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Chicken Kebab from Pomir Grill on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester

Pomir Grill is a small, family run restaurant located on Shrewsbury Street that has a nice, quiet atmosphere. Mom cooks, Dad helps out and runs the register and Daughter waits tables. The food service seemed slow (albeit, we were a table of 20), but the staff was very attentive. If you’re looking for a quick meal, this may not be the place, but if you’re looking for good quality, fresh cooked to order food and don’t mind taking your time, this place is a keeper.

The meal started out with traditional Afghan bread served with 4 different dipping sauces. While I didn’t care for the Coriander Chutney or the Cucumber Yoghurt sauces, they were tasty but just not my taste, the peppery tomato based sauce was quite nice with the bread. They also offer a special hotter version of the tomato sauce that isn’t quite as sweet and turns up the heat a little bit. That was excellent with the bread, offering a very nice balance of sweet and spicy.

Next up was a Kachalu Cutlet, which is basically a fried potato cake, filled with meat. They offer a veggie version of the same thing, for those that would rather not eat meat. The potato cake was breaded and very lightly fried in oil so it was still soft but had a nice crust on it. The potato had a fairly strong citrus flavor and the meat filling was seasoned very nicely. Together the overall taste was excellent and even though it was fried, it wasn’t heavy or oily at all. Overall an excellent appetizer.

For a main course, I had the Chicken Kebab, with Spinach Rice. This was served with a small side of vegetables (Zucchini, Squash, Cucumber, Peppers) that was season with the same seasoning on the chicken and that were sautéed and offer a very nice accompaniment. The spinach rice is a long grain white rice that is cooked with spinach so the rice picks up a very slight spinach flavor and takes on a greenish tint. The rice, along with the vegetables were cooked perfectly, with just enough texture and a lot of flavor. The seasoning on the chicken was strong, but not overpowering and had a really nice mix of flavors. The chicken was moist and also cooked to perfection with the balance of the rice, vegetables and chicken being an excellent entrée that I will be ordering again.

Overall, I really enjoyed the experience at the Pomir Grill and my first taste of Afghani cuisine. This is a place I will be coming back to, fairly often. -DL

There are times when all a reviewer should have to write is “The food here is great. You need to try it.” But my editor assumes that you don’t trust me quite enough for that to suffice. He wants me to provide you with details. Fortunately for me, reminiscing about my meal at the Pomir Grill is an extremely pleasant experience, albeit one that leaves me more than a little hungry. I had never been to an Afghani restaurant before and truly had no idea what to expect. The cuisine is similar in some ways to the Lebanese or Armenian food that you might have sampled elsewhere in the city. Kabobs are featured prominently in the menu, for example. The seasoning is distinct, however, delicately combining sweet and savory flavors, as I discovered with my Chicken Kabob entree. The meat was also extremely tender and moist, making this perhaps my favorite chicken dish in recent memory. The chicken was served over grilled peppers and onions, a small salad, and a serving of absolutely amazing brown rice. The rice, topped with carrot and raisons, included cardamom among the spices, making it just a little on the sweet side. As I am truly dedicated to those who read Worcester Foodies, eating my own meal just wasn’t enough to prepare for this review. I felt a need to sample the dishes of those seated near me. I am happy to report that my Chicken Kabob was no anomaly. Everything I tasted from my wife’s meatballs to one friend’s Kachalu Bolani potato filled pastry to another’s Afgahan Almond Cade was outstanding. And so, I will end my review as I started it. The food here is great. You need to try it. -JD

Lamb Kebab from Pomir Grill on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester

Pomir Grill, located on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, a relatively small space with a slight feel of Middle Eastern flair. Walking into the dining room there was no real indication that this was Afganistan type food.

Service was good, however being in such a large crowd I can’t in truth judge the service, our table extended from one side of the dining room to the other and took up most of the restaurant with 20 plus “foodies” gathered. I’m not sure many smaller restaurants could handle such a large crowd easily, this being said the service was commendable with water glasses being topped off as needed and bread baskets being refilled.

We started our meal with an appetizer of “Kachalu Cutlet” which was described as a potato patty filled with beef marinated in Afghan seasonings. I found my appetizer to be excellent and certainly not something I had ever had before, the potatoe patty was lightly breaded and I believe deep fried but it was so very lightly done as not to be heavy with oil in any way, It could possibly have been baked but however it was cooked it was fantastic, the spices used were a very different blend from anything I had experienced before.

The menu was one page but covered quite a variety with meat and vegetarian dishes, including kabobs stews and pasta dishes. My dish was called simply Lamb Kabobs, I had it with the spinach rice which was fluffy long grain rice with a hint of green but not a strong spinach taste by any means. The lamb was some of the best I’ve had in New England, it was moist, cooked well done which is something I typically would never order, but it was surprisingly good as it was not tough or dry in any way even though I prefer my lamb a bit less cooked, I couldn’t complain at all with this, it was truly tender and flavorful.

I had the opportunity to try a bite of the almond cake for dessert which one of our party had ordered and it was truly a treat to my taste-buds.

This restaurant will be added to our “rotation” of restaurants that we frequent in the Worcester area. -RL

Pomir Grill was a pleasant surprise! I have never had Afghan cuisine, so I was happy to see the menu is not overly long; a limited menu is much better for someone inexperienced with the particular cuisine. Less is more.

I had the Kachalu Cutlets to start. The description is “potato patties with beef or spinach filling.” I opted for the spinach. The potato patty was light and fluffy (for lack of better word). It was nicely fried and not greasy at all. The spinach filling was also light, but flavorful with spices. Overall, the dish was a big hit with everyone who tried it.

For an entree I had the lamb kabobs, which come with Afghan bread, salad, grilled vegetables, and Authentic Kabuli Palaw or Zamarut Palaw. Palaw translation – two different types of rice. I chose the Qabuli Palaw, which is a traditional rice dish with carrots and raisins. It was delicious! The lamb kabobs were well marinated and nicely cooked nicely in traditional seasonings. Some of my fellow foodies tried to guess what the seasonings were, but I not sure any of us got close. It was not hot and spicy, but savory.

The salad was unassuming, but the vegetables were nicely grilled. The bread was served before the meal with a variety of sauces – another hit.

The restaurant itself is quiet, which is prefect for people looking for a low-key place for dinner and conversation. I am a fan of BYOB, so this makes Pomir Grill even more appealing. -KP

The Lamb Kabob at Pomir Grill was served “de-skewered” with a small garden salad and some grilled potatoes on one plate. Bread and sauces accompanied the meal—I brought beer to drink as Pomir is BYOB. Since I was trying not to eat carbs, I skipped the potato and did not get to enjoy the bread and dipping sauces that everyone was raving about. The lightly seasoned lamb was cooked more than I preferred—I’d call it medium well—so it was a little drier and a bit less tender than it could have been. Perhaps, because I ordered late, they rushed it–as everyone else around me seemed to very happy with their meals. After dinner I had Afghan Black Tea which was absolutely delicious—to the point that I asked about buying some to bring home (no luck). I drank it black without sweetener and thoroughly enjoyed the light cardamom flavor. Overall the experience was a good one, and although I probably would not rush back, I would not resist if someone suggested we go there. -RS

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Chicken Kebab

Afghan Lamb Kabobs