Josephine L.
Yelp
Let's get a few things straight right off the bat:
- Unless you live right next door, don't trek all the way over here (Sketchy Nowheresville, Allston) if all you want is typical Indian food. If you're not interested in anything more exotic than Chicken Tikka Masala or Tandoori Chicken, take your money and head to your local Indian restaurant instead.
- If you are here to try something different ("Garsh, I wonder how Pakistani cuisine is different from Indian?"), be prepared for exotic, adventurous items that push your palate and challenge your acceptance of what's edible.
- If you are this kind of adventurous eater, Darbar will be a match made in heaven. So it is best to come with a big group of like-minded foodies in order to experience everything they have to offer. Oh, and if you must bring along some prissy vegetarians/vegans, warn them ahead of time that the menu is predominantly meat, but there's a good maybe 20% that's veggie-friendly (though maybe not vegan-friendly). That way, they won't be shocked.
I am an adventurous (some might say boundary-less) eater who adores exotic, "ethnic" cuisines preferably cooked in a family-style, homemade way. Darbar is exactly this kind of restaurant, right down to the adorable family with father who makes you feel like a guest in his home (seriously, the best restaurant host ever). I also came with 9 other diehard foodies, most of whom were just as adventurous as me.
This is what we ordered (and what you should get):
Baalti Gosht - Goat cooked with tomatoes and herbs. They were actually out of it but went and made it specially for us (have I mentioned the host and his family rock?). Came in a freakin' huge bowl and tasted incredible.
Sarson Ka Saag - Mustard greens with herbs and spices. Absolutely phenomenal. You may never look at vegetables (or mustard greens, at least) the same way again. We ordered a second one of these because the first was so quickly devoured.
Nihari - Beef chunks. Cow meat good.
Haleem - Minced beef with lentils. Thick, creamy, good cow-liness.
Paya - Oh man oh man oh man, I was practically salivating at the sight of this on the menu. Goat or beef feet soup? YESSSSS, mama! I come from the culture that eats chicken feet for dim sum. I ain't afraid of quadriped soup! God, this was so thick and creamy and savory, but be warned: it's not actually a soup like grandma's chicken noodle soup. You can't slurp it (well, you could try, but it's thick).
Malai Kofta - For the less adventurous meat-eaters among us, these yummy chicken meatballs did the trick.
And finally....
Magaz Masala - LAMB BRAINS!!! Yes, I said brains! We are food zombies and we eat delicious fatty lamb brains cooked with onions, tomatoes and spices. And know what? It's EXCELLENT!
Other things to get that aren't quite as adventurous but still delicious: Lachha Paratha (multi-layered bread), Aloo Paratha (potato bread), Chicken Biryani (thicker and heartier than at most places) and Kashmiri Chai Tea (as creamy and delicious as Masala Chai, but inexplicably pink, thus prompting the evening-long question: "But why is it pink?")
In conclusion, if everything mentioned above didn't scare the bejesus out of you, go eat here.