Our kitchen is up and ready. Our dinky little chiller cabinet arrived on Friday, and contrary to the belief of onlookers therein, we managed to get it inside the shop. And now it’s got stuff in it for you to sample/praise/buy. The idea is for us to start behaving more like a real deli, offering a range of salads and meze items prepared in house.
Actually, we’re not just talking in-house: most of this stuff is being made right in front of you by Mr. or Mrs. Shopkeeper (when the mood takes them). So if you fancy a casual seminar on making dolmeh (see pix above), or just want to come along and heckle, shimmy on over here. We’d love to know what you think. Talk to us: what would you like us to make for you? D’ya reckon sandwiches would sell? Or ready-made Iranian meals?
We started, predictably, with houmous. Ours is of course the best you will ever have tasted. And some vine leaves. Tomorrow there will be fresh kibbeh, bean salad and must-o-moussir (Persian garlicky yoghurt). For the first few weeks there will be plenty of try-before-you-buy options (this is insider information, so keep it under your hat).
If it does well, then who knows? We might start doing Persian cookery lessons, coffee, home-made Persian pastries… But we’re going to let the space develop itself, and take it very gently. Because the most important thing is that we enjoy ourselves. Food that is made with pleasure tastes so much better, you see…