There isn’t a tonne of real estate in Colbeh. The small Persian restaurant off Edgware Road is a narrow hallway of tables huddled together in a brightly lit, white-walled room where everyone’s concentration tends to be on the juicy foot-long joojeh kabab and duvet-sized naan in front of them. Space on your table turns out to be just as premium, given the menu is as lengthy as the portions are generous. Bubbling bread, slapped in the tandoor and brought to your table still hot, is a stomach grumbling highlight. Ripped, dipped, spooned, or scooped—however you want to do it, this bread deserves the company of Colbeh’s smoky kashk-e-bademja. Kabab-wise, there’s a confidence to Colbeh’s cooking that tastes best in its minced skewers that are glistening, charred, and herb-packed. The lamb, alongside a careful dollop of chilli sauce that tastes like it was forged in Mordor, and buttery rice, has friends and family coming back for more and more.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch