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| - We went to dinner here yesterday and, for a fair assessment, to the buffet dinner tonight. I'm not quite sure what on the menu is Afghani; I would say that the overwhelming majority of the food served is Pakistani, which is similar to Indian in some respects, but definitely different and noticeably so to the experienced palate. I saw no Indian food.
First, decor. The pictures in here show a bare, brick-walled seating area. As plain and jarring as that may be, I wish the restaurant still looked like that. Since those photos were taken, someone painted the place gray and dark red and the tables black. These colors definitely should NOT be used in a restaurant and if you're someone easily influenced by your surroundings, it will add a depressing effect to your meal (then again, if you have weight to lose, that may not be a bad thing). While there are some geographic-designed paintings on the wall with Arabic writing on them, the overall effect is to darken the place and give it the look of a nightclub, that's been opened during the day for some function.
The food itself is a mixed bag: my partner had the chicken tikki masala. One bite of it convinced me, that I made a huge mistake in not ordering it: well-spiced; reasonable portion and incredibly tasty. The only "mistake" was to serve it in a large, metal bowl, which gives the impression you're getting less than you are. It's by no means a huge amount of food, but it's more than enough. Both our dishes came with copious amount of na'an. So rice was an absolute non-essential here. My dish, however, was disappointing. I got some goat dish and was surprised at what came out. It came in a noticeably smaller bowl (at the end of the meal, I could put my bowl comfortably inside his with room to spare and, as I said, his was hardly a large portion). The food was green and thick, with a consistency between very thick pea soup and creamed spinach. If there was goat in it, there wasn't much and it was completely shredded (I THINK, I tasted shreds of meat). There were absolutely no solid pieces of meat. It was good, but it made me wonder whether there was some 1980s Pakistani version of the Wendy's commercial, where someone would ask annoyed, "Where's the Goat?" instead of where's the beef.
The buffet today was very hit and miss. As is typical for buffets, the best food wasn't there and I could have really kicked myself in the rear for not having the tikki masala, which tasted great on the one miserly forkful I had last night. And, in an ironic repeat performance, there was a serving plate marked "Goat Paya" and inside was -- without exaggeration --- just broth and bones. I don't know, whether someone picked out all the goat earlier; but this was just getting to be a bit frustrating. The rest of the plates offered were good; just nothing "wow".
The most positive aspect of the restaurant is the service, which is fast, friendly and very willing to explain or answer questions (or make recommendations). Like yesterday, as we walked in today, there was one party, already done eating, and they left as we sat down. I don't know whether it was just bad timing or typical, but I have the impression this place doesn't get crowded; and the few reviews here sort of bolster that assumption.
This place is not cheap in comparison to similar restaurants in the Valley. Buffet and the goat-that-got-away aside, the food is very good. But I have to be completely honest in saying that the decor was the absolute killer for me. I just feel "oppressed" sitting in that kind of color scheme and it imposed itself onto the meal.
The accompanying store is very good for Indian and Pakistani products; but prices cannot compare to, say, Haji Baba, which may not have as big of a selection of Indian/Pakistani foods and spices, but which is better priced by a long shot.
This restaurant has excellent potential; but as it stands now, it most likely will not impress Western --- and especially, American --- sensibilities much, mainly because of the decor, the lack of customers and food not universally recognized in the Valley. This is a shame, not only because Pakistani food deserves the attention, but also because the owners are making an obvious effort to please their customers.
Make the trip here for good food; but keep a very open mind!
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