Shah Reza Chaman Shah opened Kabul House in Merrylands 16 years ago, when he was only 18. But running a kitchen wasn’t unfamiliar territory. Before arriving by boat in Australia as a refugee in 2009, Shah grew up in Kabul, Afghanistan, where his father ran a catering business. Weddings were the family’s specialty, and Shah was always helping his dad prepare feasts for 500 or more guests. “My father, he taught me everything,” he tells Broadsheet.

Now, Shah’s father’s recipes are the signature dishes at Kabul House, which has been keeping regulars – myself included – coming back over the years. “When we opened, most people didn’t even know what Afghan food was,” Shah says. “Now, we serve hundreds of customers a day.”

To keep up with demand, fragrant, long-grain basmati rice is cooked fresh three times a day: morning, afternoon and evening. That rice is the foundation of one of the restaurant’s most popular dishes: chalaw gosht, where slow-cooked lamb shank tops a mound of rice, sprinkled with carrot shavings and sultanas. The rich broth from the meat is used to simmer the rice, infusing each grain with layers of savoury flavours.

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Each day, around 600 kilograms of meat is prepped and marinated. The marinade is layered with Shah’s house blend of spices, garlic, ginger and vinegar. Opt for the mixed kebab platter, where charcoaled skewers of nine-hour marinated lamb and chicken join shami kebabs (a kofta-like sausage of spiced lamb mince).

The platters arrive piled high. “If you pay money, you have to enjoy the food and you have to be full,” Shah says. “Many restaurants take your money and only put this much on the plate – it’s not good.”

Shah insists on using only the freshest ingredients. He sources lamb directly from a trusted supplier in Blacktown. “I drive out there myself to pick it up, it’s never frozen.”

The bread is made fresh in-house by a dedicated baker, who spends the day beside a hot clay oven, pulling out round after round of pillowy, slightly charred flatbread. It arrives at the table hot and blistered, ready to swipe through a duo of condiments: a cooling yoghurt and mint sauce, and a fiery vinegar, capsicum, mint and chilli chutney.

The restaurant itself tells a story – one of both Afghanistan and Australia. “This side belongs to Sydney and this side belongs to Afghanistan,” Shah says as he points across his dining room. There are images of Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, while on the opposite side it’s all Afghan culture and history. A patchwork of large-scale photos depict Mazar-i-Sharif’s famous blue mosque; scenes of Buzkashi, Afghanistan’s fierce national sport played on horseback; and the Buddhas of Bamiyan, destroyed by the Taliban in 2001.

The restaurant has grown with Shah, expanding from a single shopfront to double the space – with enough room for 140 people – last year. And it’s not just Kabul House that has changed. When Shah first opened, Kabul House was one of very few Afghan restaurants in Sydney. Now, there are many across the city, especially along the main strip in Merrylands. Shah welcomes the company. “It’s good now because there’s now a community.”

Kabul House
186A Merrylands Road, Merrylands
(02) 9682 4144

Hours:
Daily 11am–10pm

kabulhouse.com.au