Mirza ghasemi @ Alma Persian & Turkish BBQ
302 Park Rd, Toxteth, Liverpool, L8 4QY
Perhaps because of a lack of local familiarity with Persian cuisine — or possibly due the perennial popularity of kebab houses — you often find that Iranian restaurants in Liverpool choose to describe themselves as ‘Mediterranean charcoal BBQs’ or even ‘Turkish grills’.
Alma on Park Road in Toxteth splits the difference, billing itself as a Persian and Turkish BBQ. However the only feints towards Turkish, Levantine or Mediterranean cuisine on the menu is the hummus on the cold starters section and a lone Iskandar kebab on the mains. Everything else on offer here is pure Persian.
On a sizeable charcoal grill, contained in a glass enclosure at the back of the restaurant, a chef cooks Iranian classics like shishlik (lamb chop), koobideh (minced lamb) and joojeh (chicken marinated in garlic). All are served with lightly pickled red onions, charred long green peppers and saffron rice, complete with a tiny pre-packed pat of butter straight from a hotel breakfast buffet.
The kebabs here are excellent, and it would be tempting to skip the rest of the dishes here for another skewer, but you need to make room for the Mirza Ghasemi — meltingly soft smoked aubergine, mixed with tomato, garlic and egg.
At your request the egg can be added to the mix so it’s just barely cooked — giving the dish an incredible velvety texture — or it can fried, with a perfect runny yolk, and added to the top of the aubergine. Either way it’s served with a basket of delicious, pillowy sesame bread.
