Shabestan, Singapore

Shabestan is a delightful restaurant located in popular dining hotspot Robertson Quay.  Robertson Quay is frequented by expats, tourists and yuppies.

The environ is pleasant,  classy and ethnic. This Iranian restaurant faces Singapore River and plenty of trees line the riverwalk.  The view is calming and the view alone, for me, warrants a visit.

The kitchen is open and very clean.  You can see everything that goes on in there and that includes how they make everything from scratch. Forget about microwaved rubbish here.  This is a family business.  The chef is the owner’s brother. For a restaurant,  yes!  This is the best kind of restaurant to have.   It usually means they are hands-on about everything and don’t let standards slip.

There are many beautiful artefacts around the restaurant,  such as lamps and vases.  The private dining room was absolutely beautiful.  I thought it was fit for royalty.

Soup-e-jow S$11

A delicious cooked mixture of barley, vegetables, herbs and chicken

This soup sets the bar for me.   It was rich and creamy,  but not too much.  The little bit of sour cream and lemon that you squeeze into the soup adds that indefinable but crucial zest to the soup.  I knew when the soup arrived and I saw that lemon wedge,  I thought, “Ah, he knows that trick.”. The soup was a warming,  perfect first course for that rainy day I tried the restaurant.  The soup had bits of shredded chicken.  Usually,  I would have thought it was really cheap of the restaurant.  They should have provided chicken chunks. But,  as the soup was rich,  I thought it was the perfect balance.

Kufte Parsi S$14

A delightful combination of Kufte-e-anar and Kufte tebrizi, made of fresh minced lamb, nuts and vegetables

You will see 2 kinds of meatballs,  one lighter and one darker.  Both are made from lamb.  The lighter was made with capsicum; the darker was made from pomegranate.

Capiroska S$19

Vodka, Fresh Mint, Lime, Sugar, Soda

Tekeh Masti S$43

Tender beef fillet cubes marinated in yoghurt and Persian spices

The beef was perfectly grilled, tender and had a bit of nice char aroma to it.  Though it was delicious, it was not the most delicious thing on the plate.  The most delicious thing was the rice!  Surprise, huh?  I don’t know how they did it, but it was the most delicious rice I have ever tasted.  It was fragrant, fluffy and slightly buttery.  The salad on the side was light, simple but a perfectly adequate balance.

Montes Classic Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile (S$17/ glass)

On the palate, the wine is packed with raspberry and dark cherry fruit, with a prevalence of fruit over oak.  Spicy and medium-bodied.

Persian Saffron Ice-cream S$8

Homemade special recipe ice-cream with pistachio, cream and saffron

Another unexpected surprise.  The saffron ice-cream was amazing!  Usually, sweetness is balanced out by sourness (think Sweet and Sour Chicken, sherbet etc).  Boring.  Here, they are more creative—- the sweetness of the ice-cream was very nicely balanced out by the slight bitterness of the saffron.  It was creamy and divine!

All in all, this was one of the best, if not the very best, restaurant I have dined in. Shabestan is definitely the best restaurant I have experienced in 2018.

Shabestan

#01, 80 Mohamed Sultan Rd, 13 The Pier, Singapore 239013

Tel: +65 6836 1270