The Lion City has welcomed merchants and students from Persia for hundreds of years. From the 16th century onwards, merchants from Shiraz or Esfahan travelled to southeast Asia, and to this day the two countries have close cultural links. But until recently, there weren't that many Persian restaurants in Singapore. However, as a quick look at the Quandoo database proves, that's all changing, with a number of Persian restaurants opening in Singapore, serving up Iranian delicacies that straddle the boundary between India and the Middle East.