Iranian groceries

“Look, a rice shop,” I said to Tod as we walked up Sotobori Dori from Akihabara towards Ochanomizu.
“And they sell CDs…huh?”
“Hey, wait a second, that’s Basmati rice!” I pulled the door open. Inside the modest store was a treasure trove of Iranian food: dried beans; tinned halal stews; saffron candy; nuts, pickles, and olives.
The owner offered us each a fresh date sprinkled with coconut to enjoy while we browsed. Heaven!
I left with a bottle of rosewater for making sweets, a jar of jam that is labeled in Arabic with the picture of a mysterious fruit, a box of dried herbs, and a bottle of pomegranate molasses–now I can make mohomara!
We returned after dinner to acquire some weightier purchases–a leg of lamb and a 5 kg bag of basmati rice. Guess what we’re having for dinner on the Emperor’s birthday this Tuesday?
If you’d like to visit Darya Shop, you’ll find it at 2-1-4 Soto-kanda, Chiyoda-ku on Sotobori-dori, just down the hill from Marunouchi line Ochanomizu station (on the same side of the street as the river). The phone number is 03-3251-5387 and it’s open from noon – 10 pm, except Mondays.