I've been hearing great things about the Persis Grill on Tenth Line Road for several months now, so when I finally made plans to check out the Persian restaurant last weekend, I couldn't wait to find out what all the buzz was about.

The Persis Grill is located in the same shopping plaza as the Sobeys store at Tenth Line and Brian Coburn Blvd. It opened in January, 2017 to rave reviews from local foodies and has been doing a brisk business ever since.

In foodie heaven at the Persis Grill restaurant. STAFF PHOTO

The owners, Maryam and Kourosh emigrated from Northern Iran and settled in Chapel Hill South where they live with their two children. Their dream was to share the flavours and meals of their childhood home with their fellow Orléans residents and so the Persis Grill was born.

When you first walk into the restaurant you are immediately struck by the wall-to-wall reliefs depicting the history of the Achaemenid Empire of Persia which began with the reign of Cyrus the Great in 550 BC.

The dining room is open and bright and the service is friendly and prompt. After being shown to our table my dining companion and I were served a mixed platter that included a little bit of everything.

I sampled the beef kebabs first and much to my delight, they were cooked to a perfect medium rare. But it was the pomegranate marinade that had my taste buds jumping for joy.

Persis uses Canadian Prime Sirloin in all their beef kebabs, and Canadian Grade A chicken in their chicken kebabs which are charbroiled to perfection. All the meat and chicken are sourced from Cot� Poultry in Ottawa and are certified Halal.

I also sampled the Mahicheh, which is comprised of a tender lamb shank slow-cooked in a tomato-based sauce and served on top of basmati rice mixed with dill and fava beans, and the lamb chops which were thinly sliced and charbroiled to perfection.

Although I enjoyed the lamb shank, the lamb chops were the stars of the evening. They were unbelievably delicious. In fact, I wouldn't hesitate to list them among my top five favourite dishes in Orléans, they were that good.

For side dishes, I sampled three different types of rice which are listed on the menu as enhanced upgrades. The Shirin polo is basmati rice served with cranberries, carrots, walnuts, pistachios, pecans and orange peel mixed with safron. The Baghali polo is mixed with dill and fava beans and the Zereshk polo is mixed with redberries and safron. Of the three, the Shirin polo was my favourite.

I would also highly recommend the Must Khiar which is made from balkan yogurt, mint, and oregano, and topped with cucumber. It makes a great dip for the Persian flat bread which is served with every meal along with the soup of the day.

For dessert I had the Baklava along with a bowl of Saffron and Rosewater ice cream. It was the perfect final course to what was a perfect meal.

I am already looking forward to a return visit to the Persis Grill so I can try the house specialty Fesenjan stew, which is filled with pomegranate paste, walnuts and pieces of chicken served with basmati rice.

It should be noted that the wine selection at Persis is limited to just one white and one red. But wine lovers don't despair, you can bring your favourite bottle of vino with you and simply pay a $10 corking fee. They also have a limited selection of beers and mixed drinks.

The Persis Grill is popular with families. The staff are more than happy to help families build their own platter. This "Family Style� method of ordering means you can tailor the needs of your family without having to order separate meals for everyone from the menu. It generally ends up cheaper too. Children love kebabs and parents can feel good about offering their children a healthy alternative to the usual fast food fare.

The Persis Grill is located at 2288 Tenth Line Road in the Sobeys Plaza near Brian Coburn Blvd. You can visit their website at www.persisgrill.ca.

(This story was made possible thanks to the generous support of our local business partners.)