It was a special day. A birthday in the family, and someone suggested Samarkhand. An Afghan restaurant renowned for their biriyani.
So off we went, the five of us, in search of this frontier restaurant. I parked the vehicle next to the three dogs at the basement and proceeded up the cheap tiled stairs to the ground level restaurant. I wasn’t sure if I was in the right building because nothing there, be it the building or the decor, suggests it’s an expensive restaurant.
Inside, the waiter in mock north frontier attire, showed us to our table. Once seated I could see a complimentary bottle of, what I thought was, an exotic drink. But it turned out to be the drinks menu. Nothing special here but one look at their prices, and you feel tipsy. Nevertheless, we ordered a couple of cocktails. Two to be precise, and regretted it the very minute we took a sip. They were awful.
To mask the terrible taste we asked for the Kebab Platter from the newspaper, oops. the menu, which costs Rs 1400. This is a selection of their best Kebabs and were really great. There were fish, prawn, lamb and chicken and each had a distinct taste.
Then we had a look at the main course and the prices were a shocker. We were warned this place would be expensive, but nothing had prepared us for this shock. I mean when there is a roti priced at 190 bucks, go figure.
Anyways, for the main course we asked for two portions of Gosht Dum Biriyani which costs Rs 375 each. The dish was outstanding to say the least. The flavour of the lamb has infused the rice and the spices were just right. Undoubtably, the best biriyani I have had in Bengaluru. The Barra Kebab at Rs. 345/- was meaty and divine.
We gave their famed Nalli Ka Salan(Rs 365/-) a skip because we were told that it hadn’t turned out great that day. They have a reputation to guard, you see. For dessert we tried Kulfi which was so so(I wouldn’t recommend it).
When we thought we were done, a panwalla appeared and asked if we wanted to try his fare. We gave him the nod and he came back with some forgettable pan. Left a bad taste in the mouth.(Wouldn’t recommend that either).
Next came the Hajmola, in the form of the bill. A whopping Rs 6000(Though we were careful not to have much). The 10% service tax/ tip was added, plus 10% VAT(Is it 10% I wonder?). Plus, the waiter expected an additional tip, and was disappointed when I didn’t.
This is a place I would visit only for the biriyani and nothing else. Overall, a dinner that left us with mixed feelings. The Afghans would agree.