9 replies to this topic

[RPMcMurphy]

we went to this place last night for dinner. http://www.shirincafe.com/menu.asp (click the links on the menu for pictures....its where I stole these pics from)

I have to say, this has to be NJ's most hidden gem.

It was one of the best meals we had in a WHILE. We ordered tons of food, as I like to sample a little bit when going to new places like this.

Started with the bread. - Awesome.



Then ordered 2 apps, Chuchvara (Dumplings) ( 12pc.)....boiled.


and Hachapuri (puff pastry with three cheeses and greens)


our mains were
Quail with meat $13.95
two lamb stuffed birds prepared on the charcoal


and Chicken Shish for my fiance (she wanted to play it a little safer I guess)


My quail was perfect. nice and toasted on the outside, juicy on the inside, fiance said even for simple chicken shish it was one of the best she's had.

Then, they showed us desserts, We ordered 2. Honey cake, and Pecan cake and coffee.


I have to say, we could of ordered only half of that food and it still be too much, and the price was 58$.

Service was impeccable, seems like a husband/wife team. We spent a good 2 hours there, it seems everything is definitely made to order, this is a plus for me, but if you are in a quick hurry, it's something to take into consideration.

I have to say it's my new second favorite restaurant, food wise, in NJ, second to Nicholas. Really. I'll be back this week to try the soups and a few other mains that look good. It's BYO as well.

[StephanieL]

I passed this review on to my parents, and they had a terrific meal a couple of weeks ago. They were the only non-Russian speakers there, and the waitress took their picture, saying they did that for all first-time customers (well, probably all those who aren't Russian or Uzbek). I'm planning to visit them soon and will suggest that we go there for dinner one night.

[Rail Paul]

I sent this link on to one of my former co-workers, who is both of Russian background and a nearby resident. I'll be interested in her thoughts.


There are a substantial number of Russian speakers in the Old Bridge, Marlboro, Colts Neck area, so a good Russian restaurant makes a lot of sense

[rozrapp]

There are actually several Russian restaurants along the Marlboro/Manalapan stretch of Route 9. The owners of Shirin previously owned the cavernous Rendezvous, which they sold a few years ago. It's now the Crystal Palace. The menu there had many Eastern European items but was more international in scope.

At Shirin, which is small and has charming decor, Albert and Marina are focusing on Uzbek dishes. When we went there for the first time a few months ago, we had no idea they were the owners. We had had lunch at Rendezvous a few times and liked their food. When Albert told us they'd opened Shirin two years ago, we were shocked as we had not heard a thing about it until it was discussed on Chowhound. We've been there twice for lunch. You can see photos here and here.

[StephanieL]

I passed this review on to my parents, and they had a terrific meal a couple of weeks ago. They were the only non-Russian speakers there, and the waitress took their picture, saying they did that for all first-time customers (well, probably all those who aren't Russian or Uzbek). I'm planning to visit them soon and will suggest that we go there for dinner one night.

So the four of us went last night, and had a terrific meal from start to finish. What we had:

--Mom and Dad had soup to start: he had the Mastava (thick soup with rice and lamb) and she had the meat borscht. The borscht isn't what you think; it's a thin broth with lots of vegetables, onions, and lamb, but no real beet taste.

--Uzbek bread

--Armenian Red Bean Salad: red beans with diced basturma (dried veal strips), fried onions, garlic, crushed walnuts, and lots of cilantro. The cilantro dominated, followed by a slight sweetness from the onions and walnuts.

--Two samsas, one with pumpkin and one with ground lamb. The pumpkin samsa looked like the hachapuri that RP posted about, and had a beautiful flaky crust with a filling of pumpkin, onion, and cumin seed. The meat one was circular with a denser crust, and they served it with a cruet of vinegar that had dill and sweet peppers marinating in it.

--Four kebabs: two ground lamb, one cubed lamb, and one stuffed quail. The ground lamb was flavorful and very juicy, and the lamb chunks were tender and perfectly cooked. All 4 skewers came on one plate with the pickled onions that you can see in RP pictures, along with a separate plate of those wonderful, addictive crispy/chewy potatoes.

Since we had pie and cake in the house, we passed on dessert, but we had the regular Uzbek full-leaf tea: one pot was sufficient for all of us.

This is a great place, and they probably don't get a lot of business outside the community. But by the time we left, the place was hopping with several large parties.

[RPMcMurphy]

Glad you had a good meal...places like this worry me as they are really hidden gems that sometimes don't survive....but this place is usually hoppin' regardless.

[RPMcMurphy]

Took a friend here for lunch yesterday, only non-russian speaking people in the place. Ordered a plethora of food....every single bit was awesome. I'm not sure of the name of the owner and his wife, but between them, the service and food are fantastic.

I get the feeling they were worried when we ordered some things and they said 'that will take 30-40 minutes as we make them fresh is that ok?'....me....I love it.

the hiddenist gem in NJ.

we ordered bread, 2 pots of tea, a HUGE (enough for 6 people) salad. (that was awesome). 3 or 4 apps and 3 mains and all ordred dessert...3 hours later our wallets were 40$ each (99$ check 20% tip) lighter. THATS a deal and I still have half a chicken in my fridge.

[StephanieL]

All of the side dishes are now a la carte, including the fried potatoes ($2.95 extra per entree; vegetables are $1.95).

[Rail Paul]

Nice write up in the NJ section of the NY Times

Consider, for instance, a table favorite from the category of salads and cold appetizers: the Caucasian tomato, a three-part dish consisting of a fat tomato slice; a pesto blend of dill, cilantro, scallions, garlic and mayonnaise; and a blizzard of Greek goat cheese on top. We ate every scrap of it, and could only imagine it made with high-season tomatoes. In second place (only because of its greasiness) was the bademjan, also a three-part stack with a base of battered and fried eggplant topped with tomato slices, then an abundance of chopped dill with garlic.

The house-made Uzbek bread was remarkable, a hot round that balanced crisp crust and soft interior (though a slab of sweet butter would be a worthier accompaniment than the bowl of butter in plastic packets). The salad called Rendezvous (named for the old place), with shredded carrot, beet, julienned boiled beef, shoestring fries, pickle and cabbage, tossed tableside, suffered only from an excess of mayonnaise used for the dressing.

In a category by itself was the firm-fleshed juicy herring with vinegared red onions with dill and slim lemon rounds, a dish so well executed that I could happily eat it with regularity, though the house-made potato chips alongside fought for attention with their salt and dill and crunch.

Of the five soups, I sampled only the beet borscht, pleasantly laden with carrots, cabbage, celery, dill, cilantro and garlic, with a kebab-size piece of boiled beef at the bottom of the bowl, before I was distracted by the Russian-style potato pierogies and the puff pastry stuffed with cheese and dill among the hot appetizers. I wasn’t sorry. Both were well made and as light as the genre allows.

NY Times

[StephanieL]

Darn--now it's "discovered". I hope the food doesn't change. My parents are regulars and they're still usually the only non-Russians there.