KUALA LUMPUR (Malay Mail) -- What’s in a dish? Is it simply a sum of its parts — ingredients, spices, oils, and heat reacting on our tongues? Or is there something more?
For Sharifah Samira Syed Anwar, the Persian food she grew up eating was simple — not too many ingredients, just a handful of fruits, nuts and spices, cooked lovingly. But it is also much more than that.
The 32-year-old’s food journey began during trying times, with a sweet idea born out of the pandemic.
She started selling noon khamei — Persian cream puffs — from home, naming the business Fari & Ali after her grandparents.
The cream puffs were inspired by cherished memories of visiting her grandparents in Tehran and enjoying these treats during her childhood.
As the business gained popularity, she moved the operation out of her home and into a proper shop, where she was joined by her cousin, Sharifah Athirah Syed Azmin, 34.
Last year, the duo took the leap, opening Fari and Ali’s Kitchen, a full-service bakery, deli, and cafe in Bukit Damansara.
Every detail, from its name to the pictures on the walls and the furniture, serves as a heartfelt tribute to their grandparents and their Persian heritage.
Some bowls, plates and rugs come from Iran, while others come straight from their homes — including old family pictures that adorn the back wall, and even a repurposed pillowcase, framed and hung up.
Though she’s reluctant to label it a “Persian restaurant” and prefers “Persian–inspired” instead, Samira’s aim with Fari and Ali’s Kitchen is to introduce more Persian dishes to Malaysians.
She hopes that people will feel the warmth and hospitality of Persian culture through the cuisine, which extends far beyond their famous cream puffs.
Take the traditional Persian Breakfast (RM38), which comes with a cup of Persian tea, or cha’i.
The Barbari flatbread, baked in-house, is thick and chewy with a slight crunch — the ideal canvas for both varieties of Persian cheese.
One is crumblier and saltier, resembling feta, while the other is softer and milkier, spreading easily.
Milad, a native of Iran, showed how to complete the breakfast with cucumber, tomatoes, and brined walnuts, which had none of the bitter aftertaste often found in older walnuts.
The tomatoes were salted, which was a touch I appreciated greatly.
Omelette in name, but scrambled in nature, the eggs sat in a fresh tomato sauce with the added sweetness of caramelized onions.
Two perky yolks perched in the centre, their surfaces slightly burnt like Australian tourists in Bali.
However, unlike most Australian tourists scootering around Bali, these yolks were comforting and a joy to dip into with torn-off pieces of taftoon flatbread.
A favorite dish from their all-day breakfast menu, the Kashke Bademjan on toast takes the classic cooked eggplant dip and serves it up on a piece of buttered sourdough.
The whey, or kashk, lends a thick, tangy richness to the smoky eggplant that makes this an ideal spread.
A generous topping of fried shallots, punctuated by fresh pomegranate and soft cheese, rounds out an excellent dish.
On Tuesdays, Fari and Ali’s Kitchen offers a set lunch that changes each week.
Zereshk Polo Ba Morgh is a Persian classic: chicken stewed with saffron, served with rice cooked with barberries (zereshk), a tart berry commonly used in Persian cuisine.
Due to its acidity, barberries are usually cooked with sugar before being added to the rice, but here they’re cooked in honey.
The rice was impeccably light, fluffy, and flavored with saffron, with the berries providing a sweet yet slightly tart contrast. 
Caramelized onions added a touch of sweetness to balance the rice, which paired beautifully with the strong saffron notes and the soft, fall-off-the-bone tender chicken.
Of course, each order of the set lunch comes with one of their famous cream puffs. 
Though Fari and Ali’s Kitchen is usually closed on Sundays, the space occasionally hosts a Persian takeover by Leily’s Kitchen, a home cooked Persian food business run by Samira’s mother, offering a special taste of their family’s culinary heritage.