Afghanistan

Central Asia isn't a region I associate with good food, but the Afghan Kitchen had been recommended to me by several friends so I was intrigued to try their fare. Having the name of the country in the title is always going to sway me towards a restaurant in this global endeavour. The restaurant wasn't exactly kitted out in traditional Afghan style, with its white walls, bamboo and pine benches and I would normally prefer authenticity in every aspect of the experience, but I can't say it wasn't a pleasant place to eat.

With great difficultly I set my mind to rolling, dry hills, populated by beige clothed men with roll-up hats each carrying an anti tank missile launcher. I imagined them settling down around a fire in a cave to enjoy a meal to celebrate victory over some invader or another before preparing to defend themselves against a new foe.

With this in mind, the food was surprisingly light and delicately flavoured. We had Lamb with Spinach; Chicken with Yoghurt and Lemon; and the Roast Pumpkin. Afghan bread and rice went well with them all. The 'Afghan pickle' we ordered looked exactly like water you'd find in a disused well, but it didn't taste too bad. We tried the only Afghan sounding drink on the menu - Dogh - which reminded everyone of tzatsiki. Perhaps this is more of an acquired taste, it's not a flavour I like to drink, but then I can't think of a savoury drink I do like. It’s the sort of thing you drink at the end of a meal not during, but it was interesting none the less. The baklava we had as dessert tasted particularly Turkish, but perhaps it’s the same everywhere.

I'm suspicious that this isn't the most authentic Afghan meal you could eat, but if it is, I now know what keeps Osama and Co. hidden in the mountains. I’d bet my last dollar it beats the food in Guantanamo Bay.