Perfumes of Persia

3.5/5 stars

Before delving into the delicate, perfumed spices and tangy marinades of Persian cuisine, we must compare Khatoon to Beijing’s one other Iranian restaurant: Rumi. The menus offer very similar selections of quality dishes, but for now at least, it’s atmosphere that dramatically sets the two apart.

Of course, this is deeply related to how long the respective restaurants have been open. Rumi was long ago discovered by diners from around the world. Newly opened Khatoon attracts almost exclusively Muslim guests, which gives it an atmosphere closer to Alameen or Alsafa. And while Rumi’s BYOB policy is one of its strong points, we wouldn’t feel comfortable straying from fresh juices (¥22-28) at Khatoon.

But on to the food: simple, clean, wonderfully flavored dishes that are emblematic of Persian cooking. The fragrant, lemony marinated chicken kebab with rice (¥60) is excellent. The lamb chops (¥82) are leaner than the ones at Rumi, and thankfully less prone to being burnt. You get a choice of rice or grilled vegetables to accompany, and we strongly recommend the rice, which is perfectly spiced and good enough to eat on its own. The hummus (¥25) is mild, smooth and good for Beijing, and the tasty yogurt and spinach dip (¥25) is quite similar to Rumi’s. The Persian baklava (¥26) is made a thick dough instead of flakey filo, with a marzipan-like filling, and an intriguing blend of spices that tastes of a blend of rosewater and gingerbread.

Service is a drawback—our Chinese waitress was painfully unfamiliar with the food she was serving—but it’s not hopeless. We’d give it a few weeks and hope she gets to try some hummus in the meantime.

Sienna Parulis-Cook