I’m the only one in the family who enjoy Indian foods. Which sadly means that we don’t go to Indian places as a family. Maybe twice, I was able to convince my family to have Afghan foods. But that’s the limit. I can understand not everyone likes the strong spices; and the food is indeed very heavy.

I’m grouping different South-East Indian ethnics in this category: Indian, Pakistani, Afghan, Persian … Fremont is also known as Bombay town, and the Bay area is inundated with Indian restaurants. There are more Indian places that I’ve been at, but don’t recall them all.

Shalimar in Fremont
1 star out of 10
This place was recommended by Chau. We went there when they’ve been opened for a month. At the time, it was a new place, mind you, so there’s no excuse for the place not being clean. We ordered and paid for the food at the counter. I remember I liked the food, until I spotted cockroaches crawling on the wall. Then I had to move the table off the wall. Then I saw more cockroaches on the floor, and some crawling up someone’s leg. So I had to hold my feet off the floor. By that time, I was too distracted to even eat. And that was my first and last time at Shalimar. The food has to be very good, because the place is super crowded in the evening.

Salang Passe in Fremont
6 stars out of 10
I used to work in the Voice group, and we came here to celebrate Tariq’s birthday. I’ve been back several times. They serve Afghan food. There’s a room on the side, where you sit on pillows and the decor reminds me of the story 101 Arabian nights. The food is better than that at Afghani House. Service was slow though. The bread was not impressive. But the rest was excellent. Potato Bulani is my favorite afghan dish. It’s spiced mashed potato pressed between two sheets of dough, and pan-fried. I also like the Ashauk; an appetizer that looks like raviolis filled with chopped leeks and spices. I normally do not eat lamb, but I enjoy the Lamb Biryani here. No strong mutton flavor. And the Kebabs are always good: tender, juicy.

De Afghani in Fremont
8 stars out of 10
8 stars because of the Bulani! That’s all I order everytime I come here. And I come here almost every other week. I order 2-3 bulanis at a time, that I think the cook doesn’t like me. Cooking Bulani takes up the whole stove top. And it’s cooked one at a time. So during busy times, it shows down everything else. I think the day cook makes better Bulanis than the evening cook. More potatoes, and spicier. They serve Bulanis in pizza boxes. It’s about $8 each, and I can eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Lots of carbs though …. but soooo good. The place is so tiny and inconspicuous it’s hard to find. Just look for the indian movie theater, park your car, and it’s on the right side of the theater, next to the alley.

Chaat Cafe on Mission
2 out of 10 stars
Came here once because I was running out of ideas what to have for dinner, and the place is very closed to home. Food was OK, service was awful. The cashier acted as if I was there begging for food. I asked about some of the dishes, and was thrown the menu. It was not a busy day. He ranks up there with the French waiters.

Sarovar and Sneha in Sunnyvale
6 out of 10 stars
They’re now closed. I loved their buffet. Started going there some 15 years back. Link and Fujitsu times.

Kabul on El Camino in Sunnyvale

Afghani House in Sunnyvale

Falafel Drive-In in San Jose, on Stevens Creek

Pasand in Sunnyvale, on El Camino

Chelokababi in Sunnyvale, on Wolfe