Persian merchants settled in China as early as the Han dynasty and brought their goods, culture and food with them. The merchants never made it across the Strait, however, and to this day Taiwan lacks (except for the occasional Persian cat or rug) any sign of the ancient culture.
Iranian businessman Peter Amni is trying to change all that with his new restaurant, Persian Heaven.
Opened a little over two months ago near the intersection of Minsheng and Longjiang Roads, Persian Heaven is the first restaurant in Taiwan to offer exclusively Persian cuisine. While Amni is busy most of the time running his other business at the World Trade Center, his two sons and several cooks hired specially from Iran welcome new and curious diners to their restaurant every day.
PHOTO: MEREDITH DODGE, TAIPEI TIMES
Most customers opt for one of the many kebabs on offer, which include steak, minced beef, lamb and chicken, and come in mild, spicy and saffron flavors. The kebabs are joined by a pile of juicy barbecued veggies -- tomatoes, onions, bell peppers and mushrooms -- and a mound of either Persian rice or mashed potatoes. The creamy mashed potatoes are highly recommended as the perfect starchy complement to the flavorful barbecued items.
Diners interested in tasting authentic Persian food can choose from a variety of meat stews such as the ghormeh sabzi, chunks of beef or lamb and beans in a soup of spinach, parsley, coriander and other herbs. The stews tend to be heavy, so if you go for lunch on a hot day, it may be a good idea to opt for the kebab instead.
Any of the plates can become a set meal with beverage, soup and salad by adding NT$60. The plates themselves are satisfying enough, but if you're really that hungry, order another dish or a dessert -- the creamy, watery soup, made with mint, is a dud, and the salad, with an abundance of finely chopped bell peppers and onions, is more like a salsa.
Dessert, however, should not be omitted at Persian Heaven. The puddings are like a chewier, stickier version of French custard. The baked pudding and rice pudding are themselves worth a visit to the restaurant.
The decor represents Persian culture in the same way Chinese restaurants in the West represent Chinese culture. While the ornately patterned tablecloths, replicas of ancient Persian busts and Iran tourism posters may be a little over-obvious, they're not tacky, and the Farsi music playing in the background really livens up the place. If you're even mildly interested in Middle Eastern food and culture, don't miss Persian Heaven.
March 10 to March 16 Although it failed to become popular, March of the Black Cats (烏貓進行曲) was the first Taiwanese record to have “pop song” printed on the label. Released in March 1929 under Eagle Records, a subsidiary of the Japanese-owned Columbia Records, the Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese) lyrics followed the traditional seven characters per verse of Taiwanese opera, but the instrumentation was Western, performed by Eagle’s in-house orchestra. The singer was entertainer Chiu-chan (秋蟾). In fact, a cover of a Xiamen folk song by Chiu-chan released around the same time, Plum Widow Missing Her Husband (雪梅思君), enjoyed more
Last week Elbridge Colby, US President Donald Trump’s nominee for under secretary of defense for policy, a key advisory position, said in his Senate confirmation hearing that Taiwan defense spending should be 10 percent of GDP “at least something in that ballpark, really focused on their defense.” He added: “So we need to properly incentivize them.” Much commentary focused on the 10 percent figure, and rightly so. Colby is not wrong in one respect — Taiwan does need to spend more. But the steady escalation in the proportion of GDP from 3 percent to 5 percent to 10 percent that advocates
A series of dramatic news items dropped last month that shed light on Chinese Communist Party (CCP) attitudes towards three candidates for last year’s presidential election: Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) founder Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), Terry Gou (郭台銘), founder of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密), also known as Foxconn Technology Group (富士康科技集團), and New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). It also revealed deep blue support for Ko and Gou from inside the KMT, how they interacted with the CCP and alleged election interference involving NT$100 million (US$3.05 million) or more raised by the
More than 100,000 people were killed in a single night 80 years ago yesterday in the US firebombing of Tokyo, the Japanese capital. The attack, made with conventional bombs, destroyed downtown Tokyo and filled the streets with heaps of charred bodies. The damage was comparable to the atomic bombings a few months later in August 1945, but unlike those attacks, the Japanese government has not provided aid to victims and the events of that day have largely been ignored or forgotten. Elderly survivors are making a last-ditch effort to tell their stories and push for financial assistance and recognition. Some are speaking
RSS