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| - Grilled meat with piles of carbs would be the best way to describe my meal at Bamiyan, in case you're unsure that's a good thing.
I recently came here for dinner; I've been meaning to try out this chain of restaurants but did not get a chance until now. After a day of last minute Christmas shopping my body needed some quick and wholesome nourishment. Bamiyan is essentially a fast food place; you walk in, order at the counter and wait for your number to be called. On this occasion I opted for the barg kebab meal (chunks of filet mignon), my meal arrived fairly quickly and was clearly cooked to order. My meal included a single skewer of meat, a large mountain of rice, a side salad, a naan, and a small container of spicy sauce, for $12 tax in (with no drink) this was quite the bargain. My favourite part of the meal was the rice; it was perfectly cooked and very buttery, absolutely delicious. The beef was A-OK, it was nicely seasoned and had a nice smoky taste from the grill, and the beef was cooked mid-well (they don't ask how you like it cooked which was disappointing). Despite the fact that it was over-cooked for my liking it was still fairly tender but a bit dry (cooking it medium-rare would do wonders). The salad was pretty sad; simply iceberg lettuce that probably came out of a bag, the naan was dry and too crispy. The accompanying spicy sauce was pretty awesome and went well with the meat, however this stuff must be precious as my small container was BARELY filled half way, what up with that Bamiyan? Maybe next time I will ask for extra sauce so I can smother my whole meal with it.
The place itself is quite nice, tiles all over give it a rustic feel and I really enjoyed the pictures of Afghani landscapes that adorn the wall. The staff was pretty friendly but the reality is they only work the counter so your interaction with them is rather limited. I have had authentic afghan food in the past and from my experience I can say that Bamiyan is good but fails to be great. All-in-all this place would be a good introduction into the cuisine but it certainly isn't the pinnacle.
*This would be a great lunch option if you are in the area
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