Afghan cuisine is a real treat - try it, you will like it!
Written: Nov 06 '05 (Updated Nov 06 '05)
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Pros: Excellent ambiance, great food with moderate prices
Cons: none
The Bottom Line: We've had Afghan food, before. This is an excellent example of the cuisine. The ambiance is wonderful and the service is outstanding. All things considered, it is an outstanding value!
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| tennis_player's Full Review: Royal Afghan Cuisine |
Royal Afghan opened its doors about 3 months ago in a “U”-shaped strip mall, deep in one corner. From the outside, the plain exterior belies the sophistication of the interior décor and fine food.
The moment you step inside, you become fully aware of a beautiful dining room tastefully decorated with pictures and paintings of the people and country of Afghanistan. There are fine, white linen table clothes with very nice glassware, tableware and flatware. The entire dining room is fully carpeted. The chairs are heavy, durable and tastefully designed classic dark wood. It is clean, spacious and warm. The staff is nicely outfitted in formal black & white sans dinner jacket. They are warm and professional. This all holds great promise for a lovely meal to come.
For those unfamiliar with Afghan cuisine, the perception is usually one of a primitive, poor and rustic or basic meal quality. That is far from the actual reality of the cuisine! There are lovely soups, dumplings, salads and turnovers for starters. The main dishes use beef, lamb and chicken combined with aromatic spices and herbs to yield very nice and, somewhat, exotic dishes.
APPETIZERS:
BORANI KADDO: Pan-fried then baked baby pumpkin seasoned with sugar and served with a yogurt garlic sauce. $4.95
AUSH: A traditional soup with noodles, yogurt and garnished with mint leaves.
BOLANI: Turnovers filled with spring onion and spices. $4.95
AUSHAK: Spring onion dumplings topped with yogurt and meat sauce sprinkled with mint. $5.95
MANTU: Dumplings filled with ground beef, onions, topped with meat sauce and yogurt. $5.95
BADIJON BORANI: Roasted eggplant topped with garlic yogurt sauce and dried mint. $4.95
MAIN DISHES (served with a side salad, white or seasoned rice):
GULPEA CHALLOW: Cauliflower sautéed with tomato sauce & garlic $8.95
KOUFTA CHALLOW: Beef meatballs with Afghan seasonings sautéed with fresh tomato sauce $9.95
SABZI CHALLAW: Chunks of beef cooked with fresh spinach, onion and garlic with white rice $11.95
KORMA CHALLAW: Tender chunks of chicken cooked with tomatoes, onion, garlic and spices with white rice $11.95
QABILI PALLAW: Rice baked with chunks of lamb, topped with raisins and carrots $11.95
CHAPLI-E-KABOB: Grilled bneef patties mixed with onions and leek $7.95
SHAMMI KABOB: Charbroiled ground beef with special seasonings with rice $8.95
KABOB-E-TEKA: Cubes of beef marinated, charbroiled, served with rice $10.95
KABOB-E-MURGH: Chunks of chicken breast marinated, charbroiled, served with rice $10.95
KABOB-E-CHUPAN: Marinated lamb loin chops, charbroiled, served with rice $14.95
ROYAL COMBINATION KABOB: Best of both worlds – beef and chicken kabobs served with rice $15.95
Desserts include an Afghan pudding similar to Flan but not as sweet. They also offer ice cream and Baklava.
They have a short wine list and also have wines by the glass. I found the house Merlot to be very good and not expensive by the glass.
The main entrée items are all generous in portions. Diners will not go away hungry. The side salad is a nice salad with a light yogurt-based dressing.
In addition to the standard salt and pepper seasonings on the table, there is a dark, ground spice in a large shaker that is used on the meats and chicken. It is also good sprinkled on the white or seasoned rice. I don’t know what it is but it very good in flavor and adds aromatic mystery and complexity to the flavors. We really liked it.
We’ve dined here twice for dinner. I’ve had the Qabili Pallaw and the Shammi Kabob. Both were excellent. The lamb were lamb shanks braised until tender before combining with the rice, raisins and carrots. This was tasty, interesting and full flavored. The Shammi Kabob is a finely ground beef that is formed into strips before charbroiling. The texture reminded me of a skinless sausage. And, like sausage, it had a unique flavor from the seasonings. It, too, was very interesting. I would have both of these items, again, in the future, after exploring more of the various items.
My wife has had beef cubes cooked with spinach and the beef meatballs in tomato sauce. She liked them both, favoring the latter just a bit more than the beef with spinach. She, too, is looking forward to further exploration of the menu!
The host/owner is Amin Ansari. He is affable, knowledgeable and greets guest warmly. It is evident that he is very proud of his establishment, staff and food. He is more than willing to spend time with us to educate, explain and recommend menu items. He has great smile and is very friendly. We found him to be a joy and made a significant contribution to the dining experience.
We highly recommend Royal Afghan to novices and those experienced in this fine cuisine. You won’t be disappointed.
Jim
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: No
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations The cuisine is excellent with unique flavors and amromas. Portions are generous and prices moderate. This makes for an excellent value!
Best Suited For: Friends
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