"Mahdi is a restaurant for hungry carnivores. The portion sizes—mounds of buttery saffron rice and kebab skewers—are for those who eat with their eyes first. But you should pay attention to the dips too. Get the stringy, smoky kashke bademjan and scoop it with warm bread, plus a plate of the masto khiar for eating alongside your cubed joojeh or koobideh skewers. The Persian spot has been a Hammersmith landmark for over two decades and once you settle into a corner table, with tapestries draped around you and the smell of butter hanging in the air, you’ll understand why this place is so popular." - heidi lauth beasley, jake missing, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna