Uyghur Dinner: Afandi Kitchen!
Details
Are you ready to try something that you've almost certainly never had before, and probably have never even heard of? I suspect most people have never heard of Uyghur cuisine! The Uyghurs are a severely oppressed Turkic ethnic and religious minority group in northwestern China. Their region was the start of the ancient Silk Road, and as a result their cuisine is an interesting mixture of Chinese, Persian, Greek, and Arabic, and while there are certainly recognizable aspects of all of those cuisines to be found in their food, it definitely is not exactly any of them! I discovered Afandi a couple months ago, and having now eaten there several times, I can tell you that their food is as delicious as it is unique, so it's time for the group to give it a try!
Cuisine - As I mentioned above, it's quite an interesting hybrid. Because the Uyghurs are primarily Muslim, you won't find pork or shellfish on the menu. What you will find is a lot of chicken, beef, and lamb, along with veggies, noodles, and rice. This is not an Americanized menu, but even if you aren't too into exotic food you can find some great stuff here. Among the appetizers, my favorites are the pumpkin and ground beef sambosas - like a cross between a samosa and a wonton and topped with powdered sugar(!) - and their Spring rolls, similar to the Chinese variety but much lighter, crisper and with made with ground beef! While I haven't tried their soups, the selection includes stewed lamb, oxtail tomato, and meatball noodle and they're all a meal in themselves. Their entree selection is mostly based on Laghman, a thin hand-pulled noodle somewhere between spaghetti and udon. They have about six versions, most variations having a choice of beef or lamb and a choice of veggies and spiciness. You can also find some grilled lamb, lamb kebabs, and chicken wings... and for the more adventurous eater, the "exotic taste" section has some rather unusual and, in some cases, quite spicy dishes, including things like lamb shanks, Mala chicken or cumin lamb with leeks. But at the same time, their "braised beef burger" is a safe bet being shredded beef served in a pita (and it's darn good!), as is their grilled steak wrap which looks like a taco served in pita! They also have some vegetarian dishes including an excellent braised rice... and to top things off, several desserts including a fantastic chocolate pecan baklava! Bottom line, you can play it safe or get very adventurous here, but no matter what, the food is incredibly delicious and I think you'll love it!
Price - We all know how restaurant prices have skyrocketed in the last couple years, but despite being a new restaurant, Afandi keeps their prices really reasonable. The appetizers are all under $12, and the menu overall ranges from mostly in the mid teens for most dishes to the mid or upper twenties for some of the lamb or more exotic dishes. (And you can even get lamb kebabs for a mere $3.59 each!) For my money, this is some seriously interesting food for a great price.
Other Info - Afandi Kitchen is located on Chesterfield Airport Rd, directly across from the Galaxy movie theater and in the same building as Espinos and French Creperie. Plenty of free parking right out front!
I'll be looking forward to seeing lots of my west county foodies at Afandi Kitchen on Thursday the 23rd for some amazing and intriguing Uyghur food!