Phone: 03 9852 3302
Cuisine: Middle Eastern, Turkish, Afghan
Overall Impression: 3/10
J and I believe that this site is cursed. Over the past 10 years, we have witnessed several restaurants try their luck on it. Every single one of them have failed in a span of a couple of years. Ali Qapu is the new tenant on the site. Curious to see how this restaurant fares with its counterparts, J and I decided to visit the restaurant last weekend.
The restaurant was running at its full capacity. Every table was full and the restaurant was bustling. We were thankful that we had made a booking.
Persian Dips $15
This “platter” literally consisted of stale pita bread and 3 extremely average dips.
Stew: Khoresht-r Gormeh Sabzi $21
Both of the stews we had were incredibly underwhelming. The flavours lacked punch and any depth whatsoever. It was one disappointing dish after another.
"It is an ever popular marinated chicken kabab in minced onion and lemon juice with saffron then grilled over a fire. "
Although we were spoilt for choice in terms of picking the worst dish of the night, there was general consensus that this dish would take the cake. The dish consisted of plain rice served with overcooked and dry chicken pieces. The chicken was clearly underseasoned. There was not a single hint of salt. The chicken tasted like it had merely been dipped in some lemon juice before being put straight onto the grill.
Even though Ali Qapu was packed during the night of our visit, it is unlikely that there will be many returning customers. The novelty of being one of the only Persian restaurants in the neighbourhood quickly wears off when the food fails to satisfy. To the restaurants credit, the the menu is very well priced and the staff are very attentive. However, the lack of emphasis on the strength of flavours of the dishes served are a problem. If the "cursed" site does nothing to run this restaurant into the ground, its menu (as we tasted it) certainly might.
We recommend Kolbeh Persian Restaurant which is a good Persian restaurant nearby.
2 comments:
Such a shame! Persian food would seem something perfect for taking off in Melbourne based on our collective background of other Middle Eastern and Mediterranean genres. There's a newish Persian-based place, more of a cheap and cheerful takeaway kebab joint, in Geelong that I have yet to explore.
I have tried Geelong dont waist your time, Go to Kolbeh in Doncaster near Council or 248 Resturant near Chapel, there is another one called Pardis, I think its in High St near Doncaster, I have heared lots of goodies from this restaurant too.
Post a Comment