KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 8 — What’s in a dish?
Is it simply a sum of its parts — ingredients, spices, oils, and heat reacting on our tongues? Or is there something more?
For Sharifah Samira Syed Anwar, the Persian food she grew up eating was simple — not too many ingredients, just a handful of fruits, nuts and spices, cooked lovingly. But it is also much more than that.
The 32-year-old’s food journey began during trying times, with a sweet idea born out of the pandemic.
She started selling noon khamei — Persian cream puffs — from home, naming the business Fari & Ali after her grandparents.
The cream puffs were inspired by cherished memories of visiting her grandparents in Tehran and enjoying these treats during her childhood.
As the business gained popularity, she moved the operation out of her home and into a proper shop, where she was joined by her cousin, Sharifah Athirah Syed Azmin, 34.
Sharifah Samira Syed Anwar, 32 (left) and Sharifah Athirah Syed Azmi, 34, founders of Fari and Ali’s Kitchen. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa
Last year, the duo took the leap, opening Fari and Ali’s Kitchen, a full-service bakery, deli, and cafe in Bukit Damansara.
Every detail, from its name to the pictures on the walls and the furniture, serves as a heartfelt tribute to their grandparents and their Persian heritage.
Some bowls, plates and rugs come from Iran, while others come straight from their homes — including old family pictures that adorn the back wall, and even a repurposed pillowcase, framed and hung up.
Though she’s reluctant to label it a “Persian restaurant” and prefers “Persian–inspired” instead, Samira’s aim with Fari and Ali’s Kitchen is to introduce more Persian dishes to Malaysians.
She hopes that people will feel the warmth and hospitality of Persian culture through the cuisine, which extends far beyond their famous cream puffs.
Take the traditional Persian Breakfast (RM38), which comes with a cup of Persian tea, or cha’i.
The Barbari flatbread, baked in-house, is thick and chewy with a slight crunch — the ideal canvas for both varieties of Persian cheese.
The traditional Persian Breakfast at Fari and Ali’s Kitchen. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa
One is crumblier and saltier, resembling feta, while the other is softer and milkier, spreading easily.
My colleague Milad, a native of Iran, showed us how to complete the breakfast with cucumber, tomatoes, and brined walnuts, which had none of the bitter aftertaste often found in older walnuts.
The tomatoes were salted, which was a touch I appreciated greatly.
I was less fond of the hard-boiled egg which had been dusted with za’atar spice mix, though I attribute that more to childhood memories of classmates opening their packed boiled egg lunches to sulphur-bomb the unsuspecting class.
But I do love eggs — especially if they’re scrambled, or have a runny yolk. The Persian Omelette (RM22) dares to ask: What if you didn’t have to choose?
The Persian Omelette is scrambled, and sports a lovely runny yolk. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa
Omelette in name, but scrambled in nature, the eggs sat in a fresh tomato sauce with the added sweetness of caramelised onions.
Two perky yolks perched in the centre, their surfaces slightly burnt like Australian tourists in Bali.
However, unlike most Australian tourists scootering around Bali, these yolks were comforting and a joy to dip into with torn-off pieces of taftoon flatbread.
Perhaps my favourite dish from their all-day breakfast menu, the Kashke Bademjan on toast (RM18) takes the classic cooked eggplant dip and serves it up on a piece of buttered sourdough.
Kashke Bademjan, a spread of smoky caramelised eggplant and whey on buttered sourdough, is my favourite dish on the menu. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa
The toast element is a self-aware wink at the cafe’s Bukit Damansara setting, I’d imagine.
The whey, or kashk, lends a thick, tangy richness to the smoky eggplant that makes this an ideal spread.
A generous topping of fried shallots, punctuated by fresh pomegranate and soft cheese, rounds out an excellent dish.
On Tuesdays, like the day we visited, Fari and Ali’s Kitchen offers a set lunch that changes each week.
Zereshk Polo Ba Morgh (RM30) is a Persian classic: chicken stewed with saffron, served with rice cooked with barberries (zereshk), a tart berry commonly used in Persian cuisine.
Zereshk Polo Ba Morgh, saffron chicken with caramelised barberries and rice, is one of the Tuesday lunch specials. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa
Due to its acidity, barberries are usually cooked with sugar before being added to the rice, but here they’re cooked in honey.
The rice was impeccably light, fluffy, and flavoured with saffron, with the berries providing a sweet yet slightly tart contrast. They reminded me of dried cranberries, but sharper.
Caramelised onions added a touch of sweetness to balance the rice, which paired beautifully with the strong saffron notes and the soft, fall-off-the-bone tender chicken.
Of course, each order of the set lunch comes with one of their famous cream puffs. You can’t come here without trying one, which our own Lee Khang Yi described as “sublime”. It’s a full-bellied “yes” from me too.
Where it all began: their famous cream puffs. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa
Though Fari and Ali’s Kitchen is usually closed on Sundays, the space occasionally hosts a Persian takeover by Leily’s Kitchen, a home cooked Persian food business run by Samira’s mother, offering a special taste of their family’s culinary heritage.
So, to answer the question. I think there is something more.
I’m no expert on Persian culture or cuisine (my deepest foray was studying Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis in school), but I walked out of Fari and Ali’s Kitchen thoroughly fed, no — nourished.
Can a cream puff or some chicken and rice convey warmth and hospitality on its own?
Maybe. But a meal at Fari and Ali’s Kitchen most definitely can.
Brilliant blue: Fari and Ali’s Kitchen, which turned one recently, is right next to the Caring pharmacy in Bukit Damansara. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa
Fari and Ali’s Kitchen
65G, Jalan Medan Setia 1, Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur.
Open Monday to Saturday, 8.30am-5.30pm
Tel: 011-2408 9838
Website: https://fariandali.com/
Instagram: @fari.and.ali
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
** Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.
*** Follow Ethan Lau on Instagram @eatenlau for more musings on food and mildly self-deprecating attempts at humour.
