Discover the National Dish of an Ancient Time

Today at 10:14pm, marks the first day of spring but for me it has a more significant meaning, it marks Persian New Years (Nowruz). No, I am not Persian, however, my husband is and many of our friends are. This time of year means 13 days of eating, drinking and dancing. It also means many nights of Iranian food. For some, good old home cooking is the only way to enjoy these ethnic plates but for others who are far away from their family, there are some restaurants that remind them of their mothers cooking.  One of our favorite ‘go-to’ places in downtown Vancouver is the Mediterranean Grill on Denman Street. I’ve read many reviews about this food spot on Yelp, UrbanSpoon and DineHere and there seems to be mixed opinions amongst the people. Much like anything else, you really do need to know what to order. The Kabab koobideh which is made from a mix of ground beef, onions, parsley and maybe a secret ingredient, just melts in your mouth. You will notice a big hole in the middle of your kabab and that is because this style of kabab is cooked on metal rods, over fire to provide a smokey flavor much like that of a hibachi or charcoal bar-b-que. It is typically served with buttery saffron rice, roasted tomato, onion and sumac (a purple spice that comes from a shrub, commonly found in the Middle East). Other kababs we’ve tried that have tantalized our taste buds include Jujeh Kabab, mouth-watering skewers of small pieces of chicken marinated in onion, lemon juice and saffron; Kabab Barg, fillets of beef tenderloin or lamb marinated in onions and olive oil. Each experience from this restaurant has been extremely good. The meat is never dry, the rice is completely packed with flavor and we always feel so comforted and full. This food not only feeds your belly but it definitely feeds your soul.

Mediterranean Grill jujeh kabab, kabab koobideh, rice, pita,
grilled tomato, butter and tadig

The Mediterranean Grill, is more a take-out food spot than a dine-in one. If you want a sound, never can go wrong, just all around amazing Iranian restaurant, you must try Cazba in North Vancouver on West 16^th Street just off of Lonsdale. The portions at this restaurant are unbelievable! One portion can serve an entire family of 4. Now I know what you must be thinking, the size is big but the quality, not so good. NO! You’re wrong! The food here is 10 times better than the Mediterranean Grill, and you just read how much I love their food.  Not only does the quality of food and portion of food blow my mind, the price of this food is ridiculous. You need to come here for all their kababs because you will not be able to stop yourself from over indulging in the juicy, delectable bites that provide a mouthful of happiness. Also, be sure to order the Masto-khiar and Masto-mosir. These are yogurt based dips that are served with pita bread. What ever self-control you think you might have over your low-carb diet, be warned, that’s gone!