roya

Opening and operating a Persian restaurant during a (a) skirmish, (b) operation, or (c) war [you choose] while it is (a) won, (b) lost, or (c) forever purgatoried [you choose yet again] might be a challenge, but Roya is doing quite well, thank you. We made reservations about a week out, and only fringe times (early-early, late-late) were available, which was fine with us. Located in ye olde Shortie’s location, chef and owner Amir Hajimaleki, who also runs District Kitchen downstairs, has conjured a Tehrani cafe where an Old World door opens on an Old World decor of deep blue walls accented with pops of soft, luminescent yellow from lights, art, and windows.

The menu is a la carte, tapas style if you will, but we went with the Sofreh Experience where the chef assembles a ten(?)-course meal from start to finish for $85 per person (you can enjoy paired wines for an additional $65 or $125 per person). If you haven’t eaten Persian before, this is the way to go (and the way we went, although I list a la carte prices below for reference). Items on the prix fixe aren’t listed, but you can specify things you don’t want to eat. For example, The Bride prefers not to eat things that moo, oink, or meow, and Roya happily accommodated her request. The Sofreh Experience refers to a Persian lace tablecloth, which they bring out and ceremoniously clear the table, place the tablecloth, and re-populate the table. We were, at first, confused, and concerned that our half-eaten appetizers were being taken away for good, but it was only temporary.

Upon arrival, savory choux pastries with a Persian twist greeted us, a Roya signature (and complimentary) starter. After ordering the Sofreh Experience (everyone at the table has to sign up), our first dish, another starter, was  the Olivieh (organic chicken salad, black truffle, egg, pickles, lemon, and smoked trout roe in a crisp pastry shell; $15). After that was an appetizer, the beflowered Bademjan (grilled eggplant, kashk, onions, chickpeas, crispy garlic, mint, black tahini, and taftoon; $17). The eggplant is pureed into a delicious spread to adorn the Taftoon (sourdough, sesame seeds, and sumac; $5). Insider tip: only eat half of this dish and take the rest home (in fact, eating half of the larger dishes is good advice for the whole menu). I do not favor eggplant, but The Bride was going to have to peel my cold, dead hands from dipping another torn piece of taftoon into that dish. The Sabzi Sumac Greens (romaine, dill, parsley, mint, thai basil, radish, sunflower seeds, and lemon tahini vinaigrette; $15) also appeared at the table.

This was already a lot of food, and we seriously could have (and should have) stopped here. But we sacrificed our non-existent caloric limits for you, dear readers. Iranian hospitality requires an avalanche of food! Next up were the mains. Appropriately, the foundation of any Persian meal arrived first, the Shirin Polo (jeweled rice, nuts, yogurt, and zereshk; $10). This was SO good, the outer crispy layer yinning the yang of the saffron rice glistening with yogurt (and the best value on the menu).

The rice paired well with the kabobs, of which we received one order of Jujeh Kabob (organic chicken thigh, saffron, onion, olive oil, and lime; $25) and two orders of Koobideh Kabob (minced lamb and beef, onion, saffron, and sumac; $22 each). Grilled tomatoes, peppers, and onions rode shotgun with the kabobs. Both kabobs were savory, juicy, and flavorful. And all the meat here is halal.

But wait: There’s more! Also on the table was Mast (cucumber, yogurt, and museer; $8) and Torshi (pickled vegetables with herbs; $5). These items mixed well with the rice and kabobs. I hear the youngsters like pickles, pickled stuff, and pickleball, so they’ll adore the torshi!

BUT WAIT: THERE’S EVEN MORE!!! Another main arrived to thoroughly over-serve us, the Ghalieh Maygoo (colossal shrimp, tamarind herb stew, aleppo pepper, and saffron butter; $36). This was the stand-out dish for us (in addition to that rice). That tamarind herb stew was unlike anything we had ever had before, something our waitress deemed a Persian mole. It tasted like munching on an herb farm that passed through a black hole. I was a bit shocked at the price when I wrote this review and texted the financial damage to The Bride. “Next time, I will order two,” she quickly replied, acting like we’re living large on Greenlawn.

Finally, dessert arrived, the Halva Cremeux (mascarpone and rose water, a chocolate roya, with a saffron syrup; $?) along with tea service. The tea was full of flavors and absolutely amazing (and appears to be assembled in-house?). Finally, Roya sent each of us into the night with a small wooden box with two cookies and a bag of tea. This was a great way to re-reflect on the meal the next day.

This was not an inexpensive night out (they should check IDs at the door to make sure you live on Greenlawn before letting you in). With the Sofreh Experience, two cocktails ($18 and $15), and a bottle of carbonated water ($10), our bill totaled to $230 before tip. We did take a lot home and mined another meal out of it, so there’s that. By my calculations (with conservative assumptions on the uncosted items), we saved about $50 going Sofreh (although there’s no way we would have ordered this much if left alone with the menu). But, as promised, the meal was indeed an experience and one we will not forget.

All in all, Roya is an amazing and unique addition to the neighborhood to celebrate special occasions or drop in for a meal with more focused ordering. Roya means “to dream” in Persian, and we are already dreaming about what we will enjoy on our next visit.

Roya, 7858 Shoal Creek Boulevard, (512) 284-8469, royaaustin.com