We’re fairly lucky living in a multicultural society as we get to experience a wide range of cuisines right at our doorstep.  Today, I stumbled upon the Afghan Charcoal Kebab House which is about three eighths down Hindley Street coming from the Rundle Street end. Parwana is the only other Afghan eatery I’ve been to so I was keen to check this place out.

The decor here is sleek and stylish with nice clean lines and elements of symmetry. The dining chairs are elegant and comfortable, and the red, white and gold colour scheme is prominent throughout. There are a few ornaments hanging off one of their main walls which gives it a slight traditional touch. The floor plan is a long and skinny one, and they’ve done well to maximise the amount of natural light that flows through the glass frontage. There’s also good air circulation with the strategically positioned wall mounted air conditioning. It’s not a particularly large place with a maximum seating capacity of about 25.

The menu is mainly traditional with a few western favourites thrown into the mix. Today, I ordered the BBQ Chicken which is half a chicken with rice, salad and sauces. The dish came out after a 15 minute wait and was nicely presented. I quite impressed by the sheer size of the dish and I felt I was definitely getting my money’s worth.

The chicken was well marinated, tender, juicy and succulent. The chook was a decent size and it’s crispy exterior was simply heavenly. The rice was perfectly cooked with nice individual grains. The amount of rice was more than generous and the inclusion of dried sultanas provided subtle hints of natural sweetness. The two sauces provided were very nice. The first one was a complex tomato based sauce which I suspect utilises the unique Afghan four spice mixture (cinnamon, cloves, cumin and black cardamon). The other one was similar to a watered down garlic sauce, both of which gave the chicken more depth. The vegetables were fresh and crisp, and were completely secondary to the dish.

My friend had the Lamb Skewers. I was fortunate enough to try a piece and can report that it was absolutely delicious. The lamb was lean, tender and well marinated. The meat had such good flavour, I’m still licking my lips thinking about it.

The staff were warm and welcoming, and the service was pretty good. The atmosphere was relaxed, and I wasn’t surprised to see this place packed out as the lunch crowd rocked up. The pricing is more than reasonable considering the quality of the dishes and the serving size. My dish was $13 and I probably would have had to pay something in the mid 20’s somewhere else for the same dish.

This place is a diamond in the rough on a street that has a bad reputation. I found very little to fault about this place and had a surprisingly good dining experience. I thoroughly recommend this place.

WHERE: 1/61 Hindley St, Adelaide