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Play your Kurds right, Hanam's restaurant
is Edinburgh
23.7.2006
By Richard Bath
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Edinburgh, -- If
you ever want confirmation of the lightning pace at
which Edinburgh is changing, you need only take a
look at its culinary landscape. A decade ago,
sampling other cultures meant a helping of la dolce
vita or la belle vie. Since the early 1990s,
however, those Italian and French staples have been
joined by a growing number of Thai, Chinese and
Indian restaurants. And now, in the past two to
three years, Edinburgh has welcomed a range of
restaurants normally only found in the most
cosmopolitan of cities.
You could point to the presence of various bustling
Venezuelan, Caribbean, Turkish, Brazilian or
Sudanese restaurants, but there is no better
illustration of the capital's changing social
make-up and attitudes than the virtually
simultaneous arrival earlier this year of two
Kurdish restaurants within a five-minute walk of
each other, in Tollcross.
Laraz, on the site of the famous Mr Boni's
ice-creamery, may have the higher-profile site, but
the low-key, no-frills Hanam's has quickly developed
an incredibly loyal following. This is due in large
part to the attention to detail of owner Jamal
Ahmed, a Kurd who left his home in northern Iraq as
a teenager nine years ago to go to London. Working
for a relative, he was dispatched to Edinburgh for a
meeting, and says he knew "within five minutes" that
this is where he would settle. "The air is clean and
fresh, and the landscape just reminded me of my home
town so much," he says. |
Hanam's restaurant on Brougham Street.
Photo: Scotlandonsunday |
Ahmed is a keen cultural ambassador (just take a
look at Hanam's website), and is in constant
attendance. He is easy to spot, sporting the
traditional dress of the Kurds, a dispossessed
nation whose lands span Turkey, Iraq, Syria and
Iran. Kurdish food has similarities with a variety
of Middle Eastern culinary styles, but is closest to
Turkish food - as you quickly see from the number of
kebabs and kofte (Turkish meatballs) on the menu.
We began with a smorgasbord of starters. All were
outstanding, with the possible exception of the
kulicha. These were rather too-doughy dough balls
saturated in syrup and served with a yoghurt dip. An
important indicator of quality was the falafel, a
well-known Middle Eastern dish made from chickpeas
that I've sampled countless times. Made on the
premises, Hanam's version were flavoursome and
avoided the usual dryness. Another starter to look
out for is the mixed dolma, a blend of aubergines,
peppers and rice wrapped in vine leaves. Or try the
bayengaan, which consists of roasted aubergines
stuffed with rice and yoghurt. Oh, and the qaysi, a
sweet-and-sour dish made with dried apricots,
sultanas and split peas that makes a perfect dipping
sauce for naan bread.
If the collection of starters was, by and large,
very enjoyable, then the main courses were more
mixed. There was a huge number of vegetarian
options, and the tashreeb (which consists of layers
of naan soaked in a sauce of green peppers,
tomatoes, onions and green chillis) was gloriously
pungent. Unfortunately, my dish of overcooked lamb
chops was so dry that it was barely edible.
The puddings were much the same. The baklava, the
syrup-soaked pistachio-studded filo-pastry cakes
that are found throughout the Middle East, but so
hard to make perfectly, were just right. Not too
greasy or sweet, they were at the correct end of the
spectrum for the Western palate. The same could not
be said of the lockum khasi, the sweet dough balls
dripping in syrup. These weren't too sweet, but they
were cloyingly difficult to eat. The meal did finish
on a high, though, with the serving of some chai -
the traditional and incredibly strong mint tea
beloved of carpet salesmen and consumed by the
gallon in Turkey.
While the meal wasn't expensive, neither is Hanam's
incredibly cheap. My advice would be to opt for the
mushakal set meal, which allows you to order what
are described as small portions of each course, but
which adds up to a pretty mountainous meal. At a
tenner, this is considerably better value than
putting together a full meal, especially when the
shish kebabs cost almost that on their own.
A word about paying, whether in the restaurant or if
you get Hanam's to deliver. Ahmed has yet to get the
facilities to take credit cards, so it's either cash
or cheque. And it's also worth remembering that he
doesn't sell booze (though he does have
non-alcoholic beer, wine and champagne). There is no
corkage charge if you bring your own, but the only
place to buy wine nearby is a convenience store that
has a limited, if cheap, selection.
Vital statistics
Hanam's, 13 Brougham Street, Edinburgh (0131 228
8082, www.hanams.com
scotlandonsunday scotsman.com
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