"Newcomer Albalou is a family-run Persian restaurant on North End Road with a roster of daily specials that make multiple visits worthwhile. Groups sit inside under the bower of an artificial cherry blossom tree (Albalou means sour cherry) with a stuffed peacock staring out imperiously from the corner. There are also a few tables roadside for singles and pairs. The tahdig on the menu is a generous golden nest of rich and crispy rice, which can be ordered on its own as a side, or with stew. It pairs particularly well with the refreshing herbs and acidic dried limes of ghormeh sabzi. To be clear, this isn’t particularly authentic. It’s not common to find a dish of pure tahdig (just the goods at the bottom of the pot) without the accompanying mass of fluffy rice in a Persian household. For one-track tahdig lovers, though, Albalou has got things covered." - Hester van Hensbergen
