Amazing Aseri cuisine in central Baku: Restaurant Firuze (26. March 2016)

As obvious it is to see the restaurant from the Fountain Square, as difficult it is to find it if you do not have an exact address and every source I checked online provided me with different details. However, finally, I found it! When you go down the stairs which is the entrance to the restaurant, you feel like you are entering a tourist trap. And probably it even is, however, it isn’t!

The dishes served are not only tasty and pleasant but also absolutely fair in price. The “eggplant rolls” (4.50 AZN) are delicious although you have to get used to their stuffing with meat and nuts.

The “liver kebap” (9 AZN) was not exactly served in a way I would have a kebap be expected to be served but then again this is probably closer to a real kebap than anything I am used to from Western Europe. While the combination was good, the liver was overcooked, respectively too dry and lacked sauce.

I had absolutely no clue what “gutab” was but I figured, I should try. After all you only get to know the local cuisine when you eat something which you have not eaten before. So I went for “gutab with meat, 5 pieces, 250gr” (6 AZN) and I must say I was super positively surprised. It is kind of like a quesadilla but obviously not with cheese but with meat. Great dish to start dinner.

I was looking forward to real meat, like roast beef real meat. You know, when the beef is of a bloody rose colour and you just feel the meat juice all over your tongue. So I obviously went for the “Azerbaijani roast beef (300gr)” (9 AZN) and ordered “boiled buckwheat, 180gr” (2.20 AZN) as a sidedish. Let me tell you two things: A) boiled buckwheat without sauce is rather boring and B) Azerbaijani roast beef is nothing like the roast beef you know. It was basically two chops wrapped in a “baked tortilla”. And inside that “tortilla” there was a combination of flavours and vegetables which made it an absolutely great dish – despite that it did actually not have anything to do with “roast beef as we know it”.

At some point you figure that probably the dishes you’ve had are not enough and decide to order more which is a good and a bad idea at the same time. While it is a bad idea because you are actually already stuffed but your nerve system needs a moment to realize, the good idea is due to the fact that you get to try new things. I ordered “suzma and shor (100gr)” (3.50 AZN) without having a single clue what to expect. And well, it was, let’s say, an experience!

The “suzma” (on the right in the picture) is some cheese spread which is quite lemony and, therefore, sour – but still in a pleasant way unless you put too much on the bread. The “shor” on the other hand already looks only soso. Well, I did the mistake to put an equally big piece of shor on my bread as with the suzma before. And well, it is somehow like cheese which is in the process of developing but not quite done yet and has a very weird aftertaste. Not to my liking, at all!

Luckily, the dinner ended with something far more pleasant – the “pip dolma, 180gr” (5.50 AZN) served with some kind of yogurt was absolutely delicious. And that despite the fact that I felt like bursting – definitely worth trying!

What we learned later – all these dishes are apparently mostly consumed during winter time in Azerbaijan. Well, I tell you, they are still tasty even if it is spring time, despite the “shor”!

The waiters face the same problem as in all restaurants – only a few of them speak English. Luckily, our waiter was not only English speaking but also very dedicated and passionate about his profession and did a great job. The prices are absolutely not “tourist trap like” and actually, there are almost no tourists (which might though be more due to the fact that there are generally only few tourists in Baku than due to the restaurant). I mean, where in Europe would you get all that food including coffee (4 AZN) and water (0,6L, 1.50 AZN) for ~35.00 CHF – including tipp? If you manage to visit Baku, make sure you pay the Firuze a visit!

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Contact Details:

Restaurant Firuze

Tarlan Aliyarbayov Street 14

Fountain Square

1000 Baku (AZ)

Tel.: +994 12 493 96 34

E-Mail: firuzerestoran@mail.ru

About the Author: Sven

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.