We’re quite fortunate to live in such a multicultural society. We have access to so many different cuisines without having to fly anywhere.

Lezizz is located just outside the city fringe on Glen Osmond Road and specialises in Kurdish and Persian cuisine. Their menu offers lamb and chicken kababs which are readily available elsewhere, but I was told that the ingredients vary depending on where you go. Their stew and rice plates are some of their more unique offerings with 8 dishes to choose from. Feeling adventurous, I closed my eyes and picked something off the menu.

This quaint little restaurant has decor which is a mixture of modern and authentic. I particularly like the patterned table cloths and the use of warm earthy colour tones. The dining furniture is from IKEA which indicates they furnished this place on a tight budget. The chair I was sitting on was incredibly wobbly and I thought it was about to fall apart at any moment.

A bowl of Persian Lentil Soup was a complimentary starter. Apart from the lentils, it contained onions, garlic and celery that were blended into a watery puree. There were notes of turmeric, ginger and cinnamon which give this soup it’s unique flavour.

For lunch, I ordered the Baghali Polo Ba Mahicheh which is a simmered lamb shank with mixed fava beans, dill and saffron rice. The meal came out after a 10 minute wait and was beautifully presented.

The lamb shank was tender and succulent with the meat simply falling off the bone. The flavour was mild with notes of turmeric, cinnamon and cumin. More traditional recipes use crushed tomatoes, but I failed to detect that.

The rice was perfectly cooked with nice individual grains. The serving size was more than generous with way more rice than there was meat. The fava beans were soft and yet firm, and the dill weed brought out a unique flavour that’s hard to describe.

The Persian Salad was a combination of tomato and cucumber that was lightly dressed. The salad was light and refreshing, however, the meat on the lamb shank wasn’t enough to cover all the sides.

For dessert, I ordered the Makhloot, which is a combination of Faloodeh (rice noodles steamed with sugar), and Saffron and Pistachio Ice Cream. The dessert comes with rose water to be added to the Faloodeh. The rice noodles by themselves are firm and chewy with a subtle sweetness, but when the rose water is added, it becomes incredibly sour. The Saffron and Pistachio ice cream is very earthy and pungent with almost a strong perfumed scent. The ice cream is silky smooth and creamy without any sweetness, while the pistachio is not very crunchy at all. The combination of Faloodeh and the ice cream is a unique combination but has worked well since 400BC.

This restaurant appears to be a one person operation. The man, who I will assume is the owner, was friendly and welcoming. The service was very good. The owner took the time to go through the menu, drinks arrived promptly and plates were cleared as each course was finished.

The atmosphere was relaxed with the Persian tunes playing in the background. The lunch and dinner menu are the same, which means it’s usually a bit more than what you would want to pay for lunch. My main set me back $18, while the dessert was $7. The mains start from $17 and the desserts start from $4.

While the kababs are nothing new, the stews and rice plates are authentic and are like a journey to the middle east. With all the unique flavours and textures, it really is a whole new experience that is right at our doorsteps.

WHERE: Shop 3, 84 Glen Osmond Rd, Parkside