NAAN KABOB – 691 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M4Y
Country: Afghanistan 
Seating: Only indoor seating with a quaint tea room upstairs. 
Must-try dish: Mantu 
Dinner guests: Ryhy
The high: The restaurant is constantly busy with people of all ages and backgrounds. 
The low: Counter service makes the experience less intimate. 

If you find yourself in the Yonge and Bloor Street area, there’s a terrific Afghan restaurant and tea house that never stops being busy, even on a Tuesday night. The decor is trendy and the food tasty, but it has comfortable vibes written all over it. 

Afghan food has its own flair, but there are similarities in its cuisine to neighbouring countries. There’s no shortage of barbecued meats, fragrant stews, warm breads, and eggplant to get the vegetables in. 

Although we’ve tasted Afghan food in the past, there’s certainly a lack of familiarity. Following an inspection of the menu, we decided to order a couple of appetizers, three mains, one side, and bread for dipping. 

Here are the starters: 

• Mantu: Afghan dumplings stuffed with ground beef, onions, and seasoning that are topped with yogurt and spices. We almost ordered another round as they were the favourite dish of the night, and likely one of the most beautifully presented dumplings Mandrea Bike has ever set eyes on. We opted for the spicy, and although there was a little kick-off spice, it was not overwhelming.
• Eggplant Borani: These grilled eggplant bites were an excellent kickstarter to the meal because it acted as a palate cleanser before the meatier dishes took center stage. Eggplant, tahini, garlic, and lemon. All the best flavours in one bite. 

Here are the mains: 

• Chicken Qurma Plate: This chicken stew was one of the first dishes that we decided to order. The chunks of chicken breast are slow cooked in a tomato sauce with smokey notes. It was a highlight to the dinner, and came served with Qurma rice, which is a decadent method of making rice with milk, ghee, and nuts. 
• Lamb Shank (Bone-In): It’s rare to spot a lamb shank on a menu and not order it, so we did. Although it’s not the best we’ve ever had in the city, it’s still worth ordering at NAAN KABOB. The generous portion of meat fell off the bone, over a massive bed of rice mixed with vegetables and raisins is addictive. 
• Shami Kabob Din: This kabob dinner is one of many on offer at the restaurant. The iconic two ground beef skewers are seasoned with traditional Afghan spices then grilled. A salad, rice, and warm bread accompany the plate. This style of kabob tends to be our go to when you don’t know the cuts of chicken, beef, or lamb, as it will always come out juicy. 

Missing out on the Chana Masala plate came with a silver lining as there’s a side order available. It offered a couple of bites each, and allowed us to try new dishes instead. Although Chana Masala is often thought to be an Indian cuisine, a number of other surrounding countries also have their own similar versions. The recipe is very similar using chickpeas in a tomato base but would have relied more heavily on traditional Afghan spices. 

Despite the food being served quickly for hungry diners, the major downside to this style of restaurant is the lack of intimacy between patrons and staff on menu questions. The staff at NAAN KABOB was friendly, but we did miss the human interactions that table service provides. 

Eat with you soon, 

Mandrea Bike
(Mat & Andrea)