KABUL CITY RESTAURANT, LEAGRAVE ROAD, LUTON

There was quite a surprised buzz around the old Mirpur Grill restaurant in Luton being converted to Kabul City, especially as the former seemed to be doing quite well. A Kabul City fan-for-life confirmed that this new place was indeed owned by the same guy who runs the restaurant in London. So we decided to go compare.

The waitress who greeted us found us a nice table but the two little people accompanying us wanted desperately to go upstairs and dine on the floor. We adults weren’t fussed where we sat but apparently this was the way to go. Nicely decorated with the traditionally get up, the upstairs is a reasonable size for a small function too.

We ordered pretty quickly off the menu as we had some idea of what to expect. There was a small language barrier as the Lithuanian waitress struggled to understand our order, but thankfully the menu was numbered on her notepad so we just pointed at the numbers. We listed off hummus followed by chicken wings, chapli kebabs and lamb chops. The main was the traditional Kabuli pilau with a lentil daal side.

There’s really only one word to describe the food – succulent. The generous portions of lamb chops and chicken wings were melt-in-the-mouth tender, and the accompanying naans fresh and lovely. Last time we visited Kabul City in London we couldn’t order any chapli kebabs because the restaurant had run out of meat due to a large takeaway order. Happily it wasn’t the case today and they were as lovely as expected – large, spicy and soft.

You can always tell a good Afghani eatery from its Kabuli Pilau, and here it was - tender chunks of lamb hidden under long grained sella rice with carrots and raisins. Not being a big fan of raisins in cooked food, I was still quite happy to pick them out. However, on hindsight I could probably have asked for them to be served on the side.

I did feel a little sorry for the waitress as she kept lugging our order up and down the stairs, and we didn’t really want to send her back down again when she forgot the accompanying red and green sauces. Now I realise why she would have preferred us to sit downstairs!

The single downside of the evening was where we had decided to sit. The only bathroom in the restaurant was behind us, and as the place got busier, so did the bathroom. We were constantly asking people to close the door firmly to avoid the wind coming from the fire exit nearby and hitting us in the face.

We decided against pudding and green tea that day as the little people had already ear-marked another place for dessert.

Haven spoken briefly to a couple of other people who have eaten at both branches of Kabul City, we have come to the agreement that the food is equally good in quality – I’ve even heard rumours that most of the food is in fact prepared at the London kitchen and booted down the motorway in time for the hungry hoards to arrive in the Luton branch.

Kabul City sets the bar for decent Afghani food in Luton. And the fact that the restaurant always seems to be heaving with people whenever I pass by proves my point. I think this type of food is a hit with children and adults alike because it has a familiar East-Asian flavour without the unwelcome chilly hit and excessive oil which can be found in some dishes available in places nearby.

J10 RESTAURANT & VENUE, GUILDFORD STREET, LUTON

When the experts say location, location, location - they actually have a point. J10 is hidden away on Guildford Street, an area you probably wouldn't be visiting unless you know where you are heading. Otherwise you need Google Maps on your phone or need to walk along the street with your head craned high, so as not to miss it.

But as far as this place is concerned at the moment, location is the least of its problems. It's was past 7pm when friends and I entered and the place was totally empty, and it stayed so until we left a couple of hours later. The decor is lovely and modern and the smell of fresh paint still lingers, as the restaurant had only been open a couple of weeks.

What attracted us to J10 in the first place was the enticing Indian/European menu splashed all over the local newspaper. After a short discussion we decided to order starters off the Indian menu and main off the European. The head waiter (or was is perhaps the owner?) was completely hospitable, coming over to explain the menu and even offering to make dishes that weren't even on it.  We decided to stick to what was on offer - mixed grill and tandoori wings as starters and salmon with ratatouille as main. The serving waitress was helpful and attentive and the complimentary poppadoms and dips were perfectly fine.

But the rest not so much. The grill was  large for what we paid but it tasted of nothing but chillies. The chops and chicken looked and tasted suspiciously over a day old and the seekh kebabs were of the nasty variety which have more gram flour in  them than meat.  I didn't even venture over to the wings but was reliably told by my friends that they were just more of the same.

So while swigging Sprite (out of a can - not something you should see in such a nice looking establishment), I tried to clean out the spice to prepare for hopefully a less fiery main.

The salmon was marginally better, although you don't need to do a huge amount to this fish for it to taste good, except make sure it is fresh. The ratatouille it sat on was edible, although I felt it could have do with more seasoning, but perhaps the taste had been dulled by the starters? The topping of rocket was niether here nor there.

The sauce accompanying the fish did nothing for it and although I hate doing it, I saw myself reaching for the salt.

We all ate  in a subdued manner, filling our stomachs rather than  relishing our great looking dishes. Two of us managed to eat most of portions while the third gave up after a few mouthfuls.

We didn't bother with dessert and left shortly after paying a reasonable bill.

Nobody wants to leave a restaurant even partly hungry, but that was unfortunately the case that day. Perhaps J10 are having a few teething problems getting the balance of Indian and European dishes just right but I can't see any of us returning. Sorry guys, good service and the sole attention of the chef just isn't enough.