At the former site of Charcoal Kebab Station is a new Persian restaurant, Ariana. A quick peak through it’s entrance suggested it was a re-branded business with a cut down menu, but I was assured by the owner that the business had changed hands.

Like the former store, they offer a selection of kebabs, charcoaled meats and traditional Persian dishes. For those looking for something a bit more mainstream, there is yiros, schnitzel, burgers and salads.

The interior is very basic and has inherited the furnishings from the former business. Apart of the change in menu, and the positioning of the chairs and tables, everything is still pretty much the same.

I started off with the Kashke Bademjan which is a grilled eggplant and cheese dip. The eggplant was soft, delicate and well refined, and it was bathing in a shallow pool of olive oil. The salty kashke cheese was balanced by the sweet aromatic flavour of the dried mint. The walnuts provided a nice crunchy texture, and the flavour of the dip closely resembled liquid feta cheese. The pita bread provided was straight out of a packet. I thought the experience may have been better had the bread been lightly grilled.

One of the mains was the Ghormeh Sabzi which is a herb stew. The mixture of spinach, parsley, leeks, onion, fenugreek and coriander give it a rich dark green colour. The dish even comes with a whole Persian lime which adds an element of zest.

The lamb was well marinated with strong notes of turmeric. The meat was tender and succulent, and simply fell apart with the touch of the spoon. The kidney beans were firm but soft, and added some colour to an otherwise boring dish. Beneath the watery stew was herby mixture which had a nice thick consistency. The taste was unique but very representative of middle eastern flavours.

The other main was the Gheymeh which is a yellow pea stew. It’s the combination of tomato paste and chilli powder which gives this dish it’s attractive reddish orange colour.

The pork was well marinated and tender, with the meat falling apart quite easily. The yellow peas were soft and delicate, and were balanced with flavours from the other ingredients. I could detect a hint of cinnamon amongst the sweet onion and tomato paste. This was balanced by the slight bitterness of the turmeric and the subtle heat from the chilli powder. I thought dish was milder in flavour that the previous one, but it still had it’s own unique flavours.

The staff were friendly and the service was good. The atmosphere was relaxed and the pricing was fair. The average price of their menu is around the $15 mark, with the most expensive item being $23. The eggplant dip was $8, while each stew was $15. The owner was nice enough to give me a half serving of each stew for the one price.

While Persian cuisine is becoming very common in Adelaide, I can’t say this is the best one I’ve been to in Adelaide. The dishes I had were good and the flavours are on par with what I’ve had before, however, the presentation was lacking, and the surroundings aren’t particularly great.

WHERE: 20-22 Currie St, Adelaide