Rendezvous with Afghan Savour at Kabul-Delhi Restaurant

Food, I have always believed is a window to look at the way of life, culture, and being of a particular people. Wandering across Delhi for the past few months while gourmandizing through assorted recipes I have perhaps realized it the most. My first encounter with Afghan food occurred roughly two winters back when my classmate from Afghanistan, Rustam considered it to be the opportune time. What I mean by Afghan food hear is more or less authentic Afghan food, unlike the range of ‘Afghani Chicken’, ‘Afghani Pulao’ et al. served across eateries in India. My rendezvous with Afghan food has been so far so good and I have been a frequent face at the Kabul-Delhi restaurant in New Delhi.

Tucked quietly in the allure and razzmatazz of charismatic Lajpat Nagar, the eatery dutifully serves as a modest destination to engage with Afghan delicacies. Crowded mostly by the Afghan folks the place however hosts a considerable number of foodaholic Indians every day. Operating initially from E-104, Ground Floor in Lajpat Nagar 2, the outlet now has an offspring too in proximity at I-83, Ground Floor. Although not tickling to extremity, the flavor nevertheless is convincing and appealing. The service is worth rewarding and is furthered by the overwhelming hospitality and pleasant ambiance. If free WiFi does not already win the tech-savvy corner of your soul, you have got to wait for the complimentary serving of the sublime green tea with anything you order.

What one gets here above all is a humble exposure to the Afghan way of life and the very basics of Afghan gastronomy. Tea, in its non-milky and non-sugary, but greener and milder manifestation is an indispensable part of Afghan life, it seems. Being a tea-person myself, I in all ways have been appreciating the tea-fetishism of my Afghan friends and have found solace on every trip to the Kabul-Delhi restaurant. 

The arrangement of the essential paraphernalia inside the restaurant presents itself as a hybrid space. The hybridity of the simultaneous existence of the Afghan and the Western way of prandial engagement. You can either be seated on your haunches over the carpet with bolster-backed ease, the most traditional Afghan way of doing it. Or you could choose the dining tables in the Western way and be seated upright over cushioned benches leaning upon higher tables. Having engaged with both ways I personally have become an admirer of the former. 

Kabul-Delhi-I has a carpeted basement with a life-size poster of horse-mounted men playing Buzkashi as a backdrop with tables and benches on the ground floor. Those wishing to go the first way, therefore, need to be in the basement while those that are more comfortable with the sophisticated way can get along on the ground floor. The newer Kabul-Delhi on the other hand has simultaneous provisions for both the ways with tables and carpets on the same floor. Depending upon the availability of space and time at disposal one can go for either.

Yet another enchantment of the restaurant in particular and Afghan gastronomy, in general, is the baked-bread on offer. Bulkier and thus heavier than the traditional Indian roti the Afghan bread/naan is excellence at its best. Characterized by a pleasant taste and charm of its own, the Afghan bread successfully grabs its emancipation from the compulsory association with sabji, which unfortunately could never occur to the Indian roti. The bread in a way can comfortably be swallowed with measured sips of the pristine green tea while resting against fluffy bolsters and stretching over cozy carpets. One need not bother about the availability of a sabji or a dal to soak the bread with.

Of the a-la-carte, I have personally laid hands and mouth on Qabuli Pulao, Qabuli Uzbegi, Mutton Qorma, Chicken Qorma, Gosht Tikka Kabab, Sami Kabab, Kabab Chopan, Yakhni Gosht, and Chicken Tikka Kabab. Differing hardly by a sprinkle of salt and other condiments, the roasted items require a conscious tongue and an able sense for a comparative interrogation. I do not consider it necessary to indulge in analyzing and explaining the modus operandi of the maverick delicacies and hence refrain from doing so in all my stories. This I believe is the prerogative of the food lover himself to individually engage with, explore, and discover the intricacies of the recipes ordered. 

Although not the best place in Delhi serving more or less authentic Afghan food, the place undoubtedly is the initial entry point to the Afghan gastronomy. As mentioned above, the place, in a way is a window to expose oneself to the traditional Afghan art and style of eating. 

Approximate Price: INR 700 for two

Add On: Free Wifi, Overwhelming Hospitality, Hindi understood and spoken, Tidy

Location: E-104, Ground Floor and I- 83, Lajpat Nagar II

Nearest Metro: Lajpat Nagar

Landmark For Auto: Near Central Market, Lajpat Nagar