The East King Trailhead(tm), the community quarterly for East King County

Tastiest kebabs in the Issaquah Valley: Bamiyan offers the best of Persian and Afghani cuisine

The city of Bamiyan lies within the Hindukush Mountains of central Afghanistan, near the ancient Silk Road. In a mountainous region, Bamiyan’s residents depended heavily on dairy products for survival. Yogurt was a staple of the local diet, which included a variety of meats, vegetables, and also exotic spices like saffron, cinnamon, cardamom, and cumin that had been transported through the region for hundreds of years.

Bamiyan’s location, vitality, culture, and cuisine made it an important city for many generations. And now, locals can experience and taste that unique culture at Issaquah’s Bamiyan Restaurant.

Iranian-born Amir Sabour opened Bamiyan nearly five years ago with the help of his brother and sister-in-law, who is from Afghanistan. Sabour wanted to bring a new kind of cuisine to locals: “Something that’s different than what they were expecting,” he explains.

The result is the Bamiyan Restaurant in Issaquah’s Gilman Village, and a menu divided between Afghan and Persian offerings.

“It gives people a chance to try two different cuisines at the same time,” says Sabour.

The Afghani menu begins with a variety of appetizers, including Quruti (bread with yogurt-garlic sauce, topped with toasted walnuts and fried onions), Bolani (crispy potato-scallion-cilantro wraps), and Aush (traditional noodle-and-yogurt soup with garbanzo and kidney beans).

Afghani kebabs make up the next portion of the menu, and all are served with palaw, a traditional Afghani Basmati rice baked with herbs, spices and Afghani salata.

The Murgh Kebab features pieces of chicken breast marinated in saffron, ginger, garlic, lemon, a touch of cayenne pepper, and yogurt. The Bamiyan Kebab is tenderloin beef marinated in black pepper, olive oil, and garlic, grilled to your taste. The Bara Kebab features boneless cubes of lamb loin marinated in Bamiyan’s own special marinade.

Among the entrées, one of the best is the Qabargha rack of lamb. “Some people say they never go anyplace for a rack of lamb except this place,” boasts Sabour.

Another popular entrée is Badenjan Borani, eggplant that has been sautéed and baked, topped with tomato-beef sauce, and garnished with chilled garlic mint yogurt.

A selection of vegetarian entrées round out the menu. One such offering is Ashak: dumplings filled with scallions, cilantro, parsley, and chives, served with Bamiyan tomato sauce, yogurt-garlic sauce, and dried mint.

Persian dishes, though milder, are no less adventurous. There are several appetizers to get you started, like Salad shirazi (chopped cucumber, tomato, onion, and mint, with lemon dressing) and Bamiyan Salad (a Spring-mix salad with walnuts and a special chef’s dressing).

Persian entrées are divided into Beef, Lamb, and Poultry. Among the beef entrées, Chelo Kebab Koobideh features one skewer of charbroiled lean ground beef and ground lamb. Barg offers a slice of skewered and charbroiled filet mignon. And the Soltani arrives with one skewer of each!

For lamb, choose between a baked lamb shank served with Basmati rice mix, or the rack of lamb marinated in the chef’s special sauce.

Poultry entrées include the Chicken Shish Kebab, boneless chicken breast skewered with onions and bell peppers.

Bamiyan offers several Khoresh stews: Ghormeh Sabzi mixes sautéed parsley, cilantro, chives, and red beans cooked with beef and served with Basmati rice. Fesenjon stew includes chicken cooked in pomegranate sauce, walnuts, and a side of Basmati Rice.

For Sabour, wine is an important ingredient of every meal. He’ll gladly suggest the best wine to enhance and complement whatever entrée you select.

For dessert, choose between Bastani (traditional Persian ice cream with pistachio and rose water), or Baklava pastry.

Bamiyan’s cuisine is both delicious and distinctive, but by no means expensive. Dishes are priced below $20, with most in the $5 to $15 range. Bamiyan even offers a take-out menu if you’d like to sample Middle Eastern cuisine in the comfort of your own home.

Sabour hopes that Bamiyan customers can experience the cuisine and come to appreciate Persian and Afghani cultures. In an era of tension between east and west, Sabour feels it’s important that all people expose themselves to a different culture and challenge their expectations.

For a truly unique dining experience and a chance to imagine yourself feasting with fellow Silk-Road travelers Genghis Khan or Alexander the Great, visit Bamiyan in Issaquah’s Gilman Village. ■

The East King Trailhead
1420 NW Gilman Blvd. #2726, Issaquah, WA 98027.
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