Dearborn, MI — I visited Dearborn earlier this week for another foodie adventure with a work associate for lunch. This time around, we checked out the city’s newest and first-ever Afghan eatery: Ariana Afghan Restaurant.
My colleague and I originally planned to visit Everest MoMo, a Nepalese establishment specializing in dumplings, but pivoted the day of our luncheon to Ariana Afghan Restaurant after hearing of their Grand Opening last Friday. We both agreed we couldn’t miss the opportunity to check out the city’s first-ever restaurant offering authentic Afghan cuisine. I cruised down Michigan Avenue just a little after noon, turning into Ariana Restaurant’s parking lot right at the corner of Roemer Avenue. The grand opening banner and balloons were still hanging outside near the entrance, a good indicator for passersby who may be learning for the first time that a new restaurant had opened in downtown Dearborn.
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Based on the early reviews from what I saw online, patrons appeared to be loving the food and the family who run the business. So not only was I already excited from the positive reviews, but I was eager to enjoy Afghan cuisine again! During the five years that I lived in Phoenix, one of my favorite establishments that I always lived within near proximity of is a place called Khyber Halal Restaurant. It was a fantastic place that served Afghan, Pakistani, and Indian cuisine. Aside from the food being out-of-this-world delicious, one of the main reasons why I loved returning to that establishment was the service by the wonderful Afghan family who operated the restaurant. They were always extremely hospitable, friendly, and happy to talk about food and explain some of the cultural elements of their dishes to me.
At Khyber, I fell in love with the Mantu dish, which are Afghan steamed dumplings. So when I saw that Ariana Afghan Restaurant had Mantu featured as one of their popular dishes, I promptly suggested that as one of the dishes for the table. We ordered the Doogh and Qaymag Chai for drinks. I’ll definitely be ordering the Doogh next time, it’s a savoury Persian yogurt-based drink, loaded with protein and vitamins. The Chai was an Afghan green tea, which I really enjoyed and found to be refreshing and not overwhelmingly earthy. When it came to the other food selections, we decided on the Chicken Kabob and an order of the Sambosa, but since they were in the process of still being prepared for the day, we got the Pakora instead.
As my friend and I caught up, one of the staff members brought over our Pakora and Mantu. The Pakora were little crispy clusters of golden fritters made from seasoned chickpea batter and fresh vegetables. As you can see below, the Pakora was fried to absolute golden perfection, packed with a savoury and salty crisp. The vegetables were expertly woven within the batter prior to being fried, because there were veggies in every bite throughout the Afghan fritter. I particularly enjoyed the Pakora when dipped into the minty chatni (or chutney) packed with flavorful herbs and a tangy finish. I could eat these Pakora for breakfast, lunch, or dinner any day of the week. This versatile and vegan-friendly appetizer was enthusiastically enjoyed!
After enjoying at least one Pakora, I quickly hopped over to the Mantu and corralled a dumpling onto my plate. Ariana Afghan Restaurant’s variation of Mantu come filled with seasoned ground beef, onions, and cabbage; then gets topped with split peas, yogurt sauce, tomato sauce, and garnished with died mint. I know what you’re thinking… wow! And you’d be correct, because this was one of the best plates of homemade dumplings I’ve ever enjoyed. And for those concerned about the beef, don’t worry, there’s a veggie option also available.
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The dumplings were steamed just right and were extremely soft and slippery. When I set a dumpling in my mouth, I could immediately sense the warm, stuffed center of meat, onion, and veggies. The trapped steamed heat from the savory and well-seasoned interior was canceled out by the cool yogurt and tomato sauces on the exterior, yielding a perfectly temperate mouthful of exceptionally delicious food when devoured all at once. Aside from the controlled temperatures of interior and exterior ingredients, the color and presentation were not to be forgotten. This Mantu was plated with care and flawless execution in garnishing and portioning. The flavors from each ingredient spanned across the entire plate, leaving no dumpling unturned (or in this case, unflavored). The brightness of color coincided with the vibrancy of flavors, from the zesty tomato sauce-smothered soft peas to the creamy, thick yogurt sauce protecting the hearty beef mixtures at the center of dumplings underneath.
The final dish to arrive was the Chicken Kabob meat entrée. Talk about a full plate of food! This plate was loaded and neatly presented, featuring delicately seared pieces of chicken marinated in imported Afghan spices. The chicken is grilled over an open flame, and as you can see in the image above, were seasoned beautifully, resulting is explosions of flavor and spice with every bite!
The denser rice paired wonderfully with the chicken, which had perfectly cooked interiors. I really enjoyed mixing in the carrot strips and Afghan raisins with the rice. We also received a basket of fresh bread, which was surprisingly soft and airy despite how thick the slices appeared. This made the bread great for dipping in the homemade chatni, as well as the yogurt and tomato sauce blend from the Mantu dish. Needless to say, by the time we were done dining, there wasn’t much left from what you see in the image below. That meal was absolutely amazing! You can taste the home cooking difference in this food, and can tell it’s made with real passion, and I couldn’t be happier that such a place has a new home in downtown Dearborn.
As we went to pay and leave, we met one of the owners of the restaurant near the register. To my surprise, her name wasn’t Ariana! But she was very kind and told us how the restaurant stemmed from the initial food truck, which initially set up shop outside of the family’s store, Ariana’s Afghan Market on Warren Avenue in Detroit. It’s great to see small business owners thriving amid a strifeful economic period for some, particularly in the food industry.
If you’ve been craving or wanting to check out Afghan cuisine, now’s your chance! Ariana Afghan Restaurant in Dearborn has some phenomenal authentic recipes, and the service was steadfast and welcoming. Next time you’re adventuring in Dearborn, consider checking them out!
For more information about Ariana Afghan Restaurant, click here.
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