Go, Arya!
MANILA, Philippines – History and geography can sometimes be confusing. After seeing an ad for Norwegian salmon, I heard a girl once say, “Where’s Norwegia?” Or another time, after seeing a signage for Persian kebab, someone asked, “Where’s Persia?” As you may know, there is definitely no Norwegia—it’s Norway. But there was a Persia, which we now know as Iran.
Iranian or Persian cuisine is becoming one of my favorites. It’s like a mixture of Asian and Middle Eastern flavors, with saucy beefs and slightly sour, slightly sweet salads. (After a bite of a Persian lamb kebab, my aunt observed, “It tastes like kaldereta!”) Upon the recommendation of designer Ciara Marasigan, I checked out Arya at the Promenade of Greenhills to get my Persian food fix. Greeted by announcements heralding the restaurant as one of Tatler’s 2007 Best, I perused the lengthy menu eagerly.
I started my meal with Baba Ghannuj, otherwise known as Motabal or a mashed eggplant bread dip, which in my opinion was very good. Still, doubting my own expertise in Middle Eastern cuisine, I brought my Lebanese uncle Tony Khoury and his lovely wife Shinette on another food trip and was happy to find that the general consensus was that both the baba ghannuj and the hummus at this restaurant are excellent.
For the main course, the lamb is an excellent choice. My first experience with lamb at this restaurant came in the form of something called a Mahiche Polo, which the menu describes as “Persian-style lamb shank stew, served with fragrant dilled Basmati rice.” You are served a huge shank and I felt the urge to make like a Fred Flintstone and eat the shank like a chicken drumstick. The meat was so tender that I am convinced any lamb skeptic would willingly convert after a bite. My second experience with the lamb shank was in the form of Arya’s Lamb Biryani, which is simply the spicier version of the Mahiche, and served with Biryani instead of Basmati rice. Both were marvelous. And both the Basmati and Biryani rice were excellent as well, their aroma providing a seductive touch to something as plain as kanin.
If you’re not feeling too experimental, there are always the kebabs. The menu offers kebab combinations of beef, lamb or chicken. All are excellent. The owner-chef is a master at making the meats tender, and the fine herbs and spices that accompany the meats make for a very savory experience that is heavy on the mouth but not on the stomach.
The salads were debatable, though. Mr. Khoury declared that the Tabuleh, which I personally enjoyed as a light salad—I picked on it with my pita bread—was not actually Persian. “Tabuleh is Lebanese,” he said with much nationalism. And the Fattoush, which I thought was an excellent light salad, made Shinette wrinkle her nose. “It’s different,” she declared. “There’s a different spice in it that I’m not used to.”
Confronting Chef Semera Karami the following day, I learned that they expanded their menu to include specialties not only from Iran but from other parts of the Persian Empire as well. Aside from that, she admitted that they just call the salad Fattoush to give it a more familiar name to customers, although strictly speaking, it is not Fattoush. Well, true foodies might feel betrayed, but they could call it Vamoosh for all I care—I still think it tasted good.
All in all, I think Arya gives you a great Persian experience. The meals are prepared by a chef who is really Iranian, so we are assured of the authenticity of the meal. Fattoush Shmattoush, Kabab Shmabab, Persian Shmershan—whatever you call it, it’s an altogether great meal!
Arya. Unit L-9, Promenade Mall, Greenhills. Tel. 727-5062.
2 comments:
finally a new post.. welcome back
i love teh lam shank here. too bad they dont have roti or naan when i went here
It's thrilling to see expansion in middle eastern food options in Manila, something I learned to love when I was in college overseas and missed a lot here. There are many different styles though, Lebanese, Persian, Turkish, Armenian, all have their individual idiosyncracies. Greek food is likewise similarly inclined (olives, yogurt, lamb), but with it's own style and flavors.
I had a good meal at Arya last year, had a lamb stew with lentils and chickpeas.
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