Khaybar Restaurant

My first attempt to dine here, I rocked up on a Saturday night but was told they could not cater a table of five as a group of forty five just walked in. That was such a large amount of people. It literally took up the whole restaurant. We left leaving disappointed but I made an effort to come out early on a Saturday afternoon for lunch.

Under their Kabobs menu, we ordered their Morgh Tikka. Kabob and kebab is essentially the same thing, just a different way of spelling or saying it. Morgh Tikka consists of marinated chicken skewers served on a bed of challaw rice. For me, nearly every piece of chicken was succulent and juicy, with the odd dry piece. The challaw was flavoursome but wasn't as fluffy as some I've had such as Darband.

The other highly recommended dish to try was their Qaboli Pallaw - seasoned lamb served with a mound of delicately seasoned brown rice topped with carrots, raisins, almonds and pistachio. I was actually quite excited to try the pallaw after watching it on an episode of Rick Stein. The initial hit was an intense Cardamon sensation, but as you keep powering through the other flavours blend in and  I was able to fully enjoy a beautiful aromatic rice dish. We found the pallaw very fluffy and light as opposed to the challaw.  The lamb literally fell off the bone and was extremely tender. It wasn't heavily seasoned but paired with the rice, it made for a perfect hearty dish.

The highlight for my wife had to be their Buranee Badenjan - sautéed eggplant, sliced tomatoes, sprinkled with mint and topped with yoghurt. If you're not a fan of eggplant, then I can guarantee this dish will turn you. The eggplant was flavoursome and just melted in your mouth.

The eggplant also came with a freshly made bread that left us begging for more eggplant to soak it with.

I opted for some water to wash down my high carb lunch and my wife had a pot of black tea. 

During the Saturday lunch it was quiet but they still manage to pull in two large groups of 10+ during the time we were there. It's located on the less busier side of Auburn Road but it's still quite hard to find parking at the best of times.

The decor was clean, simple, with the walls lined with artwork of scenery from Afghanistan. The drinks were self service and they even had a counter at the front displaying their desserts.

The dishes we ended up trying were highly recommended by the person who served us. He kept referencing an article written about them in Sydney Morning Herald. I walked out, gave it a quick read and snapped a photo. He was super friendly and was constantly checking if we needed anything else. At first I assumed it was because I had my camera and was taking snaps of the food and venue but notice his friendly service was equally passed on to all the others in the restaurant.

I've developed a liking to Afghan cuisine recently...  I find it assimilates well culturally as the food is relatable and full of flavour. With amazingly friendly service, great food and decent prices I would recommend others to give Khaybar a try.