Cardiff's only Persian specialists, could do with a but more passion

In any other restaurant I would have been thinking of leaving almost immediately. But there was something charming about what happened in Topoli the other night. 7.30pm on a Tuesday, and the place was deserted. Deserted as in nobody there. Literally nobody. No staff. They couldn't have looked more closed even if they had a sign out front saying 'Woolworths'. That was until I got to the counter and saw the whole lot of them having a smoke at the back of the kitchen. The top man was mortified, apologetic in the extreme. Fantastic. It was like being transported from the sodden winter streets of Roath to Shiraz quicker than you can say Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. OK. Bad example. But you get the picture. Not that they are Iranian. Apparently most of the guys at Topoli are Iraqi. So just don't mention the war.

We digress. The food is much as you might expect from the Middle East, that is if you have any expectations at all. Main courses are generally skewered meat, or meat in lava-like sauces, and first courses are the likes of dips, falafal, olives and so on. The mixed house starter is probably the best way to go, mainly because of the excitement of seeing your bread cooked on the inside of the clay oven by the front door. It's all very theatrical and a good topic for conversation next time you meet an Iranian. The Ghormeh Sabzi makes for good follow-up: lamb chunks in a rich stew with a saffron rice side dish which sounds and looks a lot more exotic than it tastes. There's nothing which will particularly disappoint, but you're not going to get overcome with excitement either. And you can take your own wine in for no charge (or not much anyway), and there's a convenient off-licence not far away on Albany Road. Although don't ask the Thresher's people what goes with Persian food; they haven't got a clue.

If there's one complaint it's that Topoli rarely has a buzzing atmosphere. Most nights drift towards the funereal, and you'll find yourself pondering such weighty matters as why an Islamic restaurant has such fine Christmas decorations and what clothes the man who made that flamboyant neon sign out front must wear. But if you're not expecting big party time, and you feel like eating something different, get thee down to City Road and don't worry if they look closed.