Iranian Dinner and Tea at Abshar

Crystal and gold chandeliers hung from a ceiling (mostly painted blue, complete with clouds) and small flat-screen TVs on the walls showed Persian pop videos. Loud, multi-coloured vases, wall art, and other themed memorabilia littered various shelves and tabletops. And waitresses dressed in brightly-colored persian-inspired costumes.

My family and I recently had dinner at Abshar, an Iranian restaurant located in Jumairah.   Just before entering the restaurant, you’ll find the bakers making their traditional nan-e-Sangak in a small bakery.

The Food:

 

The Star of the Evening:

Thinking there was a special name for this tea, we asked the lady serving our table to bring us sulaimani chai. She looked at us, perplexed. In our household, this is what we call tea without milk. Obviously, the Persians (or perhaps, just this particular lady) didn’t call this tea sulaimani chai.

Looking around us, there was a couple sitting not quite far from our table. They were happily lost in each other’s eyes, whispering sweet-nothings (or that is how it appeared to us). On the table, next to their entwined fingers, sat a gorgeous pot of tea. “That one!” we tell the lady in-charge of our table, our voices filled with pure, unadulterated excitement. “We’d like to order some of that special tea that comes in that beautiful pot!”

“Oh that,” she casually said (probably rolling her eyes in her mind), “You mean you’d like to order some chai?”

Is that what they call this beautiful drink, just chai? I was hoping there was an elegant, difficult-to-pronounce name that would match its fancy presentation.

The tea wasn’t the best we have had, but since we were fascinated by the tea set, it was a beautiful and fun teatime nevertheless.

Abshar:

Hours — Mon to Sun: 12 pm to 12 am.

Parking — Valet

Phone — 04 3940950

Address — Located opposite Miraj Islamic Art Centre, Jumeirah 3, Dubai.

Abshar’s website and  Facebook page.