Published: 02 June 2011
by MATTHEW LEWIN

THERE have been so many restaurants on this site that I have lost track of them, and I wonder whether why they all failed. Were they just not good enough? Or is there a problem with this location?

I tend to opt for the former explanation because I think it’s a very attractive site, with lots of parking nearby and a nice terrace outside for al fresco eating (or as they call that nowadays, “smoking”).

But Tandis, which opened nearly three years ago, seems to be succeeding where others failed. Perhaps it’s because they keep their prices reasonable and their eye on the ball – and the food is good.

The Persian heritage is firmly stated by a colourful hookah pipe on the benches outside – for the smoking of tobacco only, no doubt. Inside, it is a slightly awkward space – with a surprisingly large bar given the small number of tables – but there is a nice, friendly atmosphere.

And the food we had was terrific. I had an exceptionally good starter comprising homemade yoghurt (the really thick variety that you cannot buy in shops) infused with a puree of Persian shallots – into which we dipped excellent pieces of Persian naan bread.

My Chief Culinary Adviser had an intriguing salad of feta cheese, walnuts and radish surrounded by a host of herbs including fresh tarragon, mint, basil and spring onions. What’s also impressive is that starters are mostly around £3.

Main courses range from around £10 to £14, and are so large that neither of us could finish our food. My adviser had two skewers of lamb, one with gorgeously tender pieces of grilled fillet, and the other of spiced minced lamb – all nicely marinated in yoghurt. Both were very good, and accompanied by a mound of rice generously flavoured with saffron.

Mine was even more exotic – a tender marinated joint of chicken covered by a huge hill of rice with saffron and topped with fried barberries, a kind of Persian cranberry. The sour/sweet flavour of the berries was superb with the chicken and rice.

The shared dessert was a little disappointing, although my adviser liked it more than I did. It was a bowl of vanilla Persian ice cream and sorbet with rice vermicelli topped with sour cherries. I found it much too sweet, and the rice was a bit overwhelming.

They appear to be very responsive to criticism, too. On our first visit there was one of those occasions when, having already had a service charge on the bill, the card machine invited a further contribution. I moaned about that in a review, and also about the state of the men’s loo. Well, I was there again this week, and there appeared to be no service charge at all on the bill, and the men’s loo was impeccable.

I think you will find that the bill for a hefty starter, naan bread and a main course and a glass of wine won’t come to much more than around £45 for two. Pretty reasonable for such good food.

SUMMARY:  Very good, unusual and authentic Persian food at very reasonable prices. Open every day for lunch and dinner (usually until 11.30pm). Three courses will be in the range of £18 to £23, before wine and service.

Rating: 3 (out of 5 stars)

TANDIS
73 Haverstock Hill, NW3
020 7586 8079