Food & Drink 3.5
Service 1.5
Atmosphere 3.5
Value 3
Kateh is a restaurant specialising in Persian food, located in Little Venice down a quaint side-street, on a site formerly occupied by the Green Olive. My dining comrade and I had been meaning to go for some time, it being local and also having being recommended by a Persian friend. When we arrived on a weekday night, the place was almost full, generally a compelling endorsement for any restaurant. However, from there it went somewhat downhill. We were greeted in a rather brusque fashion by the owner, told our table was not ready (since the previous guests were finishing their coffee) and left standing in the tiny vestibule of the restaurant, between the entrance and the dining room itself. We could see there was one table still free, but were not offered this. 5 minutes elapsed with no change. We were beginning to feel a bit miffed by this stage. The manager then came out, not explicitly to apologise but to run (in a slight Fawlty Towers-like moment) to the next-door pub in an attempt to locate the guests who should have occupied the spare table. Being unable to find them, we were eventually shown to the table and given a glass of (slightly too sweet) Prosecco by way of begrudging apology. Despite being run by an Italian, the menu is predominantly Persian. We were impressed by its length and variety, but my vegetarian comrade noted with some disappointment that although there was a broad range of starters from which she could choose, the main options were more limited for non-meat/ fish eaters, totalling just two, one of which was a fairly anonymous-sounding vegetable stew. We did eventually decide (crab cake and lamb for me; grilled aubergine and stew for my comrade) and were in the process of literally placing our order when the manager left our table to serve food to another. Nonplussed would not even describe our emotion accurately, particularly given the lack of apology; risible would be more appropriate. When the food came, it was good, but by no means excellent. Of the four dishes above, my lamb was probably the stand-out, pleasantly lean meat accompanied by pomegranates and mint. The service remained erratic throughout. One compensating factor was the wine list: extensive and varied, especially for a neighbourhood restaurant and the manager did at least seem enthusiastic and knowledgeable on this topic. We enjoyed a fine (and quite reasonably priced) Austrian Zweigelt. It is unlikely we will be returning. Maybe we were just unlucky (and clearly Kateh has to be doing something right to be this full), but there are certainly better local options in Little Venice: the Red Pepper for Italian and Gogi for Korean, to name but two.
Ingrid S
25 September 2013
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 4
Value 3
Persian Delight
Kateh has been shortlisted as Time Out‘s Best New Local Restaurant and deservedly so. Tucked away in a hidden Little Venice street and designed in warm, earthy hues, what must be London’s cutest Persian restaurant is a tiny piece of treasure. Each part of our meal was a delight and every bit of it was homemade, right down to the brilliant Taftoon flatbread which managed to be both feather-light and bursting with aromatic flavour, and the exquisite Persian date and walnut cookies (which arrived warm from the oven) and cinnamon ice cream. In between, were a beautifully tender tandoori red mullet, grilled baby aubergines, succulent skewer of venison and a heavenly veal stew with dried lime. Wine-wise, Kateh has a well-chosen list, and there are some lovely wines available by the carafe. We had a 2009 Chilean Carmenere.
Food & Drink 4.5
Service 5
Atmosphere 4
Value 5
Small but elegant and cosy place, tucked away off the Warwick avenue.
It seems family run. Very pleasant and attentive service. All adding up to definite up-market image.
V.s. usual Iranian places menu is refreshingly short, but still contains all the favourites. Cooking is obviously authentic and of high quality. Still not pompous and not chefy.
In order to cover wide variety of dishes, two of us tried non-meaty starter, stew and grill dishes. All very well cooked.
After enjoying Iranian food in London for last 15+ years, I can say that grill (veal and lamb mince) was of the highest quality. Also the desserts are very authentic and well presented. Lovely food, atmosphere and a bottle of very potent French red (£22).
Final bill came to surprisingly low and unexpected £70. Anything around 100 mark, for this experience would not surprise me and will not be difficult to pay. 70 is a big bargain. No, make that huge bargain. And one more very important detail: service is not included in the bill.
Will be heading back at my earliest convenience.