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| - Visited Zafran for a Wednesday buffet lunch--first time. It is in a dingy tiny strip of shops between a car wash and sign printer.
Inside, it had a real 3rd world feel,-- scratched tables and chairs, art was mostly blown up photos of their dishes and an Indian and Pakistani flag. Just 10 tables. They only plastic 3-section plates and small paper napkins. Water was from a jug at the front. The only visible employee was a smiling fellow minding the cash register in the back. All of which can be a great sign...or not. The buffet was smallish, but probably a dozen dishes.
I spent some time in Afghanistan several years ago, and it reminded me of local restaurants in Kabul, and also in Arlington's 'little Kabul' neighborhood. I joked with my friend, who'd also had 3rd world experience, that if their health rating was over 80, it wouldn't be authentic, and we should go to the American diner across the street instead.
I filled my plate with a spoonful of every dish-- classic East Asian dishes--Biryani, 4-5 curries, tandoori, naan, samosa, some meat, some veggie, to get a good tasting. At the first bite, it was like I was whisked back to Kabul. This was the most authentic East Asian food I'd had in Charlotte--and it was delicious. This continued with every bite of every dish. The meats--maybe goat (or lamb), and chicken were juicy, and infused with complex and subtle exotic spices.
The vegetable curries were on par with the meats. Every dish had a different array of spices, none over-powering the other. I looked at my friend, and he gave me the same astonished look I must have had. This was a true find. A diamond in the rough. A place you want to keep all to yourself. I finished with the rice pudding, which may have been the best I've ever had. Rich, rich cream base, very chilled to clean the spiced palate, and again subtle spices, that were barely discernable individually, but created a magical taste.
The dishes had a moderate heat level. Inexperienced souls should stick to the American diner across the street. There was a heaty mint chutney for the furnace mouths. The host said they purposely keep it down considering the neighborhood--though we were the only suburbanites in the place (another plus!).
If you need carpet on the floors, cloth table coverings and napkins, go to any of the big name 'me-too' Charlotte restaurants. This place is all about remarkable East-Asian food. At $9.95, I was worried that it might be over-priced, but considering the quality--the natural Halal meats, fresh veggies, and the variety, it was well worth it.
It's definitely not a place for people who think of themselves as part of the elite, but if you hanker for an authentic and amazing Pakistani-Afghan-Northern Indian food experience, this is the best of the twenty or so East Asian restaurants I've tried in the Southeast. By the way, I noticed on the way out that the Health Department rating was a 96. Glad we stayed, anyway!
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