Most people come to Restaurang Tehran for the kebab. Photo: Richard Orange
Ystadsgatan, the street running along one side of Malmö's Möllevången Square, now boasts three competing Persian restaurants, all with their own takes on Iranian kebabs and khoresh stews.
But Fardin Soleymani, 47, best known in the city for his popular cycle repair shop, is convinced his is the best.
"My customers include everyone: Iranian, Kurds, Arabs, Bosnian Swedes, everyone," he says. "If they live in Malmö, they come here. It's everyone who likes Persian food."
With the restaurant's popular Chelo Kebab Koobideh (two slabs of mincemeat kebab served with rice and grilled tomatoes) costing just 55 kronor ($6) at lunchtime, you can see the attraction.
The restaurant is decorated with photographs of the Azadi Tower in Tehran, the city Soleymani left to come to Sweden 18 years ago. The tower was commissioned by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, and completed in 1971, eight years before he was deposed.
As is traditional in Persian restaurants, you get bread and raw onion to whet your appetite before the main course arrives, and the rice is served with a crunchy flake of fried rice.
The lunch offer also covers a selection of vegetarian and meat khoresh (stews), but I splashed out instead on the more exotic fesenjan (chicken thighs slowly cooked in a rich brown sauce made from pomegranates and walnuts), which I had with zereshk polo (rice served with dark red barberries).
I washed it down with dogh, a drink made with yoghurt, mint and carbonated water, which Soleymani and his cooks mix themselves.
My friend went for the khoreshte lobia (white beans in tomato and dried lime sauce).
Name: Restaurang Tehran
Address: Ystadsgatan 25, Malmö
This feature is part of The Local's Malmö Lunch series, exploring the city's international street cuisine. Where should our reporter Richard Orange eat next? Give us your suggestions in the comments below!
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