Banu Kabob and Vodka bar

So for a friend's birthday festivities yesterday we found ourselves at Banu on Queen Street. This is an Iranian restaurant with a queen west-y feel... You know trendy, sleek etc. It was my first time trying Persian food, although it is very similar to many things I have had. They had some crazy vodka martinis and the food was fresh and very good. The food wasn't cheap but everything was organic, super-fresh and it was a fun sharing experience so was worth it.

We had:

Chai - this was with saffron and cardamom... Very different from Indian Chai with more delicate flavours. It was served with a small dish of cookies. They were great with cardamom and spicy flavours, yum!

Martinis - I had a cucumber, mint and basil martini. It was fresh and delicious but again very delicate. Don't expect your average bold martini. You can tell that they used high quality ingredients and at $13 they should! Others at our table tried martinis with pomegranate, sour cherry and even saffron all with that same fresh delicate flavour. We all had a sip of each others and I think we all agreed that the one with the cucumber was the best.

Nan o Paneer - barbari sesame bread with sheep’s milk cheese, walnuts, and fresh herbs
- This was delicious! The cheese was very creamy not overly flavourful but it was very good. It came with sour cherry preserves which were amazing with the cheese... In fact, I will buy some to go with my cheese platters in future.

Zeitun Parvardeh - green kalamata Olives mixed with pomegranate molasses, anjelica, garlic, and ground walnut
- Although others at the table loved this, I was not a fan. The sweetness and strange spice combined with the salty green olives was just too much for me. I'd pass next time.

Laboo - oven roasted beets on a bed of endive and sheep's milk cheese
- Good but not amazing. It tasted like beets.

Koobideh - 2 skewers of minced ground sirloin
- Amazing! This was tender and flavourful, my favourite dish of the night. All of the meats came on a share plate with a thin nan (like roti).

Torsh - pomegranate molasses and walnut crusted beef tenderloin
- We ordered this medium and it was perfect. Again, you could taste the quality. Everyone loved this. I again, wasn't sure about the overwhelming sweetness... but don't listen to me, I was alone! I did enjoy it but not as much at the Koobideh.

Murgh - grilled saffron citrus chicken breast .
- This was fantastic. Very fragrant and cooked perfectly

Everything came with fresh herbs mainly basil and tarragon. It was all fresh, flavourful and tasty.

There were 5 of us,we were all satisfied and the bill came to $185... just over $200 with tip. Would I go again? It was a fun place to try and go as a group but I don't see myself becoming a regular. My rating: Fun!