‘Bloody brilliant’: Jaan by Another Hand, Exhibition, reviewed

The team behind ever popular Deansgate restaurant Another Hand have stretched their skills further afield and over the road to Peter Street’s Exhibition with their new Persian venture, Jaan. 

Having joined an already stellar lineup of vendors in Scandinavian kitchen Osma and basque fire cookery Baratxuri, Jaan aims to elevate Exhibitions offering even further with their artisanal handmade flatbreads and high-end, high-quality Middle Eastern cooking. 

Since the team first announced that they’d be joining the Peter Street haunt I’ve been eyeing up their social media channels and drooling over their pretty-as-a-picture topped flatbreads, so when our Editor David Adamson asked me to go review the spot now its settled into place, I happily obliged. 

Jaan was born as an effort to increase sustainability, taking unused or unsold produce from one kitchen to another and creating something beautiful, thus proving that leftovers don’t have to be dismal.

I arrived at Exhibition on a Thursday evening at 7pm and the atmosphere was already pumping; the after work lot laughing away in the corner buying round after round, couples tucking into their date-night meal, nervous singletons sipping on cocktails as they awaited their Hinge match to message ‘I think I’m here. Where are you?’, and the DJ making sure everything chimed along like clockwork to his steady beat. 

The music is a really big part of Exhibition’s ambience it seems, if you’re a fan of high decibels during your dinner then you’ll be well away. It can be a little imposing when you’re trying to have a conversation though, but thankfully the food here doesn’t need many words as it speaks for itself. 

I ordered a mocktail from the main restaurant menu and got to work browsing what Jaan had to offer. Split into three sections - starters, mains and sides - the 11-item menu is simple yet cohesive and carefully planned out. 

My partner Dave and I ordered a mixture of plates to share; roast beetroot with smoked feta and glazed seeds, whipped potato with charred corn and chorizo, glazed chicken wings, roasted kale, and lamb kofta with accompaniments. All of which arrived swiftly one after the other and there was plenty to be going on with. The group of after work boozers kept looking over at our feast, as visibly excited as we were.

Starting with the roast beetroot, smoked feta and glazed seeds, served with a wood fired flatbread, still warm from the stove, we delved into the Persian plates. The beetroot and feta combo was beautifully creamy, fresh and had just enough zest from what I presume to be  a lime to keep it alive. The glazed seeds were perfectly toasted and added a nice amount of texture when a spoonful of the whole thing was dolloped on top of the bread, ready to be devoured. 

The flatbreads themselves are lightly dusted with a sprinkle of rosemary salt and a few globs of garlic butter that have melted their way into the dough, meaning with every bite a little bit more oozes out. Angelic. 

Left craving more, we swiftly moved straight on to the whipped potato with charred corn, chorizo and lime salsa, also served atop of one of Jaan’s delectable flatbreads. If you’re a fan of starchy, hearty mash that has been whipped into oblivion, with the addition of salty cubes of chorizo for added crunch and flavour, don’t skip out on ordering this one. Dave thought this dish sounded neither here nor there, but you should’ve seen his eyes light up when he had a gobfull. I thought I was going to have to wrestle the plate back off of him. 

Next up was the glazed chicken wings - dressed in muhammara (a sort of spicy red pepper and walnut dip), sweetcorn and a chilli crisp. These wings looked the part, poised at an almost cartoon-like angle like they could fly off the plate at any second if they hadn’t been carefully chargrilled until beautifully golden. Unfortunately, they didn’t have an awful lot of flavour going on and became a bit of a filler dish, just there waiting in the wings (pun intended) in case we needed them at the end. Spoiler: we didn’t. We were absolutely stuffed.

In an attempt to keep things healthy, we ordered a portion of roast kale with fennel, orange and bitter leaf. A bit of a 'needs must' dish to try and get our vitamins in for the day, but we were pleasantly surprised by how moreish and fragrant this bowl of leafy greens were, the orange bringing the bitter leaf round from verging on, well, too bitter. Pair with a dollop of the whipped potato and you won't go far wrong.

If I had to enter one of Jaan’s dishes into a beauty pageant it would most certainly be the lamb kofta, served with whipped bean, couscous, house pickles and mint yoghurt. Colourful and eye-catching, this plate of playful textures and shapes captures the flavours of the Middle East perfectly. Eat them on their own or all together, they taste immaculate either way. The real showstopper of the plate though is the lamb koftas themselves - meaty and succulent, full of flavour from spending some time getting acquainted with the grill. Just beautiful. 

In my eyes no meal is complete without something sweet to finish - no, seriously, it's a problem - even after lunch I'm craving a chocolatey snack. Thankfully, Jaan's soft serve with baklava and cacao nibs was just enough sweetness to satisfy the dessert demon inside of me; creamy Mr-Whippy-style ice cream with a few shards of baklava pastry and a dollop of cacao drizzled over by a thick caramel sauce all melded together nicely creating a balance of salty, sweet and bitter flavours. 

Like Another Hand, the team have seriously got it right with this venture. They know exactly what they're doing and, regardless of cuisine, service style or concept, are able to prove that skill and passion trumps all. 

Jaan by Another Hand, Exhibition,  St George's House, 56 Peter Street, M2 3NQ

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