Restaurant: Kabul West Location: 9450 Scranton Rd. #114-G San Diego, CA Phone: (858) 622-9500 Price Range: Breakfast $1.65-$3.50, lunch $3.50-$6.75

Number of visits: Many
Last visit before review: April 13, 2001

We've both had: Mixed grill (lamb, beef, and chicken kabobs), lamb shank, chicken saute (all with salad, rice, and bread), iced tea.

Rating 7 (of 12) Good

Randy says: Kabul West gets an 'A' for effort and a 'B' for execution. I like the mixed grill, but everything is a bit greasy, and sometimes the vegetables can be too salty.

Jeff says: The mixed grill is my favorite. The beef, lamb, and chicken are tender and nicely spiced, and the onions and peppers also add a nice flavor. Yes, it is greasy. The salad has nice greens, but also shredded red cabbage which I try to eat around. The salad dressings are very good, especially the mustard dressing. I like to have a little cup of ranch dressing and mustard dressing, and in addition to putting them on the salad I like to dunk chunks of meat from the mixed grill in them.

Randy says: I like the lamb shank and chicken saute, but they are hard to eat because they're on the bone. They're flavorful, but not worth the trouble. Kabul West has exceptionally good chutneys which go well with everything they serve.

Jeff says: I agree about the lamb shank and chicken saute — too hard to eat with plastic utensils. It's easy to have an accident where you're struggling to cut the food and because of the difficulty it slips and slides off the greasy plate and lands in your lap. I've had some near misses. Kabul West has two kinds of iced tea: cardamon and regular. I tried the cardamon iced tea, and the cardamon added a nice flavor, but it doesn't get mixed in so the tea is grainy, especially at the bottom of the cup. The regular iced tea is nice.

Randy says: The iced tea is quite good. The cardamon is flavorful but we don't get it because of the problem with it not dissolving. The bread is not bad, but can be at the same time dry and too greasy. The rice, both plain and seasoned, is flavorful but also a bit greasy.

Kabul West is in the Sorrento Towers Food Court. They also have another branch elsewhere that is a full restaurant. We have only been to the food court location. The people at Kabul West are very nice. Since we try to reduce the amount of simple carbohydrates we eat, we always request that they substitute sauteed vegetables for the rice and bread. They happily comply and have even considered offering our reduced carb configuration as an alternative to anyone who might prefer it. For a long time, Kabul West's food court location did not accept credit cards, which meant we often decided to eat elsewhere. But eventually they did start accepting them which has made it more attractive as a lunch alternative for us.

Besides lunch at the food court, Kabul West offers breakfast, and they also provide delivery and catering. When we decide to eat at the food court, Kabul West tops our list.