There's an old Pashtun saying that 'Every anguish passes except the anguish of hunger'. Gripped by such an anguish one Friday I decided to make the perilous journey to Hanwell, and carried on up to the 'Afghan Khayber'.
There's estimated to be around 50,000 Afghans in London, and Hanwell with two Afghan restaurants seems to have quite a large community. Despite the restaurant being empty apart from a young couple, there was a constant stream of locals, largely Afghan families buying carrierbags of steaming naan straight from the tandoor. The place feels quite authentic (or at least what I'd imagine a Kabul chow house to be like). The walls are white washed and decorated with rugs and ornate weavings, the ubiquitous giant teapot sits expectantly in the window, hoping one day it'll get its chance. There's also a large recliner with a low table should you wish a more authentic experience, much to my relief the five of us didn't fit.
On ordering we found that much of the menu was unavailable. Admirably the owners are narrowing it down to strictly Afghan dishes and jettisoning so called Iranian impostors such as Jujeh Kebab and Spinach Ba Sibzamini. To start we went for Borani Banjan, aubergine slices fried with garlic and tomatos and topped with yoghurt, and Borani Sabzi, sauteed spinach with yoghurt. Both were simple and delicious mopped up with a 2ft naan.
This was followed by two pasta dishes (an Uzbek contribution to Afghan cuisine I'm told). Mantu, rich, steamed parcels of minced lamb and onions flavoured with chili and coriander, coated in yoghurt and a tomato and split pea sauce; and Ashak, leek filled ravioli, sweet and salty. It was washed down with Dogh (pronounced a flem summoning Dohhhk) a traditional drink of yoghurt, mint and cucumber similar in taste to raita. It's tasty and the perfect antidote to a hot Kabul summer I'm sure, but I soon opted for a beer.
It's BYOB so I popped a few doors up to a Russian shop 'Pogrebok'. It felt like I was in Novosibirsk, everything was written in Cyrrilic. Walking back I wondered if there was any animosity between Afghan Khayber and their Russian neighbours given the events of the 1980s. My questions were soon answered when we opened a Baltika and it cannoned a jet of beer across the table, drenching a fellow diner. An embarassing incident in a dry Muslim restaurant, typical KGB inventiveness.
For our main courses we ordered a selection of kebabs; Shami, coarsely minced lamb sausage shaped kebabs flavoured with garlic, cumin and chili, moist with the right amount of fat, and Kofta Chalau, finely minced lamb patties with a hint of cardamon. The latter came in a rich tomato sauce, supposed to be with chickpeas (which were dually omitted). Delicious as the Kofta were, the sauce was far too oily for my liking, It may be more suited to Afghan tastes (and winters).
We encountered the same problem with the other Qormas (Curries) we ordered. A lamb Kahari was deep with slowly cooked onions but was oily and the meat used, perhaps too lean, had shrunk and dried up a bit. The chicken Qorma was sweet and sour with a nice tang, but would have been more succulent with thigh meat as opposed to breast. These were accompanied by Chalow; basmati rice boiled until almost cooked and then finished in the oven with oil and butter, which was excellent, as were the 70p giant naans which were drawing in the regulars. Chatney, a fresh relish of vinegar, tomato, chili and coriander cut nicely through the fat of the kebabs.
Our final plate was Qabuli Palao, Afghanistan's national dish of rice cooked with a lamb shank and stock, topped with carrots, raisins and almonds. The portion was intimidating, it was nice enough but the rice lacked the lambiness I'd hoped for. The key perhaps is to render enough lamb/mutton fat at the start of cooking. The meat itself was flavoursome but again was a touch too dry.
I'd certainly recommend Afghan Khayber if you can make it out to Hanwell, it was a really genuine place with no pretensions and seems like an important part of the community. As my first real Afghan experience I'm unqualified to speak about it with any authority. We had a satisfying meal which could have been better. The highlight was certainly the pasta, the Mantu and the Ashak, and it was great to see the owners take a real pride in it. The price was very reasonable, five of us ate, starters and mains for just over £50. Afghan food is something I really want to come back to, hopefully one day in its birthplace, which seems like a fascinating and enigmatic country.
Afghan Khayber, 203-205 Uxbridge Road, London, W7 3TH
Tel: 020 8579 5111
Next stop Albania........
There's estimated to be around 50,000 Afghans in London, and Hanwell with two Afghan restaurants seems to have quite a large community. Despite the restaurant being empty apart from a young couple, there was a constant stream of locals, largely Afghan families buying carrierbags of steaming naan straight from the tandoor. The place feels quite authentic (or at least what I'd imagine a Kabul chow house to be like). The walls are white washed and decorated with rugs and ornate weavings, the ubiquitous giant teapot sits expectantly in the window, hoping one day it'll get its chance. There's also a large recliner with a low table should you wish a more authentic experience, much to my relief the five of us didn't fit.
On ordering we found that much of the menu was unavailable. Admirably the owners are narrowing it down to strictly Afghan dishes and jettisoning so called Iranian impostors such as Jujeh Kebab and Spinach Ba Sibzamini. To start we went for Borani Banjan, aubergine slices fried with garlic and tomatos and topped with yoghurt, and Borani Sabzi, sauteed spinach with yoghurt. Both were simple and delicious mopped up with a 2ft naan.
This was followed by two pasta dishes (an Uzbek contribution to Afghan cuisine I'm told). Mantu, rich, steamed parcels of minced lamb and onions flavoured with chili and coriander, coated in yoghurt and a tomato and split pea sauce; and Ashak, leek filled ravioli, sweet and salty. It was washed down with Dogh (pronounced a flem summoning Dohhhk) a traditional drink of yoghurt, mint and cucumber similar in taste to raita. It's tasty and the perfect antidote to a hot Kabul summer I'm sure, but I soon opted for a beer.
It's BYOB so I popped a few doors up to a Russian shop 'Pogrebok'. It felt like I was in Novosibirsk, everything was written in Cyrrilic. Walking back I wondered if there was any animosity between Afghan Khayber and their Russian neighbours given the events of the 1980s. My questions were soon answered when we opened a Baltika and it cannoned a jet of beer across the table, drenching a fellow diner. An embarassing incident in a dry Muslim restaurant, typical KGB inventiveness.
For our main courses we ordered a selection of kebabs; Shami, coarsely minced lamb sausage shaped kebabs flavoured with garlic, cumin and chili, moist with the right amount of fat, and Kofta Chalau, finely minced lamb patties with a hint of cardamon. The latter came in a rich tomato sauce, supposed to be with chickpeas (which were dually omitted). Delicious as the Kofta were, the sauce was far too oily for my liking, It may be more suited to Afghan tastes (and winters).
We encountered the same problem with the other Qormas (Curries) we ordered. A lamb Kahari was deep with slowly cooked onions but was oily and the meat used, perhaps too lean, had shrunk and dried up a bit. The chicken Qorma was sweet and sour with a nice tang, but would have been more succulent with thigh meat as opposed to breast. These were accompanied by Chalow; basmati rice boiled until almost cooked and then finished in the oven with oil and butter, which was excellent, as were the 70p giant naans which were drawing in the regulars. Chatney, a fresh relish of vinegar, tomato, chili and coriander cut nicely through the fat of the kebabs.
Our final plate was Qabuli Palao, Afghanistan's national dish of rice cooked with a lamb shank and stock, topped with carrots, raisins and almonds. The portion was intimidating, it was nice enough but the rice lacked the lambiness I'd hoped for. The key perhaps is to render enough lamb/mutton fat at the start of cooking. The meat itself was flavoursome but again was a touch too dry.
I'd certainly recommend Afghan Khayber if you can make it out to Hanwell, it was a really genuine place with no pretensions and seems like an important part of the community. As my first real Afghan experience I'm unqualified to speak about it with any authority. We had a satisfying meal which could have been better. The highlight was certainly the pasta, the Mantu and the Ashak, and it was great to see the owners take a real pride in it. The price was very reasonable, five of us ate, starters and mains for just over £50. Afghan food is something I really want to come back to, hopefully one day in its birthplace, which seems like a fascinating and enigmatic country.
Afghan Khayber, 203-205 Uxbridge Road, London, W7 3TH
Tel: 020 8579 5111
Next stop Albania........
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