Kofta! Kabuli! Kabob!

[November 28th, 2007]

The news that K2 Kebab—the short-lived and much-talked-about Pakistani venture on Hawthorne Boulevard—closed its doors for good in June was met with gnashing of teeth and tearing of hair by Portland foodishists. “Woe are we!” they cried. “Will there never be good Central Asian food on the east side?

No more tears, friends. After a mere three months, the restaurant has reopened as Kabobi Afghan Cuisine, with a new owner and new menu from the other side of the Durand Line.

In an uncommonly wise move for a Portland restaurateur, Hawthorne resident Kabir Wahedi has kept many of the traits that made K2 so popular. His Afghan restaurant still serves complimentary chai, the service is still friendly (sometimes overly so) and speedy, the entrees are all still halal, and, if you’re so inclined, you can still indulge the perverse Northwestern impulse to have all your meals wrapped in flatbread.

Wahedi’s made a few changes, though. By tiling the floor, buying a few tablecloths and hanging some well-known images of Afghanistan on the walls, he’s made the formerly austere space feel like a real restaurant. The table placement could use some work—most of the tables for two are exposed to cruel drafts from the door—but, for the most part, Kabobi is pleasant and welcoming.

Another quirk that won’t be missed is K2’s infuriating à la carte policy. You don’t need to order seven separate items to get a full meal at Kabobi. All entrees are served with a salad—a boring but inoffensive romaine-and-tomato affair that serves only to inject some fresh vegetables into an otherwise starch- and meat-heavy menu—a towering mound of basmati rice, and a bowl of tangy chutney.

And those entrees are damn good. The menu is blessedly short, with a few well-prepared staples available in varying combinations. The chicken and lamb kebabs ($9.95 and $10.95, or two for $14.95) are a tad dry but intensely flavorful. The kabuli palaw ($12.95), a tender lamb shank served with rice cooked in lamb juices, is a treat. The kofta mantoo ($10.95) is not, as described, ground beef in a pastry shell, but more like a plate of mild-sausage-stuffed boiled potstickers served with a savory tomato sauce.

Vegetarians are not neglected. The fried samosa ($4.95), though greasy, is filled with an uncommonly delicious pea-and-potato purée, and Wahedi’s lentils ($8.95 entree, $3.95 side) are a revelation. Bright orange and seasoned with a mysterious—nay, magical—mix of earthy spices, they’re some of the best in town. The nan is quite good, but not exceptional. It would be nice if it could be subbed for the mountains of rice.

As Portland’s first Afghan restaurant, Kabobi is a welcome addition to upper Hawthorne, and we hold fervent hope that the space will not continue its Northwest march in another nine months. This town just ain’t ready for a Turkmen joint.