Going Beyond Just Kabobs: Zaytoon Offers Other Popular Afghan Entrees
Written: Feb 06 '08 (Updated Feb 06 '08)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Food and Presentation: |
 |
|
| Ambiance and Decor: |
 |
|
| Quality of Service: |
 |
|
|
Pros: Tasty and unusual for most Americans, reasonably priced
Cons: No-frills service may not be best for sit-down patrons
The Bottom Line: This tiny storefront offers cooked-to-order Afghan food at a reasonable price!
|
|
|
| smiles33's Full Review: Zaytoon Kabob |
Almost 10 years ago, when I first tried Afghan food at a local restaurant (that shall remain unnamed), I ordered the "highly recommended" chicken and lamb kabobs. These large, dry, overcooked chunks of meat turned me off Afghan food completely.
Fortunately, about a year ago, Zaytoon Kabob, a tiny Afghan restaurant in Fremont, CA, opened up next door to my husband's barber's hair salon. On a whim, he stopped in to order a few items to try and we were both thrilled with the food. He now picks up dinner from there every 3-4 weeks when he goes to get his hair cut and I eagerly look forward to it in the intervening weeks.
Background information
Afghanistan has obviously garnered much more attention since 9/11. Fremont, CA is supposedly the heart of the overseas Afghan community, with the largest community of Afghans outside of Afghanistan. Thus, there are a number of Afghan restaurants and even a street known as "Little Kabul" because of the concentration of Afghan-owned businesses. Zaytoon Kabob is located well outside of the Little Kabul neighborhood near the end of the Dumbarton Bridge on the border of Union City and Fremont.
This tiny restaurant is actually a small outpost of an established sit-down restaurant a 5-10 minute drive away. We almost always order to go, as the small restaurant has the feel of a fast-food place (complete with a counter and a lit menu above the cashier's head). But unlike fast food, this is all cooked to order, which means it sometimes takes 20 minutes or more to get your food. I've called ahead before and still ended up waiting another 10 minutes for my food, even with a completely empty restaurant.
Afghan food offers new interpretations of some familiar favorites
After trying Zaytoon Kabob, I am delighted to say I now love Afghan food. I had never realized there was more than just kabob nor that there were so many other Indian and even Chinese influences on Afghan cuisine. Assuming many readers are unfamiliar with this cuisine, I'll offer both my take on Zaytoon Kabob's version of these dishes and a general description based on my subsequent visits to 2 other local Afghan restaurants.
Note: they didn't have a to-go menu the last 3 times I've been in, so I can't recall exact prices for the entrees. However, I did manage to pick up a 1/2 page flyer with lunch specials so I'll list these prices. Keep in mind the portions of these specials are smaller, as I know we tend to spend closer to $10 per entree when we order them.
Mantoo ($5.95): These are my absolute favorite dish and we always order them. Mantoo are a delicate square dumpling constructed with a thin but dense pasta wrapper (it's chewy like Chinese wontons). I'd estimate they are about 2" wide. They are filled with a ground beef and onion filling seasoned with cumin, coriander, and other Afghan spices. They are also served with a special yogurt sauce, mint, and yellow split peas. The portion is fairly large for the dinner portion (9 ravioli-like dumplings for about $10-$12) so it's a little more than $1 each. The filling is moist and flavorful and the sauce is so good I usually dip my bolani (see next description) into it to soak it up.
Bolani (not on lunch special but between $10-$12): This is a delicious pan-fried flat bread with a slightly spicy potato and leek filling. It is very similar to the flat Chinese green onion "pancake" (if you have had that before) except for the potato and leek filling. The filling is spread across a dough "pancake" and then the dough is folded over it and the whole thing pan-fried so that there is a crispy exterior and moist, flavorful interior. Bolani is served with the ubitquitous yogurt (a thicker version of American yogurt, almost like sour cream) and a delicious tangy and spicy green cilantro chutney (like a green chile salsa and spicier than the Indian cilantro chutney). I absolutely LOVE this chutney and put it on everything.
Chapli Kabob ($5.49): This is a flat oval-shaped patty of ground beef, marinated with cilantro and other spices (you can see herbs). The restaurant describes it as Marinated spiced sandal shaped ground sirloin kabob. It's a flavorful and moist kabob, and so unlike the dry lamb and chicken chunks I had years ago. It's accompanied by moist basmasti rice topped with some saffron-colored rice (though, FYI, it tastes dry by day 2, as we always order so much that we have leftovers, so we microwave the rice separately to steaming hot to restore moisture), a cucumber, tomato, lettuce side salad, and a chewy Afghan version of naan (an Indian bread). The Afghan version is a brown wheat flatbread with ridges cut into rectangles that I find a bit dry and bland. Both the Chapli and the Shami kabob (see next description) are solid favorites but we alternate so we don't order both at the same meal.
Shami Kabob ($5.49) These are long cylindrical like "logs" of ground beef and seasonings that are wrapped around a skewer and grilled. They come with the same sides as the Chapli kabob. My husband prefers Shami kabob to Chapli kabob, as he feels Shami is not as dry.
We have tried their samosas (a deep-fried spinach/onion/potato-filled dumpling appetizer that runs $4.49 at lunch) but were sorely disappointed, as they are not as good as the Indian samosas so we never ordered them again.
Other information
When you walk in to the small storefront (maybe 20 feet wide?), the first thing you see are about 6-8 spartan tables with unpadded chairs (if I remember correctly). Frankly, they remind me of those in fast-food restaurants. Still, I met a friend here once for lunch and was able to sit without noticeable discomfort for about 1 hour so it wasn't an issue.
Then when you look up, you'll see the lighted menu on the wall above the cashier's head with about a dozen or so options. I suspect most folks walk up to the counter to order. There is a large glass-walled refrigerator for drinks on your left to help yourself. When I dined there with my friend, we ordered at the counter and then sat down.
You can see the "open kitchen" behind the cashier, as there is a large pass-through. Normally, there is only 1 cashier and a chef in the back. Of the 5 or 6 times I've been in, I have only seen 1 other customer, so I'm always nervous this place is going to close down. The cashier is friendly enough, but this really does feel like just a carry-out restaurant.
The one thing that distinguishes this from other hole-in-the-wall restaurants is that it's very clean and looks fairly new. I think they had to refurbish the space (not sure what used to be there) so it looks like it is all new paint and new lighting, etc.
The restaurant is open 7 days a week from 10 am to 10 pm, so the late hours is another bonus. Parking is also convenient because it's in a strip mall next to a Walgreen's.
Finally, I don't know if there is a restroom on site, as I never noticed one. It could possibly be through the kitchen.
All in all, this restaurant continues to be a great source of a relatively quick meal on a weeknight. We usually order so much that it is enough to last 2 days. If we wanted a more full-service experience, we would choose a different restaurant with a more extensive menu.
Special thanks, once again, to megugrrrl for adding this into the database for me! I'm keeping her busy. :)
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations Definitely order the mantoo and bolani, and if you have a large appetite you can also order the shami or chapli kabob, too.
Best Suited For: Friends
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
smiles33
|
 in Education, Kids & Family |
 in Books |
 - Top 1000 |
|
Reviews written: 333
Trusted by: 197 members
About Me:
Feverish baby vomited on me AFTER I changed to dry-clean-only work clothes. Murphy's Law.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.