Darband

Streets with specific ethnic eats - there are quite a few of those in the GVRD. Indian restaurants along Scott Road, Chinese on every street in Richmond, Italian on East Hastings, Vietnamese on Kingsway... The list can go on and on. One more is the Korean expressway AKA North Road. But wait a minute... What's this? A new Persian restaurant, amongst Kimchi and Bibimbap? Shouldn't this be located on the North Shore??? Well, only one way to find out... Gather the troops and attack the food! So Rich Guy, Slick and Big D formed the eating machine for this adventure.

I needed the troops too since the Kebab Combo #4 caught my eye (for only $43.95!). It consisted of 1 x Tenderloin Beef, 1 x Chicken, 2 x Koobideh and 2 x Ground Chicken. Also included were 4 plates of basmati rice and a Salad Shirazi to start. This was a refreshing way to start the meal. Although it wasn't a true version of the salad, we didn't care. As mentioned, we all received a plate of basmati rice with a side of butter. It may seem like a small addition, but the butter adds both texture and flavour. I would've liked to see more saffron rice as it was only sparingly sprinkled on top. Then we were presented with a large platter with all of our kebabs. From left to right: Beef Tenderloin, Chicken, Koobideh & Ground Chicken (alternating) and Tomato. The beef tenderloin was fork tender while the chicken was nicely charred, yet a bit dry. The koobideh and ground chicken were processed enough so the meat was not gritty. There was a good onion hit from both of the kebabs. The only thing I would've liked to see was a touch more charring on the kebabs other than the chicken.

For the heck of it, we also got the Lamb Shank with Baghali Polo. The lamb was super moist and wasn't gamy at all. The meat had that fatty gelatinous texture which makes lamb shank tasty. The accompanying braising sauce was fatty and flavourful. For this dish, the rice was laced with plenty of dill and Lima beans. We were pretty content at the conclusion of our meal. Was everything perfect? No. But it was still quite good especially for the price.

The Good:
- Reasonable pricing
- Good eats
- Friendly family restaurant service

The Bad:
- Meats (other than the chicken) could've used more charring
- A better mix of saffron rice would've been nice
- Not sure if they had A/C or not, but it was warm in there