There can never be too many of North-Indian restaurants and if you are inclined for some good soulful curry then the entire city is your playground. Chennai has a fantastic curry culture. It itself has some wonderful regional curry palette that can amaze you with its deep flavour and diversity but let’s admit when talking about curry, our mind instantly move towards rich robust Punjabi curries. Dunking a piece of flaky naan in a bowl of creamy spicy curry can be very comforting and you can find this kind of comfort easily at ‘Kabul’ in Mylapore vicinity. This homely looking comfy restaurant is located at Kaaraikudi Complex in busy Mylapore and is quite frequented by hungry corporates and small families. It’s a good place to be for a casual, relaxed meal with loved ones without blowing your money. The restaurant is a low key place.
While the name Kabul may revive your exotic imagination, the mystery extends only to the décor. The signage carries a picture of a camel and a cluster of palm trees, suggesting an influence of middle-eastern backdrop. The romantic fantasy of exotic interiors carries into the décor featuring, peppy pink walls embedded with flame shaped windows and mysterious carved screens. Restaurant is quite spacious by forming small nooks and corners for you to settle in. To elevate the middle-eastern theme, they have put small carpets on the walls and a photo of a regional woman. Kabul is charming and awakens your curiosity with its quaint décor and a relaxed ambience. The colour pink lends a vibrancy to the room, something that pulls the restaurant from being dull or uninteresting.
The menu of Kabul trots all over Northern India by handpicking most delicious dishes from Awadh, Mughal and Hyderabad. You get to enjoy some very clever and classic delicacies. Start with, murgh kadak sheek kebab, hara bhara kebab, tandoori chicken, paneer tikka, murgh cheese kebab, tandoori stuffed mushroom, pathar ka gosht, makki sheek kebab, malavani fish, gobi amritsari, rubiyan sheek kebab, murgh kalimirchi kebab, alu bharwan and raan-e-sikander. Soak up the curries with a piece of buttery naan or a bowl of fragrant biryani. On offer is, murgh malai handi, paneer roganjosh, murgh nawabi curry, palak paneer kofta, jhinga dum masala, malai kofta, machli lajawab, channa pindi and kacha keema kofta curry. See Kabul off with khubani ka meethah, sheer kurma or shahi tukda.
- The star of the menu is chicken lahsuni tikka - charred, moist and so redolent of garlic, that you should probably brush your teeth after!
- Kabul is run by Shyam’s Hospitality who also run Karaikudi, Amravathi etc and are associated with the Savera Hotel. The Hyderabadi dishes such as pathar ke kabab and khubani ka meetha are quite decent
- If you are a kulfi fan, then save space for Kulfi Zone, which is also run by Shyam’s in the same compound