Rumi

One good thing about moving house is that for the first few nights, before you've got the kitchen set up, you;re forced to eat-out or get takeaway. This is always a good opportunity to explore the eateries in the new area. When we moved into our current house about a year ago, one of the places we tried was a wood-fired pizzeria around the corner. It was expensive, yet they made a point of assuring us how good it would be. It wasn't. It was the lamest excuse for 'gourmet' pizza I've ever experienced. That establishment closed down a while back, and has now been replaced by Rumi, which opened its doors only a week or so ago, specialising in Persian, Arabic, and Turkish cuisine. We gave it a try last night. First of all, the menu is totally confusing. There is no distinction made between entrees, mains, and deserts, and it's difficult to gauge how much food to order without the differing opinions of each waiter. But the place is new - they'll streamline it eventually. For entree, we had homemade labne, and some cigar-shaped pasties filled with feta and cured beef. This was followed by koresht; a casserole of eggplant, walnut, and pomegranate, accompanied by pilaf with carrot and green raisins. It was all very nice, but perhaps not as mind-blowing as we'd hoped, apart from the pastries.