19109 Sat Mar 16 03:03:30 -0800 2002 7 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 62848 I had to go to a friend's in Fremont tonight, so with thoughts of beating the Friday night rush hour traffic, I grabbed a friend and headed to Little Kabul. There's a blocklong stretch of Fremont Avenue in Fremont that has Afghan businesses including a halal butcher, a mini-mart, and two restaurants. Bay Area Backroads did a feature on this area a month or two ago, and then I read a review of the De Afghanan Kabob House in the Express. Unfortunately when we got there, the De Afghanan seemed closed, so we went across the street to Salang Pass. My entire previous experience with Afghan food is one delicious meal at Kabul in Sunnyvale (they have another in San Carlos). We ordered two appetizers and one entree. This was an overwhelming amount of food for two people. One appetizer (Boolawnee?) was described as an Afghan calzone. It was a huge serving of flat bread stuffed with onions and other delicious spices. Greasy, and accompanied by yogurt sauce for dipping. Completely addictive and for $6.50, enough to take home and nibble on all night. The other appetizer (mantu) was described as a dumpling, stuffed with beef and onions. But what a dumpling. Tender wrapper, steamed, delicious filling, topped with a tomato sauce and a sour cream like cheese. Heavenly, for about $4. My favorite item by far. The appetizers do include lamb brains, but my friend was clearly not a chowhound and declined. For our entree, we chose a vegetarian sampler platter, which included a yellow dal, basmati rice, spinach, and an indescribably good stewed eggplant in a tomato sauce. For less than $10, this platter was accompanied by a lovely salad and Afghan nan. The bread, while a far cry from Naan & Curry, is more like a Turkish bread. We used it to sop up the spicy green and red sauces on the table. The green had a minty flavor, while the hotter red reminded me of harissa. We also ordered dough, a yogurt drink, which was sour, salty, and filled with cucumbers and mint. Imagine raita with a straw. My friend enjoyed this more than I did. The menu features curries and kabobs, which warrant a return visit. I'd love to try their lamb and get to the dessert list. Generally the food is milder than Pakistani food, with complex flavors and fine ingredients. Salang Pass is a charming place, with modest prices and seating available on pillows under a tent. The owner was very friendly, even if our waiter seemed distracted. As we left, it had gotten dark and I noticed the neon for the kabob house we were looking for originally, under the awning of an old movie theater. Save it for next time. Salang Pass 37462 Fremont Blvd Fremont $30 with tip for 2 Sat Mar 16 03:03:30 -0800 2002 0 Windy 1 62866 Hey Windy, thanks for posting. With augiespal's recent report, that's two thumbs up for Salang Pass. I can't wait to hear about your next foray to Fremont. Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/19081#62685 Sat Mar 16 19:01:50 -0800 2002 62848 0 Melanie Wong 2 62886 Thanks Melanie. I feel really dumb for missing Augiespal's posting, on Thursday no less--but of course I wasn't looking for Fremont topics because I'm never in Fremont. At least our experiences were consistent. One of these days, we have to get Chowhound a more sophisticated web interface for threaded discussions. On second thought, that would probably require a technology committee and a fundraiser--I'd rather be out eating. Sat Mar 16 22:36:57 -0800 2002 62866 0 Windy 1 62884 My family and I dropped by Salang Pass based on the description in the current issue of "San Francisco" magazine. (The text doesn't seem to be available online, but its worth getting a hard copy - in addition to a profile of Little Kabul there are sections on Ethiopian, Filipino and Vietnamese restaurants and shops.) Windy is exactly right - it was worth the trip (all the way from Berkeley, and with no other reason to be in Fremont!) Even if you are relatively clueless about the food, the hostess is warm and welcoming and will help you choose if asked. Even with such wonderful food, you're likely to have something to bring home, since the portions really are substantial... Sat Mar 16 22:23:40 -0800 2002 62848 0 mcchowhound 1 62918 Speaking of Kabul in Sunnyvale, we had dinner there last night. The combination kabob is more than anyone can eat, except my husband and I each sacrificed ourselves to the cause and agreed that it was worth the effort. I had a hard time choosing because I love the lamb with pallaw, raisins and carrots. You've got to really love raisins though, because the dish includes about a half pound of them. One of our friends had the lamb dumplings in what we pretended was yogurt sauce but tasted (wonderfully) like sour cream. It was huge and rich and even after sharing it with the rest of us, she was daunted. We shared a side order of pumpkin with yogurt sauce and another of cauliflower with tomatoes and onions. Everyone agreed that the food was excellent,the quantities are amazing and the price is right. The service is sprightly. The place is packed and you're not encouraged to dawdle. It has been our experience that reservations are always a good idea. Sun Mar 17 12:24:19 -0800 2002 62848 0 Judith Hurley 1 63177 A few Sundays ago I was on my way to Sunnyvale’s Afghani House when I made the wrong turn that opened my eyes to the wonders of Santa Clara’s Korean neighborhood. But I did get back on the right track and had a good meal there. We started with aushak, thin-skinned leek-filled dumplings served with a tomatoey ground meat sauce and a yogurt sauce. The yogurt was more tart and not as full-bodied as other versions but the whole thing came together well. Peter had the skewered lamb chops and I ordered the lamb kabob – we were both happy with these dishes. Good grilled flavor, high quality meats, medium rare as ordered, and especially good with the heat of the thin green chutney. We had the fried eggplant with tomato sauce as a side that was unctuous in texture but simple in flavor. Portions are not as enormous here as the two Kabuls and Helmand, and Peter did eventually finish almost everything on our two plates. We ended with fragrant cups of cardamon tea. Peter had brought a bottle of 1999 CedarVille El Dorado Syrah full of dark plummy fruits, licorice and wood spice that was a fine match for our lamb courses and the exotic spice box of the cuisine. Corkage was $8.50 and our total with tax and tip was almost $80. This seemed a tad high to me, but maybe I’m quibbling because I’m accustomed to having a doggie bag for an Afghan lunch for my money. Afghani House 1103 E. El Camino Real Sunnyvale 408-248-5088 In November my brother and I took our parents to Kabul in Sunnyvale. Both of us had enjoyed Kabul in San Carlos and wanted to try the brother’s place. Portions here are again enormous – every table packs leftovers home. My brother’s lamb pallau was good, yet he felt the version in San Carlos was superior. My lamb kabob looked pale and anemic, although less than rare inside, and the marinade was not as interesting or flavorful. We also had the baked pumpkin that was grainy in texture, a far cry from Helmand’s masterpiece. Prices are a bargain here, especially when you consider that you’re getting two meals or more for the price of one. Kabul Afghan Cuisine 833 W. El Camino Real Sunnyvale For the six of the Bay Area’s Afghan restaurants I’ve experienced, I would rank them foodwise as: 1. Helmand, SF 2. Kabul Afghan Cuisine, San Carlos 3. Afghani House, Sunnyvale 4. Pamir, Emeryville 5. Kabul Afghan Cuisine, Sunnyvale 6. Bamyan, San Rafael For atmosphere, Afghani House would be first with its more modern and sleek interior, arched room dividers, widely spaced tables, subdued lighting and fresh rosebuds on each table. For service, Afghani House and Helmand share my top vote. Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/18978#61945 Wed Mar 20 18:58:08 -0800 2002 62848 0 Melanie Wong 2 63259 Well, Melanie, I'll have to try the Afghan House again. We went there a couple of times maybe about two years ago. It had come well recommended, so we figured it was a pretty good take on Afghani food, and it left us thoroughly unexcited. Mainly, everything seemed bland and uniformly undistinguished, and it left us wishing we had gone to an Indian restaurant instead. Also, to say that the servers were unenthusiastic would be a drastic understatement. Neither the food nor the customers seemed to merit anything that could be called pleasant or attentive. We gave it at least two tries before we gave up on it. That's why Kabul was such a delightful surprise. Maybe things have changed at the Afghan House? Thu Mar 21 19:28:40 -0800 2002 63177 0 Judith Hurley 3 63260 It sounds like both restaurants have their inconsistencies! I have one friend who strongly favors Afghani House over Kabul and another who takes the opposite position. In my case, I ordered the same entree at both places and AH was better at grilling. Neither place did well on the vegetable side dishes we had. We were at AH on a Sunday night when it was only half full. The customers seemed to be folks out for a special night rather than family groupings. Our server and the manager made regular rounds of the tables checking on everything and asking how we liked the food. Lots of changes of plates and flatware. Our server even managed to pour our wine for us, which many top dinner houses can't keep up with. It was very pleasant to have a three-hour leisurely meal and conversation with unobtrusive service in soothing surroundings. Even so, the tariff still seems a bit high to me. Now I want to get across the bay and try the places in Fremont. Thu Mar 21 19:53:57 -0800 2002 63259 0 Melanie Wong