Afghan Kitchen

Here I am out in South Surrey again visiting one of my favourite restaurants - Afghan Kitchen.  I've actually been here a half-dozen times but have only blogged about it once.  I had an updated post planned for last year, but never got around to writing it.  This time around, I was invited for a tasting along with Vic & Winnie, Alex & Jen and Craig.  So why is this one of my favourite spots?  Well, the food is really flavourful and well-prepared.  Most importantly, I think you get good value for the money (prices are not cheap, but you get a tonne of food) and the people are nice too (even before this tasting!).

One of their tastiest items in my opinion is the classic Bolani.  This stuffed-Afghani flatbread is crispy and nutty on the outside while giving way to light chewiness and then pillowy softness.  Inside, the delicate potatoes are seasoned well with herbs and spices.  In particular, the cumin and black pepper stand out giving an earthy pepperiness.  Found on the side is Afghan chutney and yogurt.  Good combination of some spice cooled down with the whipped yogurt.

Another simple, yet delicious item is the Pakawras that resemble large potato chips.  Yah, nothing complex about that, yet these thinly-sliced potatoes are coated with a spiced batter that is super crunchy.  Not only that, but they are not very greasy either.  The chips alone are plenty tasty by themselves, but add in the same fluffy spiced yogurt, then we have a cooling dip that offers up creaminess and flavour too.

Sneakily, the Afghan Chicken Nuggets are one of the best appies on the menu.  So what makes these different than any other chicken nugget?  Well, once again, it is all about the spiced batter.  It is aggressively crunchy and nicely seasoned.  Also, they use white meat that stays tender and moist (which is not always a given).  Just like the previous dishes, this came with the whipped yogurt as well as the chutney.

Drizzled with beet vinaigrette, the deep fried Brussels Sprouts will make believers out of those who don't like Brussels sprouts.  Similar to many versions out there, the sprouts are fried until crispy.  This ensures the usual mushy texture and odd flavour of Brussels sprouts are eliminated.  Completing the dish is roasted red pepper hummus that adds creamy sweetness.

Another one of my favourite dishes at Afghan Kitchen is the Mantu stuffed with minced beef and onions.  Love the texture of the dumpling wrapper as it is chewy, yet tender with appealing elasticity.  The meat is tender while the diced onions add sweetness and texture.  Each dumpling is topped with split peas, tomato sauce and yogurt.  The result is tanginess, creaminess and bite from the split peas.

There are plenty of share platters to choose from (and I've had a few of them), but we went with the KBL to YVR Platter.  This includes chicken kebab, potato, eggplant, spinach, Afghan rice and lamb shank (in the next picture).  This is actually for 2 people and if you add the lamb shank, this is a lot of food.  Now it is also tasty with tender nuggets of white meat chicken, buttery soft eggplant and spinach as well as soft spiced potatoes.  Heck, even the rice is excellent being chewy and nutty with sweet raisins and carrots.

Now about that Lamb Shank, it is fairly large and sits in a fragrant and aromatic tomato-based gravy.  Definitely can pick the earthiness of the spices including the usual cumin.  Naturally, this goes well with the rice where the raisins and carrots pair well with the spices.  As for the lamb itself, it is cooked beautifully where the meat falls off the bone and is uniformly tender and gelatinous.  Another one of my favs here.

Sticking with the same type of meat, the Lamb Shoulder offers up a completely different texture experience.  Unlike the fall-off-the-bone shank, the meat here is more robust and firm.  However, since it is roasted and then seared, there is caramelization and smokiness.  Much more depth and meatiness.  With 2 pieces of lamb shoulder, this dish would be enough for more than one person.

Moving away from lamb, their Afghan Chicken is also quite good.  It features 2 bone-in chicken legs that are cooked until they fall off the bone.  The garlic tomato gravy penetrates the meat offering up sweetness and tanginess.  For me, the trick is to shred the tender chicken and mix it with the gravy and then add it to rice.  Normally, chicken is pretty neutral-tasting, but this one is full-flavoured and rich.

For dessert, we shared a selection of Mum's Secret, Shir Yakh and Firni.  Essentially a sponge cake, mum's secret is moist and lightly-sweet.  However, when doused with the sweet milk, then things are amped up. The shir yakh or Afghan ice cream is super creamy and rich.  It also helps that they top it with dense cream and pistachios.It was aromatic and sweet with richness and creaminess.  The firni resembles a panna cotta in terms of texture and this one is mildly-sweet with the flavour of cardamom.  So once again, I had an excellent meal at Afghan Kitchen.  The food is always plentiful and delicious.  I just wished it was located closer to me!

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Good portions
- Friendly service

The Bad:
- Best to come with friends, sharing is better than trying to order one plate for yourself
- Prices aren't cheap, but portions are large

Afghan Kitchen

The state of Afghan cuisine in the GVRD is pretty much limited to a few spots scattered here and there (mostly in the 'burbs though).  I've had fairly decent meals at Afghan Chopan and Afghan Bakery, but the most well-known of them all (also oldest in town), Afghan Horseman was a bit of a letdown.  More recently, my visit to Pamir Diner in Surrey yielded a surprisingly solid meal.  Recently, I finally made it out to South Surrey for the well-reviewed Afghan Kitchen to see if it could rival the aforementioned restaurants.

To get an idea of the menu, we went for the Triple Dip Taster consisting of Chilled Eggplant Essential Dip, Orange Hummus Re-imagined and Green Avocado Dream Dip served with Afghan Bread.  The best part of this was actually the fluffy bread.  Now this didn't mean that the dips weren't good.  In fact, they were tasty with the eggplant being delicate with little nuggets that provided texture.  As for the 2 types of hummus, I liked the orange more than the avocado since it had more impact.  Both were smooth and light though.  Somehow I missed the full description of the Happy Taster as it not only included batter-fried chicken bites, gold wedges and pakawras, there was also the very same dips as the aforementioned dish.  Oh well, we didn't mind more of it!  The kiddies really liked all the fried potato goodness on the plate.  On the other hand, the chicken nuggets were a little dry, albeit really crispy.

One of my favourite items was actually a very unassuming version of Bolani.  This usually consists of a flatbread stuffed with potato, herbs and spices.  I've had some that are stuffed far too much with green onion which completely dominates the flavour profile.  I was delighted to find that the filling in this one was fluffy potato with just the right complimentary amount of herbs (including green onion).  There was a balance of flavours to go with the delicate naan.  This was extra tasty when we used the side of hot sauce.  Equally delicious, the Mantu featured a thin translucent dumpling skin that sported appealing elasticity.  Inside, the minced beef and onion filling was loose and tender with a peppery finish.  These were topped with the usual tomato sauce and yogurt.  There was the earthiness of the cumin combined with the tang of the tomato which was eased by the cool yogurt.  Yummy.

The meat of the meal was exactly that as we ordered the Nights in Kabul consisting of 3 each of the chicken and beef kebab atop Afghan bread.  This was supposed to serve 4 people, but honestly, it could feed much more especially since it included sides (more on that later).  Back to the meat, it couldn't have been prepared any better as the chicken was juicy and the beef was barely medium.  As a result, the meats were succulent.  The only thing we would've liked to see was a bit more seasoning.  But that wasn't really a big issue as the spicy hot sauce rectified that and beyond.  If you want to enjoy the bread underneath, I would suggest you remove it immediately as it got rather soggy when we left the meat on top.  On the side, we found a large plate of Kabli Pulao with the familiar raisins, carrots, almonds and spices.  This was well-executed with fluffy and chewy basmati rice that was aromatic and sweet from the raisins.

In addition to the rice, we were also served  sides of Eggplant and Potato.  Nothing particularly interesting about these as the eggplant somewhat resembled the dip except it was hot and a bit more savoury.  The potato was soft and very mildly-seasoned.  On the other hand, the Kofta was a total 180 as the there was a noted spiciness  The meat patties were large and beautifully textured where the natural beefiness was present while still being super tender and moist.  If this looked like a lot of food, you are absolutely right.  It was far too much for the 4 adults and kids at the table, yet at the same time, not overpriced.  Not only is the food good at Afghan Kitchen, it is also well-priced.

The Good:
- Proteins cooked properly
- Large portions
- Nice people

The Bad:
- Kebabs could've been more flavourful on their own
- Service was friendly, but hard to flag someone down during peak times

Pamir Diner

I've said it before, but I'll say it again - there is a lack of diversity when it comes to food in the GVRD.  Woah...  Wait a minute, what are you talking about???  Some would argue that Vancouver sports possibly the most ethnic cuisine in North American.  Yes, that may be true, but consider this - the selection of ethnic cuisine is predominantly Asian.  Nothing wrong with that, but some of the other options are lacking.  Of course this has plenty to do with demographics, however certain cuisines are poorly represented.  One of them is Afghani food.  Unlike Fremont, California (lots of relatives there, I go often), one could count on one hand the number of restaurants in the GVRD (Afghan Horseman, Afghan Chopan, Afghan Kitchen and Afghan Bakery).  Well, we can add one more in Pamir Diner out on Scott Road.  Miss Y and I decided to check it out for an early dinner.

So probably the best dish we had, arrived first, in the Mantu stuffed with ground beef, onions, and spices topped with special house sauce and mint yogurt.  Soft and tender with an appealing elasticity, the dumpling skin had good mouth feel.  Inside, the ground beef was moist, tender and peppery.  The garlicky tomato sauce on top was nicely accented by the cooling yogurt.  Lots of good textures and flavours going on here.  Next, we had an order of the Leek Bolani stuffed with leek and green onion and house spices pan-fried and served with yogurt and chutney.  This was pretty standard, if not a bit more doughy than other bolanis I've tried.  It was still fairly tender and nicely browned.  There was just enough leek and onion for flavour and texture without going over the top.

Onto the meats, we had both the Pamir Chicken and Lamb Tikka Kabobs.  As you can clearly see, the chicken was marinated and beautifully charred.  On the outside, the chicken was completely caramelized with an almost crispy crust.  There was some spice, but completely amped up with the cilantro chutney on the side.  We found the meat to be a bit dry though, but excusable since it was all breast meat.  Of the two, we thought the lamb was the best.  Also exhibiting the same crispy crust, the lamb wasn't as charred.  Now that didn't mean it wasn't flavourful though.  It was well-marinated and wasn't overly gamy.  The meat itself was succulent and tender.  I enjoyed eating this with the cilantro chutney and yogurt.

As a side, we added the classic Kabuli with the usual raisins and seared carrots.  The basmati rice was fluffy and flavourful without being overly greasy and salty.  I loved this rice since the pop of the sweet raisins and carrots really add a balance.  I could just eat this all by itself without any mains.  Too bad we weren't hungry enough to order the lamb shank because this goes so well with it.  Where is Mijune when you need her?  Overall, we enjoyed our meal at Pamir Diner.  I'm not sure if it is any better than Afghan Chopan, but it provides an alternative.

The Good:
- Tasty Mantu
- Nice people
- Loved the lamb kabobs

The Bad:
- Portions could be larger for the price

East is East - Chai Lounge

Once upon a time...  I decided to organize a blogger's dinner at East is East (Broadway location).  Back then, that was a relatively doable exercise as there were only a few truly active blogs.  If we were to do such a thing now, we'd need a rent a hall or something.  I came away from that dinner relatively pleased since the food was above-average and the price was right (yes, I realize I just named a TV show...).  3 years later, I got an invite to try out their recently relocated spot on Main.  Since I could bring a guest, I enlisted someone who was at that original blogger's dinner - Mijune.  Oh, and the fact she could eat a whole cow herself was another determining factor.  And this is not a joke, the "thing" to order at East is East is the Silk Route Feast which is essentially an all-you-can-eat menu for $25.00 per person.

We did end up ordering the Feast, but not before we noticed some interesting items unavailable on that particular menu.  Hence, we decided to start with a half-and-half order of their Mango Prawns and Prawns Masala. We found the mango prawns to be the better of the two with a rich, creamy sauce that exhibited a understated sweetness to start while finishing off with spice.  The prawns themselves had a nice snap and were cooked just right.  As for the prawns masala, they were bathed in a tomato sauce that only had a hint of tang while exhibiting a mild-to-medium level of spice.  The Vegetable Pate with hemp also caught our attention.  I was a bit skeptical at first because I am a full-blown "Meatatarian", however, it was much better than I thought it would be.  The texture and flavour could be best described as mushy processed meat (akin to that defunct canned pate from Puritan).  Now yes, that may not be a ringing endorsement, but in a strange kind of way, I didn't mind it.  I kept eating it, so I didn't dislike it right?

Now onto the Feast.  We had a choice of soup, salad and carbs for the meal.  We ended up with one each of the Mystic Soup and Squash Soup. One sip of the mystic soup and there was a definite lemongrass/ginger hit.  It was possibly too strong as it overwhelmed the creamy coconut and mild green curry flavours.  Interestingly, they used both button mushrooms and enoki.  As for the squash soup, it was more like lentil soup as the texture was more hearty than smooth.  It had this mulligatawny thing going on which made it complex in flavours.  For our salads, we tried the Tabouleh and Beet Salads. I found the tabouleh to be pretty good with vibrant ingredients and mildly dressed while the beet salad was sorta ho-hum.  The beets were a bit soft while the flavours were sweet but understated.

Now this is where the eating got serious as we started round one with 4 items.  I gave the Afghan Eggplant a go first.  It consisted of baked eggplant sauteed with herbs, tomato, onion and garlic topped off with yogurt.  I found the eggplant to be moist yet not a complete mush.  The flavours were a pleasing combination of tartness, spices and the cooling effect from the yogurt. When we originally ordered the Alu Gobi, they informed us that it was not ready just yet.  When it finally arrived, we gave it a try and it was indeed not ready.  Both the cauliflower and potato were too firm while the flavours did not mesh with the ingredients.  However, we got another order later and it was much better since it was given some time to cook down.  The ingredients were softer while the tang of the tomatoes really announced themselves as well as some spice.

Moving onto some meat dishes, we had the Lamb Pan Kebab roasted in ginger, onion, tomato, garlic and five spice curry.  This was my personal favourite as the lamb was only slightly gamy exhibiting a really nice char.  The meat was sufficiently tender and flavourful.  It was further amped by the smooth and creamy sauce that gave a hint of spice.  We also liked the Minced Beef Kebab with mushroom, green pepper, tomato and herbs. The formed beef kebabs were moist and soft, yet still meaty in texture.  Once again, there was a good char which naturally added some smokiness.  The mild lentils underneath were nice texturally as they still maintained a bite.

Our second round consisted of the 2 fish offerings from the menu.  The first was the Seasonal Fish which was Basa Thai Curry.  By flavours and appearance alone, it looked like a yellow curry.  It was creamy and had a nice kick.  The fish itself was cooked just right as it was flaky and moist.  However, the Wild Salmon was nothing but.  The darn piece of fish was cooked far beyond what it should been.  The meat was a dry, chewy mess which was neither appetizing nor really all that edible.  Too bad really since the flavours were quite nice.  There was supposed to be miso, but we could hardly pick it out, but the mix of red and green curry was quite nice as it had a nice kick to it.

Continuing on with the Mijune diet (emphasis on "die"), we had the Palak Paneer.  This was pretty good and admittedly, better than some Indian restaurants I've been to.  The whole thing was super smooth and creamy.  It was quite mild, yet the texturally on-point morsels of cheese highlighted the entire dish. The last time I had the Mango Butternut Squash (at the Broadway location), I was in the minority when I stated I liked it.  Most people, including Mijune, thought it had the texture of baby food.  Well, I can't disagree with that, but the flavours really hit a homerun for me.  The combination of squash, mango, coconut milk, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and curry leaves created a flavour explosion.  The flavours of tart, sweet, spice and savoury were all there, especially the tang from the mangoes. 

Something not found on their online menu, the Okra, was an interesting dish.  It was a combination of okra and potatoes in a spicy and tangy tomato sauce.  The okra was predictably slimy, yet not overly so.  It still had somewhat of a bite.  The dish was pleasant enough, but somehow, these flavours seemed a bit redundant.  And on the topic of re-occurring flavours, the Eastern Ratatouille seemed to echo that sentiment.  It was a combination of zucchini, lentils, potatoes, eggplant and garlic sauteed in herbs & spices.  So naturally, we had the tang of the tomato with a mild combination of spices.  Either we were getting really full (which was true) and/or we were experiencing familiar flavour fatigue.

Onto another common Indian dish, we had the Chickpeas (or Channa Masala) in an onion and tomato sauce with herbs & spices.  I found the chickpeas to be on the softer side, but they still maintained their shape and were not mushy.  The usual spices were there such as coriander and cumin which of course were found in some of the other dishes we had as well.  And these spices were repeated in the Chicken Masala as well except with a creamy twist.  In this respect, the flavours were similar yet different at the same time.  The creaminess really complimented the moist chicken as well as the decent level of spice.

Now, as we were preparing for dessert, Mijune noticed that we missed one of the available dishes.  There was only one way to alleviate this problem...  Get an order of it!  So our last savoury item was the Peas & Cheese with potato mixed in with a creamy, slightly spicy sauce.  This was pretty straight-foward with soft peas and equally soft cheese.  The whole thing was thick and rich, perfect with rice and/or naan, which we didn't have any left!  But while we were eating our meal, there was no shortage of Boulani, Naan, Afghan Rice and Basmati Rice. I know this may be blasphemous for me to say this, but I really liked the boulani.  So much so, it was better than most, if not, all of the Afghan restaurants I've been to.  Chalk it up to personal preference, but I found it to be the right thickness and crisp, light texture with just enough filling.

Now onto dessert.  We shared 2 of them including the recommended vegan Chocolate Pudding.  Predictably, the pudding wasn't exactly smooth.  Rather, it was a bit grainy.  Yet, at the same time, it wasn't bad either having a rich dark chocolate flavour.  The plethora of strawberries and cherries in a sweet syrup watered down the dessert somewhat.  As for the Eastern Ecstasy, it was hands-down our favourite of the two.  It consisted of rice pudding, ice cream, a warm galub jamun sprinkled with rosewater, pisatchios and cardamom.  The rice pudding itself had a nice texture, but lacked flavour.  However, the ice cream more than made up for it, including the always sweet galub jamun. This dessert had a kulfi flavour to it, especially with the pistachios and cardamom. 

Yes, we really did eat all this food and we left little to waste too.  Call it the hazards when eating with Mijune...  In the end, we thought the food was consistent enough to be considered good.  Considering one orders the feast and can actually eat a lot, it is a fantastic value.  East is East succeeds in being a safe, reasonably-priced restaurant for those who want to venture past regular Western fare in favour of more exotic offerings.  

The Good:
- Although exotic sounding, the food is a good introduction for most people
- Feast is a good value
- Food is above-average

The Bad:
- Some artistic interpretation with a few dishes, it might offend those authenticity snobs