After his 2019 visit, Mr Rayner wrote that “based on (his) long-held but quietly kept belief: you will rarely eat badly in a Middle Eastern grill house”.

“Even the mediocre ones are good. Which means that the good ones, like Persian Cottage, are cracking,” he continued.

Others have been similarly effusive in their praise, with the eatery consistently ranking among the best restaurants in Middlesbrough on TripAdvisor.

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