Partial to Persian

>> Parsomush sticks to the basics
with home-cooked standards

by MATHILDE RABBAT

If your New Year’s resolution involves an elliptical trainer and a couple of 10-pound weights, before you hit the gym hit Parsomush for a protein and carb-packed punch. This former pizza joint turned Persian eatery on Sherbrooke in NDG is downright affordable and considerably more enticing than an energy bar and a protein shake.

Granted, the term “mush” rarely figures in resto menus, let alone their names, but this is a mush of a different kind. The eatery is named after an ancient Persian capital city, the area from which the owners of this family-operated business originate.

Simplicity is the rule of thumb, and nothing is unnecessarily overdone or souped up, if you’ll pardon the pun. Some parsley and a large raw onion, de rigueur when noshing Persian, made its way to the table even before the pita basket. About half a dozen basic entrées, all priced under $5, feature yoghurt, plain or with shallots (known as maust museer), a green salad, soup-e-jo (barley), dolma (stuffed vine leaves) or mirza ghasemi.

The latter, a spread comprised of roasted eggplant, tomato and enough garlic to keep the vampires away for eternity, did not disappoint on a cold winter’s night. This warm appetizer with faintly smoky overtones, seasoned with more than one pinch of salt and a little spicy bite, is destined to be slathered on some unheated pita after the cook has carefully raked over the surface like a zen garden, for added effect, with the aforementioned pureed ingredients in lieu of pebbles. A generous portion easily satisfies two dinner companions.

Should you not be in the market for any of the starters above, all mains are served with a choice of soup du jour or salad. If you’re lucky, your soup will consist of a thick and tasty lentil, carrot, potato and onion mixture, blended into a chicken broth base. The soup definitely beats out the no-frills iceberg, tomato and cucumber salad, though I’m totally hooked on the yoghurt-based dressing, spiked with lemon juice and other delights.

My main beef with Persian eateries usually involves an overpowering abundance of minced onion in meaty dishes, a trap the soltani brochette duo ($16.95), where barg meets koobideh, managed to avoid. The koobideh, a skewer of grilled minced beef, incorporating an egg and simply seasoned with onion, garlic, salt and pepper, surpassed the tenderised barg (grilled steak), which I deemed to be a little chewy.

That having been said, I thoroughly enjoyed my poultry dish, and how many times can you really say that about chicken? My joojeh kabab ($10.95), four pieces of grilled poultry, hit all the right notes beginning with a simple salt, pepper, olive oil and onion marinade, and ending with a tasty bout on the grill. I’m guessing curcuma is what gave the meat an ochre, tandoori-like, exterior, though I believe the original recipe calls for saffron, a luxury that few can afford. Here’s a helpful hint: if it’s on the bone, you’ll save two bucks over the boneless joojeh.

Though a generous mound of basmati, done right, does accompany all main dishes, every main course prominently features some form of meat, making for a veggie challenged selection, unless you’re there on a Friday for the gheimeh bademjoon daily special. A different special priced between $9.95 and $12.95, such as today’s aubergine and pea ragout, is featured from Monday to Friday. Dare I say, some seem even more enticing than the regular à la carte offerings, like Monday’s fesenjoon (chicken cooked with a blend of nuts in a pomegranate infusion), for example.

The fact that the place is family owned and operated transpires as much through the dishes as it does through the friendly and accommodating service. Even though the fare is quite simple—or perhaps precisely because of it—one gets the sense that care is nonetheless taken in the prepping of dishes, which convey a definite home-cooked vibe that many folks will appreciate.

Finally, the entire experience wouldn’t be complete without a steady stream of music videos featuring the finest that Persian kitsch, pop, hip hop, and more conventional stuff on occasion, have to offer.