (£6). A giant ornate pot of the stuff is fragrant and lightly tannic. It’s a lovely balance with the sweet bun.
We had a cracking meal at Persian Nights and it's clear we're not the only ones who think they're onto a winning formula as by the time we left at 6.30pm on a Wednesday, the restaurant was almost full. If you're looking for a top-drawer Middle Eastern meal in Cardiff, then I'd highly recommend paying them a visit.
The Details:
Address - Persian Nights, 119-121 Woodville Road, Cardiff CF24 4DZ
Telephone - 029 2063 0355
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