Exquisite simplicity reigns at Persian restaurant Delarra

When I first started writing reviews last year, I struggled with what to include. Should I focus on expensive, popular places, or stick with lesser-known spots serving high-quality food that wasn’t getting enough attention?

After a while, I leaned towards the latter, and so my review of Delara at 2272 W 4th Avenue, a Persian restaurant in Kitsilano that I visited last summer, languished, sitting unwritten.

In keeping with today’s Persian-themed newsletter, I thought it was time to brush off this review and share a short writeup of why I think it’s a worthwhile spot to visit 

For anyone in Vancouver’s restaurant scene, the spot is well known. With 820 reviews on Google Maps, it’s a popular restaurant. It also features on the Michelin Guide as a Selected Restaurant. 

Delara calls itself a modern Persian restaurant and it certainly leans into that theme. The menu isn’t expansive, with five starters, six mains, and a rotating selection of specials. Simple dish titles like Lamb Shank and Roasted Cauliflower belie a complex combination of traditional flavours and ingredients, a balance they execute with perfection.  

Like the menu, the restaurant’s design may appear overly simple, with a design that’s in many new restaurants in town. But the subtle Persian influence is unmistakable. Windows with intricate geometric patterns found normally in mosques, arched doorways, light and sand-like colours, an intense blue of the napkins, it all transports you to a different world.

Dishes are taken a step further than their titles would convey. Simple spiced olives, yes, but sauced up with pomegranate molasses and walnuts, marinated in chili and citrus, a sweet and bitter bite that sets the simple fruit apart from other restaurants. Sometimes the simplest dish tells you everything you need to know about a place. 

Their Grilled Sourdough Flatbread, browned and topped with sesame seeds, is crunchy, crispy, and soft on the inside, the perfect vehicle for their dips, which change on a rotating basis. At $16, it’s a steal. Be careful to save room for the full meal.

The standout dish for me was the Fesenjoon ($47), a pan-roasted duck breast or leg with a sauce of walnut and pomegranate molasses, a sauce you can’t forget. Tangy and rich, it complemented the duck perfectly. Plus, you get to try the famous tahdeeg, rice with a crispy golden baked bottom, flipped so the browned part is on top. Beautiful. 

If Persian food isn’t something you try often, then make a point of visiting. I think back to my meal last summer with friends on a hot day, the airy restaurant, the smells, tastes and welcoming experience, and I regret not publishing this review sooner.

Noise Level: We didn’t find it loud. 

Recommended: Marinated Smoked Olives, Fesenjoon, Grilled Sourdough Flatbread and Seasonal Dips.

What I wish I had ordered: Grilled Beer Ghalieh, Turmeric Orange Cake.

Drinks: $15-$18, in the mid-range for a fancier restaurant. 

Price: $$. Each big dish is over $29, but they’re big and easily shareable. 

Other details: Wheelchair-friendly, vegetarian options (but not many), celiac options, 30+ seats, sharing plates, booking available online.

Even more details: I’m not a brunch fan, but even I want to visit, with a selection of creative dishes completely different than normal brunch restaurants. They also have happy hour with reduced-priced small plates and cocktails for $12. 

Similar restaurants:

• Denman has three Persian restaurants. I enjoyed my visit to Khagan, which serves much more traditional Persian food, with an emphasis on skewers and rice.