I had been to this Afghan restaurant once a good while ago, having gone there as part of a Yelp…read moreevent where I loved the food. More recently, I hosted a meal here with a bunch of others, and there were enough glaring issues that I can't recommend this place anymore, regardless of the excellent quality. The place is casual, and the staff had to be asked for silverware, extra cups for water, spoons for serving, and other items.
To drink, someone had a $5 Doogh, and I ordered one too, but it never arrived, though at least it wasn't on the bill. They gave us a simple salad to munch on prior to the meal, which worked well with the yogurt dressing on the table. The bread on everyone else's table was missing from ours, which turned out to be the first difference in our meal compared to most other tables.
For appetizers, we got a couple that were both $8 and had the same type of sauce. My preference of the two was the Mantu, or steamed dumplings stuffed with ground beef. The dish came with six large dumplings that were plump, with a nice thin dumpling skin. There was also the Aushak, filled with leeks and scallions. In comparison, they were smaller and a bit thicker, with a more refreshing filling. The sauces on both dishes consisted of a mix of garlic mint yogurt and a lamb/tomato-based sauce, and they went well, adding some tang.
Of the mains, my preference was the $15 Chapli Kabob, or sizzling pan-fried ground beef patties mixed with fresh vegetables. In comparison to the Pakistani version, they were more delicately spiced, but I didn't mind, as there still was a little pleasant kick. The meat, otherwise, was very tender, with the three patties easily broken apart with a spoon for sharing.
The group favorite was surprisingly the Spicy Chicken Kabob, consisting of boneless chicken breast marinated with a blend of Afghan spices for $17. The chicken was very tender and juicy, with a mild kick. I found it better than the $18 Lamb Tikka Kabob, with the meat in the latter being tasty but a bit dry/overcooked.
There was also the tasty $15 Borani Banjan, or fried eggplant seasoned with spices and topped with garlic mint yogurt. This is available as an appetizer, but we got it as a main. The eggplant had a light crisp and a similarly tasty sauce, similar to the appetizers, which made sense in retrospect.
The most well-known dish here is the Uzbeki Qabuli Pulao for $23, or braised lamb shank served over a bed of rice and garnished with sweet raisins and carrots. The lamb fell off the bone and was wonderful overall, and I can see why this is the most popular option here. I would comment on the Qabuli Pulao, but they gave us standard brown rice. They eventually gave us a separate dish of raisins and carrots, but this was annoying at best, as a few other dishes were coming out with said mixture on other tables, and I doubt they had all ordered it prior.
For dessert, we got a single order of Firnee for $6, a housemade custard made with sweet milk, cinnamon, rosewater, and cardamom, garnished with minced pistachios. The custard was light with a mild sweetness. Otherwise, there was a pleasant floral flavor. We had a $5 pot of green tea with that dessert, which had some cardamom and I think maybe a little bit of cinnamon as well, and it went well. Overall, it was good, though a few of us got dessert afterwards at the excellent Pakistani shop Narala nearby.
If the food wasn't so good, I'd be docking this spot another point or two, as this was the first time in a very long time that it felt like we were getting a different experience, in terms of bread and especially the rice, for some rather obvious/unfortunate reasons. The fact that they charged us for this rice multiple times without giving us said pulao irks me as well, even if it's only $3 per dish. To be honest, I would prefer to go back to a pricier spot in Manhattan, such as Afghan Kabob House or Ariana, where the service is nicer and we get the same experience.
