Berenjak

Food

Breads (Taftoon & Sangak)
Both of these breads look the part, with the taftoon being the larger fluffy rounded option and the Sangak the thinner crispier option. Both were equally fresh, with steam coming out of the Taftoon when it was ripped apart. The Sangak was my personal favourite which was a soft flatbread which was still firm to the bite, giving it the perfect texture as a dipping bread, or even on its own. Each being a hit for pairing with dips, it was hard for everyone to resist the temptation to fill ourselves up on bread even before the kebabs came out.

Dips
Mast O Khiar - This simple starter was a yogurt based dip with cucumber, mint and raisins on top. Unassuming yet very tasty, it was one of the plates that was completely wiped clean come the end of the evening, despite the huge amount of food ordered.
Humus - A black Humus was something I had not seen before, nor was it something I had tasted before. It truly did not taste like a traditional Humus at all. It had a much nuttier taste opposed to chickpea, however this really did deliver and was a hit with the table. With a consistency (and look) close to a chocolate mousse, it was an eye-catching starter that is something I would love to try again.

Black Truffle Olivieh - Another real hit with the table, the dip was a chicken mayo salad with potato and salted cucumber, which did not taste of chicken at all, rather of a well spiced mash potato style salad, which the salted cucumbers (almost pickle like) added a tart finish. Paired with the Sangak flat bread, this was my personal favourite which I enjoyed the most.
Mirza Ghasemi - The first of our two aubergine starters, this was a creamier and light dip, which was likely due to the egg mixed into the aubergine and tomato base.This wasn’t really something I enjoyed too much as it felt almost a little bit too boring and plain, where as the other dips seemed to have a bit more of a traditional and home cooked feel, this felt closer to something you could buy in the supermarket rather than a dip cooked in a Michelin Guide restaurant. Not a bad dish by any means, it just felt a little lackluster given the quality of the other dishes on the table.

Kashke Bademjoon - Another heavily aubergine based dip, this time with nuts and mint, the aubergine was well cooked with a soft flesh while also having the crunchy walnuts on top creating a well balanced yet tasty starter. This dip was an interesting addition to our set menu as we probably did not need a second aubergine dip. As a note, this was not a part of the Feast Menu, this was provided to us as an additional dip.

Kebabs
Koobideh Kabab (Lamb Mince) - We opted for only one of the two basic non supplement kebabs from the Feast menu, unfortunately the lamb mince tasted extremely watery and this was mentioned by everyone on the table. The meat did taste a little cheap akin to that of a budget supermarket, not something you would expect from a restaurant of this calibre. It was well spiced, however it did not make up for the watery moistness that was a little unpleasant to eat.

Jujeh Kabab Tond (Poussin) - A slightly different kebab option for a £3 supplement, the chicken was on the bone, perfectly cooked on the open fire and the smokyness was definitely noticeable throughout. The red pepper taste was not particularly noticeable, however fortunately this did not feel like a miss as a lot of the flavour came from the charring.
Barreh Kabab Tond (Lamb Rump Chunks) - Fortunately the additional supplement lamb kebabs, fared better than the standard option. This time the meat did look like a proper piece of lamb, which was also well cooked on the open fire, it had a slight tang and kick to it from the chili marinade which it was cooked in. A much better kebab to enjoy and worth paying the extra £12 supplement for.

Chenjeh Kabab (Lamb Tenderloin) - Our final kebab was the most premium of the cuts, with the tenderloin being an additional £18 supplement on the set-menu. Cooked with saffron, onion and black pepper, it was a shame that these flavours did not really pull through so much. Despite it being the premium cut, I feel that the Rump Chunk was a better kebab that had more actual flavour, even though the tenderloin was a better cut of meat.

Khoresht
Ghaimeh Bademjoon with braised lamb shoulder - Another additional dish that we ordered outside of the set menu, this aubergine and split pea stew was slow cooked with heavily seasoned braised lamb shoulder. While it was supposedly seasoned with dried lime and tomato, the overarching flavour through all of this was cinnamon. Which gave the stew a very sweet flavour profile which did not really work. While the lamb was very soft and fell apart to the touch of the fork, I think this missed the spot given how sweet the dish tasted and did not fit in with the rest of the meal.

Service

It was not the best start for us at Berenjak, as it took us over 20 minutes to be seated past our pre-booked reservation time. Despite this issue, the staff made sure to look after us and were extremely hospitable. Our waiter was very knowledgeable and explained all of the dishes and what some of his favourites were, which made our decision for the set-menu an easy one. On top of the help from the waiter, he also made sure that a drink which a member of my party ordered (recommended by the waiter), was replaced free of charge due to it not being as per his liking. Furthermore, our initial bad experience was made up for by them providing us with some additional dishes and also deducting some of the supplements off of our final bill. While this may not have been the best start, they did ensure that this was corrected and ensured the rest of our meal was to the highest quality and experience.

Ambiance

As soon as you walk in the first thing you notice is the open flame grill which is sizzling with meat being cooked for the diners. The smell in the kitchen is ambrosial and it really does catch you when you enter. The initial room is quite dimly lit, however the seating towards the back of the restaurant is much better lit and in my opinion would be my preferred area to sit. There are also counter top tables at both the grill and also outside perched against the side of the restaurant, which are more suitable for walk-ins and diners with a smaller party size. Another detail I noticed was the walls were adorned with Persian rugs (no not those) and artwork, creating an authentic feeling to really set the scene for the meal.

Value

The Feast Menu was £60 a head inclusive of 2 types of bread, 4 starter dishes and one standard kebab per person (additional supplements apply for premium kebabs). The portion sizes were very generous and the Feast menu was definitely a great way of ordering a variety of dishes with enough food guaranteed for everyone. We struggled to finish most of the non-meat dishes, which is rare for set-menus in London where usually portions are less generous. While we were almost fortunate in our circumstance that our bill was reduced due to our delayed seating, this full meal with the additional starter & reduced supplement cost would have been closer to around £75 per person, although these additional dishes were definitely not needed on top of the set-menu.

Amenities

With it being quite a tightly packed restaurant, the amenities are fairly basic, to ensure maximum seating capacity. There are gender neutral toilets which are well stocked with various sanctuary products. On top of this, the toilets had traditional artwork on walls with Persian music and fragrances being pumped into them to try and add to the experience. For me the fragrance was a little bit too strong for a small toilet and whilst it did have a purpose, did feel like it would have given me a headache had I been in there any longer.