Just a few days after eating at the superb Middle Eastern restaurant Jolia, I found myself lunching with a friend at the Iranian restaurant Namak. While the food was similar to that of Jolia in some ways (rose petals, pomegranate seeds, eggplant, pistachios), there were many differences (Namak favors lots of saffron and walnuts, and worked wonders with rice; see below). I might venture to say that I liked it even better.
One thing they both had in common was that they were packed. Namak had the advantage of having air conditioning, but only in the dining room in the back.
We started off with two sumptuous dishes served in deceptively small bowls, which contained far more than they appeared to. One was mirza, a mix of smoked eggplant, tomatoes, garlic and walnuts, with a couple of soft-boiled eggs added for good measure. Excellent!
The other one was even better: “green feta,” a combination of feta cheese, pistachios, tarragon and Sichuan pepper. A dreamy mixture, which I couldn’t stop soaking up with the crispy pita bread (free here, unlike Jolia), so delicious with its smattering of za’atar.
According to the menu, the main course called “or noir” (“black gold”) is the restaurant’s best seller, and I know why: it’s fantastic. It consists of tender pieces of chicken slow-cooked with walnuts, pomegranate seeds, onions and dates. It was served with a kind of rice cake, which had been baked in the oven and was crispy all around. Incredible when eaten with the dish’s wonderful sauce.
Meanwhile, Perry was enjoying a vegetarian main course labeled “goutte-moi ça” (“try this”) and billed as the favorite dish of Iranians, but really called ghormeh sabzi (a stew usually containing meat). Made with herbs, red beans, mushrooms, black lemon and smoked chili peppers, it was rich and satisfying. Perry chose the rice of the day to go with it: basmati rice beautifully flavored with saffron, with delightful red berries on top. I kept going back to his plate for extra tastes of that marvelous rice.
The server forgot to bring the second dessert we had ordered, sholeh zaard, a rice pudding flavored with saffron, cardamom, cinnamon and rose water, but we were so full that we were happy just to share the lovely saffron ice cream.
The restaurant’s name, Namak, literally means “salt,” but when the word is applied to a person, it’s all about charm and wit. I was certainly charmed and promptly declared this my new favorite restaurant. I cannot wait to go back.
See our Favorite Restaurants by Arrondissement page to find a good restaurant in the neighborhood where you want to eat.
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Sounds delicious, especially the green feta