Teaspoon Restaurant brings Persian delights to city’s south
Ali Bagheri is first and foremost a business analyst. Armed with business degrees from the University of Tehran, Bagheri arrived in Calgary in 2011 with his wife, a PhD candidate at the University of Calgary. Bagheri assessed that his initial task was to improve his English, so he took a job at Future Shop, all the while analyzing the business environment around.
In short order, Bagheri realized that the most promising business he could create would be a Persian restaurant on the south side of the city. Calgary’s handful of Persian restaurants are located in the centre and near north of the city so he saw a culinary gap that needed filling.
The result is Teaspoon Restaurant and Catering at 3220 28th Street S.W. (403-460-6779) in the Richmond Shopping Centre. Bagheri says the moniker comes from a centuries-old name for Tehran, a name that sounds like “teaspoon.” It could also be a nod to Iran’s favourite beverage — tea. (At Teaspoon, which doesn’t serve alcohol, the tea is Earl Grey spiked with cardamom.)
Teaspoon is a small, 26-seat space that serves many of the kebab and koresht (stews) favourites of Persia. There’s gormeh-sabzi, a stew of kidney beans and beef; fesenjoon, a stew of walnuts, pomegranate syrup and meatballs; kebab joojeh of chicken, tomato and onion; all served with saffron rice. Teaspoon also serves wraps, vegetarian dishes, saffron rice pudding, and the unique Persian treat, rosewater-saffron-pistachio ice cream. It’s open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday.
At the opposite end of the city, in the Interpacific Business Park at 3132 26th Street N.E., a new Moroccan restaurant has sprung up. Moroccan Jannah (403404-1266) is serving traditional Moroccan dishes such as lamb tajine, couscous royale laden with beef, chicken, shrimp and merguez sausage, and bastilla pie of chicken, egg, roasted almonds, wrapped in phyllo pastry and sprinkled with powdered sugar and cinnamon.
Moroccan Jannah is also serving some Middle Eastern dishes, such as shish taouk (chicken kebabs) and kafta (meatballs), which appear in both Middle Eastern and Moroccan cuisine. And a sweet Berber couscous with raisins and honey is also on the list.
The setting is simple at Moroccan Jannah; there’s none of the elaborate tapestries and decorations we see at Sultan’s Tent or The Casbah, Customers are welcome to eat with their right hand or go western with cutlery.
Moroccan Jannah is open daily for lunch and dinner and does not serve alcohol.
Looking even further north, Symons Valley Ranch has opened Level Two of its market at 14555 Symons Valley Road N.W. Now filled with almost 50 vendors, Symons Valley is becoming the much-desired farmers’ market that residents of the north side of Calgary have been wanting for years.
Symons Valley is a fun place to visit — the rustic log walls and creaky plank floors are a perfect fit for the market. And the aroma of Simple Simon’s soups and the Spicy Jamakin’s jerk pork and banana bread French toast are tantalizing. On the healthy side, Pure Raw Nature does lovely raw foods and Hearts Choice does light — but as spicy as you’d like — Thai dishes to take home.
Mainstays on Level One include Papa Chocolat, The Cucumber Man, Bauer Meats, Greens, Eggs & Ham, Roaming Alberta Meats, Sunworks Farm, Sylvan Star Cheese, Phil & Sebastian, and many more. Joining the group on Level Two are Pixies Candy Parlour, Banuka Bakery, Mom’s Happy Kitchen (serving Cambodian food) and a number of craft and fashion booths.
Symons Valley is currently open Friday through Sunday, but will be expanding its hours in summer to Thursday evenings. Summer vendors are being sought for an Open Air Market. Interested vendors can contact Symons Valley at 403-774-7246 or access a registration form at www.symonsvalleyranch.com
And look for Symons Roadhouse to open soon, too. The latest creation by restaurateur Witold Twardowski, Symons will feature the culinary talents of chef Kevin Turner. The former executive chef of Brava Bistro is already testing recipes in a huge mesquite smoker to round out a menu of meaty roadhouse dishes.
JOHN GILCHRIST’S RESTAURANT GUIDE TO CALGARY, CANMORE AND BEYOND IS AVAILABLE IN BOOKSTORES AND SPECIALTY FOOD SHOPS. HE CAN BE REACHED AT ESCURIAL@TELUS.NET OR 403-235-7532 OR FOLLOW HIM ON TWITTER AT @GILCHRISTJOHN