DORIAN GEIGER
Arts writer

Sitting in Afghan Kabob and Donair at the restaurant’s unsuspecting location on 8th Street in Saskatoon, I exhale a thick cloud of shisha smoke from a vibrant green hookah as I lounge back in my chair in a lethargic manner.

The shisha smoke lingering in my lungs is a special blend of double apple and mint. The lamb donair I just consumed provokes me to melt into my chair and exhale clouds of smoke for upwards of half an hour after our meal.

For those unaware, herbal shisha is a molasses-based mixture of herbs and dried fruits intended to be smoked using a hookah. Hookahs have been a staple of Middle East culture for centuries and are often extravagantly decorated. Afghan Kabob allows shisha smoking in its restaurant after 8 p.m. and offers a variety of herbal flavours including apricot, peach, double apple, mango, wild berry, blueberry, banana, sweet melon, mint, coconut and more. Shisha bars are not illegal in Saskatchewan as the herbs smoked do not include tobacco.

Shisha is a satisfactory substitute for those fans of flavoured tobacco who may be feeling the tight new restrictions and upcoming governmental ban on all flavoured tobacco cigarettes.

The staff of Afghan Kabob is usually kind enough to brew up its own special shisha concoction for you as well, blending flavours for a unique taste combination. Our server reveals he’s blended double apple and mint for our hookah. Taste-wise, it’s like chewing on a piece of Excel while simultaneously nibbling on an orchard apple ”“ and strangely enough the two distinct flavours compliment each other magnificently.

Though the hookah and sheesha are likely my personal favourite components of of Afghan Kabob and Donair’s unique restaurant, the food is moderately priced and for $8 you can a variety of scrumptious donairs.

In the $15 range, patrons can get tandoori, chopan and Afghan flavours. Full course meals include beef qorma curry, chicken and lamb qorma curry, maantoo or beef karahi. Beef karahi are dumplings and somewhat a specialty at Afghan Kabob since this scrumptious entree is only available on Mondays and Tuesdays. Unlike many other restaurants in Saskatoon that boast Middle Eastern cuisine, Afghan Kabob’s food was not in the least bit oily.

Judging by how filling the lamb donair was, my tummy cringes at the thought of attempting to stomach such a large meal in one sitting. Surely such courses are designed for two patrons or more.

Dessert was equally alluring as the food and shisha. The tantalizing firni (a variation of rice pudding) and baklava truly solidified an already fulfilling meal at Afghan Kabob. Though choosing between the two may have proven difficult, my decision would most definitely would have lied in devouring the firni. Maybe its because I’ve always been a pudding man.

Firni is a pudding made from spiced and crushed cardamom seeds and topped with shredded pistachios. A skeptical glance revealed my firni was of a runny texture and not of the orange hue pictured on Afghan Kabob’s menu but my first spoonful unveiled the sweet and savoury character of the desert. What followed was literally an inhaling of the treat ”“ 10 to 12 spoonfuls in under 40 seconds or less and the desert had vanished. I was overwhelmed I had managed to consume something that quickly and remained a little embarrassed for refraining from basic table manners for about a minute.

The hummus and naan bread we ordered as side items were full of flavour and were evidently freshly prepared.

Glancing at the take-out menu I snagged from the counter on my way out I noticed Afghan Kabob’s very simple, but accurate slogan staring back at me: “Deliciously different.” Though slogans of take-out menus don’t usually captivate me, I was struck by the precision of the statement. That same take-out brochure now takes its own space on my fridge above a colony of pizza delivery menus.

So if you’re looking for something that is tasty and diverse, check out the intoxicating atmosphere and cuisine of Afghan Kabob and Donair.

Afghan Kabob and Donair is located at 2508 8th Street East, near Beileys and Preston Ave.
Phone: (306) 477-2255”Ž

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image: Flickr