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Tucked away in a nondescript shopping center in Sunnyvale, Kabul Afghan Cuisine is a little gem celebrating Silicon Valley's diverse cultures. Tables are dressed with dusty rose and white cloths with burgundy accents, while many of the walls are hung with tapestries. A little alcove in the 90-seat restaurant features a fancy and colorful peasant dress. There's a long, narrow tapestry--creatively hung as a border around the wall. The decor, coupled with lively background music, gives Kabul a cozy, yet elegant feeling. Once you step inside, the fact that it's in a shopping center is quickly forgotten.
Owner Najib Naimi runs the business side of Kabul, while his brother Adib is the head chef. They came here from Afghanistan in the late 70s. Both worked the banquet circuit and waited tables in an array of restaurants before opening Kabul in 1988. Naimi says, "We got tired of that. So my brother put these recipes together, and we got Kabul going. Most of the dishes he learned from our mom."
Naimi describes Kabul's menu as a cross between Indian and Middle Eastern.
The distinction, he says, "Is the spices are completely different."
Although many types of meat and seafood are offered, lamb is the house specialty. In addition to chops, there are unusual combinations such as qabili pallaw, a lamb dish served with seasoned rice, carrots and raisins (pallow is the Afghan word for seasoned rice; white rice is called challow). Another popular item is matu, which features ground lamb dumplings topped with yogurt and vegetables.
There are a variety of vegetarian dishes, moderately priced at $8.95 for lunch. Dinner prices are a bit higher, with the most expensive item, a veal kabab, costing $17.95. All entrees come with salad and bread.
Although wine is served, the adventurous can also order Afghan tea, which is a black tea spiced with cardamom. Another interesting concoction is dough, a yogurt drink with chopped cucumbers, a dash of salt and dried mint.
Naimi claims Kabul was the first Afghan restaurant to open in the Bay Area. It was named for the capital of Afghanistan, long before Kabul became a household word in the United States. Naimi says at the time of the 9-11 terrorist attacks, he was afraid there would be a backlash.
"Fortunately, we got a very good response. People were very supportive," he says. "They brought us so many flowers we had to put them in the kitchen," Naimi says. He says that his customers are generally not from the Afghan community, most of whom live in the East Bay. Instead, he says, they represent Silicon Valley's diverse population.
"At any given time you can hear seven or eight different languages being spoken here."
Kabul is open Monday through Friday for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dinner hours are nightly from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Take-out is available and the brothers will also host off-site banquets and parties.
Kabul, 833 W. El Camino Real at Pastoria Avenue. The phone number is 408.245.4350.
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Photograph by Cera Renault