Faarsi, a Persian joint at Hauz Khas Village, is famous for its koobideh and chelo kebabs and signature wraps. Divya Kaushik sampled other varieties like chicken jujeh and futr kebabs
lanes of Delhi 6, especially those around Jama Masjid, are known for their burnt coal whiff and rings of smoke from the sigris spiralling up in the air. Savouring kebabs and other meat delicacies served traditional way is something that any carnivore in Delhi would have experienced. But there are still not many places in Delhi which you can quote for authentic kebabs. Newly-opened joint at Hauz Khas Village can be an interesting revelation. Much popular for its take-away window than its small seating space, donning the colour blue in all its royalty, Faarsi is the place serving a mix of Turkish and lebanese. The kebabs among other things on the menu are a must-try.
When we visited Faarsi, it was a week day and the evening was just picking up at Hauz Khas Village. Keeping this in mind, it was surprising to see that almost every table at the seating space was full and we could hear that kebabs were the common part of the order being placed. Men at the take away window were busy packing the wraps, tossing the meat in the marination and watching over it being grilled and roasted. “All this hard work is to avoid the last minute rush. Fortunately we took no time in getting popular with our food, that too at a place like Hauz Khas Village, which boasts of restaurants serving different cuisines. The reason is that there was hardly any place where you can get authentic kebabs and wraps for take away. late nights are particularly crowded, when other places start getting shut and people want something light to eat after drinking heavily, this is the place where they can get their food,” shared Ankush Myint, the manager of the place, who has been involved closely with the food that’s served at the Faarsi.
“legend has it that shortage of cooking oil and the torrential terrain of the Middle-East made conditions tough for medieval Persian soldiers, prompting them to come up with the idea of skewering meat on their swords and grilling them in open-field fires. little did they know, that their make-shift arrangement with weapons would give birth to what we now relish as the kebab. Over the years kebabs took many forms. Different countries and cultures made room for this delicious meal in their kitchens. Faarsi is the language the soldiers used to speak, hence, we decided on the name,” shared Ankush.
The menu is divided into various categories, starting with the wraps to salads, appetisers, hot bites, dips, mains, platters, sides, desserts and beverage. We looked at the beverage section first and wanted to go for doogh, a cooling yogurt and mint drink served before meals and it is said that it helps in digestion. But since doogh was not available on the day, we settled for kahva tea, which unlike the Kashmiri kahwa, had a base of coffee and even tasted similar to Turkish coffee. If you are fond of falafel and pita bread, then we suggest without even looking at the menu, order it. The falafel, we assure is the best that you can find in the city. Else you can even go for pita bread that comes with four kind of dips. Or try their dip platter. Appetisers section is the most favoured as it lists down various varieties of kebabs. There is fish koobideh kebab, chicken and lamb chelo kebab that are the most demanded varieties. Vegetarians have less choices, but cottage cheese sheesh, that is served like a grilled paneer tikka with bell peppers, spring rolls stuffed with cheese and futr kebab made of mushrooms can be a good option. From the mains there is a choice of roasted chicken, grilled chicken with hummus, grilled cottage cheese and grilled fish with lemon and butter sauce. We suggest go for their signature wraps instead. The section id divided into koobideh wraps, shawarma wraps and crispy wraps. Chicken and lamb shawarma and spicy lamb koobideh wrap will be an ideal option if you know your meat well.
There aren’t many choices in desserts. You can either go for the baklawa or Persian halwa, prepared with semolina. We chose the latter to conclude our Persian meal.