Ghar-E-Kabab, Indian-Nepalese in Downtown Silver Spring - Curry Chef Chandasar Ray and Tandoor Chef Chetnath Bhandari

[Heather]

Yesterday for lunch--Ghar-E-Kabab, a new (2 months+) family-run Indian/Nepali place on Wayne Ave. in downtown Silver Spring. We had the buffet, which was limited in choices--tandoori chicken, one curry, three vegetable dishes, dal, raita, and a couple of chutneys. They also provide fresh naan--they achieve the char/pillowy/light combination that is the mark of good naan--and a small dessert. Though the choices were not extensive, the quality was first-rate. The dishes had a freshness that is rare for a buffet--they only put a limited amount out at a time and replentish frequently.

I hit the lunch buffet at Ghar-E-Kebab for lunch today, and my friend and I were favorably impressed. The choices are limited, but as Jeff said, it's fresh and they put out fresh stuff constantly. The raita and chutneys could be better, however, and it would be nice if a pickle or two was offered at lunch. They offer free delivery within five miles, so we'll definitely try some of the regular menu offerings. Price point is lower than Tiffin.

[JeffC]

I hit the lunch buffet at Ghar-E-Kebab for lunch today, and my friend and I were favorably impressed. The choices are limited, but as Jeff said, it's fresh and they put out fresh stuff constantly. The raita and chutneys could be better, however, and it would be nice if a pickle or two was offered at lunch. They offer free delivery within five miles, so we'll definitely try some of the regular menu offerings. Price point is lower than Tiffin.

A couple of the menu items I've really liked are the chicken/lamb saags and tandoori salmon. The latter is not part of the regular menu but is often available as a special. In fact, I've been very happy with just about everything that comes out of their tandoor. I don't know if this is SOP for Indian restaurants, but Ghar-e-Kabab has two chefs--one for the tandoor, the other for curries.

I agree about the pickles. They do occasionally have one with the buffet and it really does help punch things up.

[JPW]

I hit the lunch buffet at Ghar-E-Kebab for lunch today, and my friend and I were favorably impressed. The choices are limited, but as Jeff said, it's fresh and they put out fresh stuff constantly. The raita and chutneys could be better, however, and it would be nice if a pickle or two was offered at lunch. They offer free delivery within five miles, so we'll definitely try some of the regular menu offerings. Price point is lower than Tiffin.

I went for the first time a couple of weeks ago and thought it was well above average for DC Indian, even though it was a lunch buffet. I really liked the chicken saag - very well spiced (not hot but spicy)

[Heather]

I forgot to add:

Ghar-E-Kabab

944 Wayne Avenue

Silver Spring MD-20910

Phone: 301 587 4427

Fax : 301 5874428

www.gharekabab.com

ETA: fixed the name and website. Thanks Jeff. Maybe someone could fix the thread title?

[JeffC]

I forgot to add:

Ghar-E-Kebab

944 Wayne Avenue

Silver Spring MD-20910

Phone: 301 587 4427

Fax : 301 5874428

www.gharekebab.com

Thanks for posting the info. Just a quick correction....

Ghar-e-Kabab is spelled with an "a", instead of the more common "e".

So to get to their website, it's...

www.gharekabab.com

[deangold]

Afer hearing about this place from Jeff C and the others here on the thread, I gave it a try for lunch the other day. Really good! One thing I especially likes was just the simple romaine & chopped veggie salad which I dosed with the mint chutney and raita as dressing. The Tandoori Chicken was excellent as was the Nepali Chicken which must have had 50-50 butter to chicken ratio. There was a very good turnip and veggie curry, some sort of lamb curry and nicely charred bread. Solid food, and really good considering it was a buffet. The folk were very nice as well.

I would like to go back to explore the regular menu as well.

[JPW]

As Dean has resurrected this thread, I'd be remiss in not adding that Nutty Buddy, Edgy, Peanut and I have been a couple of times for dinner since my last post. Enjoyable every time. The saag is still a favorite. Like most good cheap eats/ethnic places, they always dote on the munchkins.

Definitely worthy of your patronage if you're in the area.

[Heather]

I am thinking this might be a good $20 Tuesday. We'd probably need to make a reservation because it's really tiny.

[mr food]

This is close to my wife's office so she is very interested. Thanks!

[deangold]

When I go for lunch I love the one Nepali item they always feature so last night I decided to try the Nepali Thali. It wa superb and really too much food!

Superb:

aloo tama - black eyed peas, bamboo shoots, potatoes stewed in abundant ginger.

goat curry with bones

chicken curry

-what was nice was that these two curries were so distinctly different from each other, a sign of really distinctive cooking.

fried vegetable fritters

Very good

rice pudding

rice

opening chutney trio

dal (would have been in the superb category if only served hot)

Just OK

Spinach

papadum (which were pretty dark and slightly burnt)

Bread- whole wheat something or other was a little heavy. I prefer the other kind they serve at lunch. Not having the menu in front of me I can't tell which is which.

Service was nice even though they were distracted by trying to troubleshoot a computer problem by phone. It was late and I was the only customer and they were almost upset that I ate so fast but I was trying to get home before I fell asleep! $23 or so, a huge bargain!!!

We do need to do a $20 Tuesday there. If anyone can eat $20 worth of food there, I want to see it!!!

[MMM]

After reading Dean's revue, my husband and I stopped in here for lunch yesterday (and even encountered said "revuer" in the flesh!). We lived in Nepal for a few years many years ago and periodically try restaurants that include Nepali in their names, only to find there's nary a Nepalese person on the premises. Not the case at Ghar-E-Kabab. We had long chats with our server and the chef (both from Nepal), and tried all the foods offered on the lunch buffet. We found the food tasty and authentic. The restaurant is small and simply decorated - very pleasant and attractive. There's a parking garage right across the street which is most convenient. Apparently Shangri La in Bethesda is a sister restaurant with a similar menu. Will have to check them out also.

[JeffC]

Just a quick post to say that I'm so happy that people are discovering this little gem of a restaurant. And if you haven't tried it, their tomato soup is the best I've ever had....anywhere. Tomato soup is not something that people gravitate to in a South Asian restaurant, but seriously, give it a try.

[Heather]

I got delivery last night. The person who took my call - the manager? - could not have been nicer, chatting about our neighborhood, and inviting me to call back and let them know how if I liked the food. Lamb biryani was well-spiced, with slivered ginger, crunchy almonds, and big tender chunks of lamb. The bhindi was delicious, the cucumber raita was creamy and just a little salty, and I appreciated that they remembered to include containers of chutney & pickles. We clearly need to order from here more often.

[deangold]

After a morning playing on the web, we decided to go and get a little lunch. Since we had not been here in a long time, we returned with anticipation. The vibe seemed different and there were mostly new faces so I don't know if i was just the Sunday crew or if tere have been changes. THe meal had a lot of hits and just a couple of misses, but over all it brought to mind one question: Why had it taken up so long to get back?

The order:

Momo

Cho-e-La

Non Vegetarian Nepali Thali {Split}

The hits:

the green and the orange/pink sauces on the momos. We kept them and used them for dipping our Nan

The Duck Cho-e-La fried bits of flattened rice, duck with just the proper grease to crisp to spice ratio, green bell peppers that added a contrasting kind of crisp and a sweetness that was a perfect contrast to the spice. I could have had 2 or 3 plates of this!

The Raita- its just farking yogurt with cuke and herbs in it. OMFG.

Dal- gooooooood. bland which is just what you need with all the bright flavors.

Goat curry- I htink we go boneless whn it was advertized as bone in but what the hey. SUperb.

Butter Chicken - OMFG

Saffron scented rice pudding - Yum but my half portion of that sent me from full to comatose.

Naan - mmmmmmmmm!

The very good-

Mushroom & some other veggie curry - I liked a lit but Kay had problems with the texture. Since we were supposed to get the Nepali potato curry, I would have rather had the Nepali Potato

Saag Paneer - again, this is one the Indian Thali but we got it. Good but nothing special But good!

Not this time

Momo- in the past these have been wonderful with slippery dough and a juicy filling. These did not cut it this time. Will thy them again just to see if this was an aberation instead of a change in recipe/source.

Fried thingie on the thali - again supposed to be something else. Doughy and not at all interesting.

Two Taj beers {650 ml each, maybe also a contributor to comatose-ness}, 2 aps and a split Thali. Really too much food for 2 very hungry folk even if we did eat it all {there is no tuth to the rumor that there were teeth marks in the serving pieces: tongue prints maybe, but no teeth!}.

Why had it taken up so long to get back?

[JeffC]

After a morning playing on the web, we decided to go and get a little lunch. Since we had not been here in a long time, we returned with anticipation. The vibe seemed different and there were mostly new faces so I don't know if i was just the Sunday crew or if tere have been changes. THe meal had a lot of hits and just a couple of misses, but over all it brought to mind one question: Why had it taken up so long to get back?....

They have added a few new faces, but the owners/managers/chef are the same. They split time between Ghar-e-Kabab and their Bethesda restaurant (Shangri-La).

Ghar-e-Kabab is one of a handful of restaurants that we will really miss when we move. The owners are really good people and they always go out of their way to make your meal a good experience--it's just a gem of restaurant.

[Heather]

They have online ordering now. I tried it tonight, and got my order 35 minutes after hitting the order button. Yet another reason to like them.

[deangold]

They have online ordering now. I tried it tonight, and got my order 35 minutes after hitting the order button. Yet another reason to like them.

The day I can get the food thru the fax or via email, I'm in trouble. Good place indeed!

[dinoue]

Since Bombay Gaylord burned down, we have been frequenting Ghar e kebab more regularly for their lunch buffet and very happy with the change. The vegetable selection here is fantastic. Usually 3 or 4 unique vegetable dishes made with vegetables from their own farm. They actually have a small vegetable stand out front. Buffet featured zucchini, mushrooms, dal, saag, and potatoes.  The saag here also can be greens other than spinach so more robust in flavor such as mustard greens one time. Other plus of this vs Gaylord is the naan is prepared fresh for the table and not one of the items on the buffet. Finally, they always have the rice pudding for dessert which is our son's fav.

The only criticism I have is that they sometimes run out of items and it can take some time to replenish.

They're also a couple dollars less than Bombay Gaylord was.