37462 Fremont Blvd., Fremont, CA
I have only had Afghani food once at the Helmand lunchtime buffet and was sad when they closed earlier this year. Mr. K has been working in the South Bay, so we compromised and met in Fremont to check out this restaurant which gets a lot of favorable reviews. The cuisine is an interesting mix with influences from its many adjacent neighboring countries. Each table had a tray of condiments, a spicy sweet chili sauce and a tart vinegary dressing tasting of mint and cilantro.
Our dinner came with a fresh crispy salad of lettuce, tomate, slices of sweet onion and cucumber mixed in a simple light dressing infused with fresh herbal flavors.
The afghani bread was a plain flatbread and sprinkled with a few sesame seeds that became a little dry and tough after it cooled off
We shared the Mantoo appetizer which were lightly constructed dumplings topped with tomato sauce mixed with ground beef and drizzled with rich yogurt then sprinkled with dried mint
The plump dumplings had a savory filling of spiced ground beef and onions. The dish was similar to Italian ravioli but the flavors were vastly different especially with yogurt and mint. The appetizer serving is pretty large and very filling and we inhaled them all.
We also had a Yogurt with Cucumber Salad which had been drained and had a thick, rich and creamy texture. I like to spoon it into the other dishes, it adds a lighter texture and flavor to some of the sauces and dishes.
Chicken Curry was a northern indian style dish with tender succulent pieces of white meat in a spicy sauce that was perfect spooned over the plain white rice.
I ordered the Vegetarian Dish, which was a combination of savory stewed eggplant drizzled with yogurt and a stewed spinach dish that had a mild buttery flavor. The eggplant was cooked with tomato and rich spices until it was translucently silken and resembled gooey cheese that melted into the tomato sauce. The variety of tastes and textures was intoxicating, there were so many dishes to dip into and spoon over.
My vegetarian dish included a small bowl of Dal, which was spicy and full flavored with the thick texture of crushed split peas. It was so good that I wouldn’t let Mr. K near it…
I was glad that we were seated in the low table area on plush cushions surrounded by pillows. I lounged back, stretching my legs out and felt like I was in a tent in an exotic land…
We definitely will be back to try other dishes – the spices and flavorings beckon our return.
