Kat's 9 Lives

Big... mistake? Nah, what a great find! It is a bit far away from the freeway for my taste tucked near Portola but it turned out to be worth the trip. They weren't busy and about to close soon but I called ahead to make sure they didn't close early. FYI, call just to check! We were both starving and they began the night with the usual leaven bread and butter, but no onion. Just ask for the raw onion and they will gladly provide it for you.
I debated on what to try because they actually have a good assortment on their menu allowing people to sample a bit of everything. Normally I go with the Beef Soltani and substitute the Beef Koobideh for Chicken Koobideh. After a long debate and some questions, I decided to stick with what I love. The Barg and Koobideh were tender and flavorful. Everything was surprisingly very tasty and I noticed that their Soltani combo is cheaper than the one at Hatam II! Score!
PK debated on which combo to get so that she can get the most out of her meal. She ended up getting the House of Kabob Special that comes with Boneless Chicken Kabob, Boneless Lamb Kabob, and Beef Koobideh. I never order chicken but I must say the one here was super flavorful and tender. That actually might have been the tastiest thing of the night! The lamb and Koobideh were good. PK gave her stamp of approval as she was surprised at how enjoyable the food was.

All in all this is a great place! Actually on my recent trip to Hatam II, I found the food to be sub-par and over cooked! =*( I was so disappointed! Even though they are more costly than House of Kabob, I was too lazy to drive and settled... but after this recent visit, I am only going to House of Kabob for my cravings because I am not wasting another $22 on food that I don't want to eat. Maybe I need to make a trip out there so I can cleanse my palette with yummy Persian food! =)

House of Kabob
20651 Lake Forest Dr #101
Lake Forest, CA 92630
(949) 460-0800

Okay, this is one scary location! It's where you pick up illegal immigrants for labor, which I think is wrong in itself. They hover over the corners here and try to approach your car or flag you down. I was so scared when I drove in around here because I was not here for any other purpose than to eat! It's wrong for them to work illegally and wrong for them to be taken advantage for their labor. I was almost about to leave this tiny plaza looking for Toranj Persian Grill. My Mom and I both debated about staying or not. After some debate, we decided to stay and order take out. It's a tiny place that is not air conditioned or at least the AC was not on when we were there. There's only a few tables inside and a few seats placed outside.
We had a coupon for a Kebab Sandwich and drink for $3.99 but it was not what you think. I thought it would be a kebab and not the Koobideh. Still the lady was very nice in letting me use the coupon for two sandwiches. It's Koobideh, Tomatoes, Onions, Chard, and Seasonings wrapped in Flat Bread. There was a little awkwardness in the taste. The overall flavor was still good. There wasn't that much filling compared to how much bread it was wrapped in. I was a little bummed because the coupon was really nothing since their Koobideh Sandwich is only $3.99 so basically you only get the soda for free.
While we were waiting, I got greedy because I saw the pictures of their food displayed and decided to get the Soltani. We had another coupon that is suppose to get you 20% off your second dish, so I decided to get 2 Soltanis only because it had a Chicken and a Beef Koobideh along with a Barg. When I ordered she told me that the picture was to show your choices, so then I hesitated because their Soltani is a little pricey. In the end she was very sweet and offered to give it for free so that I can try all their foods. I thought the Chicken Koobideh was flavorful and moist. The Beef Koobideh wasn't as tasty and was a little dry. I thought the Barg tasted a little odd at first but the more I ate it the more I liked it. The meat was tender and went well with the rice. Luckily I had limes at home to add some pizazz.As for the rice, I sliced up the White Onion given and then grabbed some Yellow Onions at home and diced it up too! Then I chopped up the grilled Tomatoes and mixed the whole thing up with the rice. There was also something different in the box this time. It came with a piece of Toasted Rice? It's hard to explain what it is in English. This was the crispy rice bottom meshed together. All in all the food was not bad but it is not anything memorable. There are a lot of other places that taste better around here and even at better prices. The lady was nice but given everything, I don't think I'd be back any time soon.

Toranj Persian Grill

25262 Jeronimo Rd
Lake Forest, CA 92630

Why did they get rid of their coupon?!?! I used to be more inclined to come here with a coupon. As many of you know the prices of Persian restaurants are relatively static. It's actually more expensive now though because they raised their prices by $2 on every dish! >_<# Since I had been craving some Persian food we stopped by Hatam #2 again without a coupon. They are usually not too busy and the decor is still the same. Apparently they are moving across the street near where the Papa John's. I often wonder how this place survives. Despite all that the food is not bad.
The service here is questionable sometimes. I usually see the guy who must be the owner or part of the family chatting away on the phone. He's pretty friendly when he is not on the phone, which is rare. Some of the servers have this attitude or air about them. Their busboys are much more efficient and friendlier. After you order they bring out the usual Lavash bread and raw onion. I usually save the onion.
My favorite dish here is the Lamb Chop. It's charbroiled Lamb Chops marinated in their Special Sauce served with charbroiled Tomato and Imported Basmati Rice topped with Saffron. Sometimes they overcook the meat, but it's usually pretty flavorful. I think what really brings out the flavor is the lime though. So be sure to add some to each bite and not only initially. There is a difference if you add it on top and directly onto the piece you cut off.
I actually really like their Chicken Koobideh so I ordered a side order. It's seasoned ground Chicken. This also goes great with lime. The best part is you get more charbroiled Tomatoes. I eat my rice in a particular fashion. Most people who eat with me end up copying how I mix my rice. I am very detail and precise about how I want my food done. I will sit there and slice the raw onion to tiny morsels. Then when the tomato comes I will break it apart on top of the rice so that no juice will be lost. You can easily tear the tomato apart or attempt to slice/chop it. Then you mix everything thoroughly to make your own instant fried rice. This method really brings out the flavor of the Basmati Rice and Saffron.
Normally I always get the Soltani because it provides the most meat, even though I love the lamb. It's a combination of charbroiled Filet Mignon and strip of seasoned ground Beef served with charbroiled Tomato and imported Basmati Rice topped with Saffron. The filet is my favorite part. Another name for it is Barg. I am only okay about the Beef Koobideh that's why I get the Chicken Koobideh on the side. ^_^
All in all the food is not too bad that's why I come back and get my Persian food fix. I just wish they still offered the coupon especially with the huge price increase. This is my thought and I hope you know what I mean but... when you've gone to a place with a coupon for a while and they take it away... you just can't go back without a sigh thinking that it could be cheaper! GRR! lol That's just my own opinion. I get spoiled by the coupon! lol

It's always better to have a coupon when you try out a new place. If say it tastes bad then at least you didn't have to pay the full price. =P Tofu and I went to Orchid in Costa Mesa a while back because I had my Buy One Get One Free coupon. The entrance was decorative. Their interior is simple and they have a buffet set up in the back. Apparently at night they also have an all you can eat, but we had a coupon so we just ordered what we wanted.
While we waited for our food to be cooked they brought out the typical Lavash bread to fill in the time. It usually comes with Butter and White Onions to add flavor.
We decided to share both dishes. That way you get the best of both worlds. ^_- We ordered the Soltani, which is usually Barg and Koobideh. Barg is marinated fillet of Beef Tenderloin. Koobideh is seasoned Ground Beef. They were both tasty, but nothing out of the ordinary for me. It was solid.
For our other dish we decided to get the Lamb Barg. I normally order beef and lamb to have the best of both worlds. The lamb was good, but I would have liked a bigger portion. It's only 5 pieces of meat stuffed with onions and bell peppers intermittently on the skewer. I love eating the rice after I slice the roasted tomato and raw white onion. This really adds tons of flavor into the rice.
All in all the food was good and the service was fine. There wasn't a lot of people because we went early. They were just bringing out the buffet when we got our meal. The food was fine for the price since it was buy one get one free. At the end they gave me my coupon back so that I could use it again. Even though I didn't ask for it, I thought that was nice... a little desperate? After reading some reviews online, maybe they are super busy at lunch with their buffet. I think I will come back one day for their lunch buffet. It will be a rare event for me to drive up there for lunch, but it could happen. =P

Orchid
3033 Bristol St
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 557-8070

I have never seen or heard of an all you can eat Persian restaurant. Low and behold there is one in Aliso Viejo called Kassra Persian Cuisine. When I went to Sango Sushi, I happened to pass by it and chalked it down as a place I will have to try eventually. By coincidence my friend suggested to do lunch there one day, so of course I jumped on board. We went last Friday around 1Pm and the place didn't seem too busy. A very simple interior design and it was clean. They have all the food set up towards the back on tables heated by hot water under the tray.
There wasn't that many choices but definitely enough for me. I believe there was about 12 or so choices, which includes added condiments and canned fruits for dessert. For meat choice it was either Koobideh or Chicken Kabob. There were two types of rice, the regular Basmati and Adas. They also had flat bread. There were some other hot dishes that resembled Ghemeh Bademjan, which was eggplant cooked in a flavorful tomato sauce with different vegetables. As for me, I started out by trying a little bit of everything to see what I would like. After the first plate, I decided it would just be meat, rice, and chopped tomatoes & onions.
All in all the food was decent. The choices were very limited. I liked the chicken more than the Koobideh because it was more tender and flavorful. My friend liked the Koobideh more. We didn't know how much lunch was, it's $12 per person. Based on that, I would have to say I'd rather order my own dishes than pay for the all you can eat. I don't think it's that great of a deal because Koobideh dishes with rice and all usually costs $10. So if you don't like the limited choice then I would order what you like versus taking a chance on what they served. The service was iffy. At first it was acceptable, but towards the end they just never came out of the kitchen so we had to put in a lot of effort to get the bill. I haven't decided if I'd ever come back, but my friend said she wouldn't ever come back.

Kassra Persian Cuisine

27261 La Paz Rd
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677