Eivan Restaurant & Bar

I really do love Persian cuisine and I honestly don't think I eat enough of it.  Living in Burnaby, I'm not in the hotbed of Persian food, as we all know that the North Shore is where it's at.  So with an invite to try out Eivan Restaurant & Bar, we were excited to have an Iranian feast.  Located in the former location of Zeitoon, there have been some renovations made.  Hence, there is a more upscale look with a beautiful mural on one side of the restaurant.

Right off the bat, the first appy we tried was absolutely delicious.  Sitting in a house dressing, walnuts, EVOO and parmesan, the Eivan Olives were fantastic.  Complimenting the brininess of the olives was a sweet dressing that must've had date syrup.  The sweetness helped balance the flavours and balsamic added tanginess.  Add in the cheese and we had some nutty saltiness.

Equally good was the Mirzaghasemi or Eggplant Dip with egg and tomato.  Delicate and a bit jammy, the eggplant was so appealingly smoky with some natural sweetness and a background tanginess.  Adding more silkiness, the soft egg yolk also created some custard-like textures.  This all went very well with the barbari bread as the bread was firm and did not wilt with the wet ingredients.

When we ordered the Persian Meatballs, we were not expecting such huge ones hitting the table (feel free to insert joke here).   These were moist and stayed intact despite being cut into quarters.  There was definitely the gaminess of lamb present, which I personally enjoy.  The earthiness of the spices came through while nuts and raisins provided texture and pops of flavour.

We didn't end there with the appies as we had the Hummus too.  It was gigantic portion of creamy chickpeas and tahini.  Other than the nuttiness and sweetness, we found the acidity on point as well as the smoothness of the EVOO.  The Dolmehs were also a large portion and the best part was the complimenting ingredients of tangy and sweet barberries, nutty walnuts and fried onions.

Last starter we had was the Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings with sweet chili dip and cucumber yogurt.  These featured crispy skin that was somewhat rendered.  The meat itself was juicy and in turn, super tender.  I felt the wings themselves could've used more seasoning as they didn't taste like much by themselves.  However, the sweet chili dip did add the necessary flavour to the dish.

Onto our bigger items, we had the large Vaziri platter sporting one skewer of chicken and loghmeh.  This was a generous portion of meat accompanied by rice, charred tomato, pepper and herbs.  The chicken was tender and moist while the ground beef and lamb skewer was almost juicy and had some sweetness from the onions.  That rice was fantastic as it featured a crispy socarrat and was aromatic.

Our other large item was half of a Cornish Game Hen served with barberry & saffron rice.  It also came with a sauce that was similar, if not the same, as the Persian Meatballs.  The white meat was on the drier side, but the sauce did help in terms of moisture and flavour (sweet and savoury with umami).  Dark meat was predictably more moist.  Loved the rice as the barberry provided bursts of sweetness and tang.

We ended things off with the Saffron Ice Cream and the Tiramisu.  That ice cream was thick, rich and creamy.  Definitely aromatic and slightly floral.  Pieces of frozen butter made things even more luxurious.  As for the Tiramisu, I thought the ladyfingers could've used more soaking, but the creamy and sweet mascarpone helped alleviate things.  Overall, we had a great meal at Eivan.  Really enjoyed the flavours and the generous portions of delicious food.  Combine that with a nice atmosphere and reasonable prices, it is a place you can visit any night of the week.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Impactful flavours

- Generous portions

- Reasonable pricing

The Bad:

- Maybe the Cornish game hen could've been more moist

- Parking in the area during peak times is limited

Avishan Persian Restaurant

After the first time I had visited Avishan out in Langley, the food continues to occupy a space in my mind.  The meats were prepared with such precision and the flavours, oh they were impactful and delicious!  Not to mention the generous portions as well as the friendly service provided by the staff.  What a little gem in the heart of Langley City.  I've been wanting to do a return visit for quite some time and coincidentally, I was invited back!  Well, they didn't have to ask me twice!

Upon sitting down, we were served the obligatory Black Tea with sugar cube on the side.  This is typical of Persian culture to offer guests some tea before anything else.  This was a nice start to the meal.  Just like last time, I had to go for the Kash Bademjan (Eggplant Dip) to kick things off.  Consisting of mashed grilled eggplant topped with whey sauce, sauteed onion, garlic and mint, this was a veritable flavour bomb.  Lots of tanginess from the whey complimented by the earthiness of turmeric.  The eggplant itself had a bit of smokiness and was almost creamy.  The chopped walnuts provided some texture to the dish.

When we look at a menu and see Chicken Wings, we might consider it a default item.  You know, something that all menus must have so that they are appealing to as many people as possible.  However, these were no ordinary fried chicken wings doused in some form of hot sauce.  Rather these were grilled and exhibited intense smokiness and caramelized flavours.  They were super flavourful and the meat was still quite juicy.  The skin was nice charred and somewhat rendered.

If you wanted a variety of meats, the best dish to get here (in my opinion) is the Vaziri.  This consisted of one each of a Koobideh and Grilled Chicken kebab. Made of ground lamb, the koobideh was juicy and tender with the unmistakable gaminess of lamb.  It was well-seasoned and spiced where the sweetness of the onions came through as well as the earthiness of the turmeric.  As for the chicken, it had some nice charring and the meat itself was tender.  It wasn't juicy per se, but not dry either.

It was suggested we try the Ribeye Steak.  Well, I wasn't really sure about that, but was pleasantly surprised that it came out perfectly medium-rare (close to rare, it is how I like it).  The steak had a nice char and it was well-rested.  The result was tender meat that wasn't oozing out juices.  This paired well with the saffron rice as well as the barberries with their tangy sweetness.  Considering how expensive steak is these days, it was a great value at only $39.99.

Normally, I'm not a fan of ordering Salmon Kebabs because they are usually overdone and flavourless.  However, this one completely impressed me because not only was the salmon moist and flaky, it was also completely seasoned with smokiness.  The salmon was so juicy that you can literally see the moisture on the wood cutting board.  This, like the other dishes, was served with saffron rice, salad and grilled tomato.

The last time I was at Avishan, I really wanted to have what Bluebeard was having - The Braised Lamb Shank.  But I was enjoying lamb chops already...  This time around, we did get the lamb shank and oh it was fantastic.  Fall-off-the-bone and super moist with the usual lamb gaminess.  It was well-seasoned and took on the sweetness of the onions and aroma of the roasted garlic.  This has to be one of the best dishes here amongst many great dishes.

Onto the sweets, we had the Cake of the Day, which was Pistachio Cake as well as the Saffron Ice Cream.  The cake looked fantastic and despite some harder parts on the exterior, the inside was moist and nutty.  Not too sweet and ate actually rather light with the fresh cream.  As for the ice cream, it was a touch icy, but plenty aromatic and purposefully sweet.  A nice finish to an absolutely delicious meal.  If you haven't been to Avishan, I suggest you do.  Sure, it is in Langley, but if you are heading out there, make it a destination.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Delicious well-prepared food
- Well-portioned
- Nice people

The Bad:
- Dining space is small, so make a rez or you need to wait