Afghan Shaheen — Restaurant in Melbourne

Afghan Kebab Sunshine, a place that simultaneously manages to impress and infuriate, delivering a dining experience that oscillates between enjoyable and downright frustrating. If inconsistency were a culinary art form, they would have perfected it.

Let’s start with the positives, because despite my grievances, I am fair in my assessments. The kebabs themselves were flavorful, well-seasoned, and cooked to perfection. But do they justify the exorbitant $24 price tag? Absolutely not. Unless these kebabs were sourced from a mythical, gold-plated Afghan grill, there is no logical reason why they should be priced significantly higher than those at any other respectable establishment, where the going rate is a much more reasonable $18 or $19. I am paying for food, not for the restaurant’s existential crisis about its pricing strategy.

Now, let’s talk about the glaring shortcomings that cost this place two stars. First, the absolute lack of sweet variety. The entire concept of Afghan cuisine includes indulgent, flavorful desserts, yet here, the selection is so underwhelming that it feels like an afterthought. A couple of uninspired choices, and that’s it. If I wanted such limited options, I would have just gone home and eaten a spoonful of sugar in disappointment.

But the true highlight of my frustration was the service, or rather, the DIY dining experience that I did not sign up for. After placing my order, I patiently waited, expecting to be provided with the bare minimum requirement for consuming a meal—a plate. Did it arrive unprompted? No. I had to ask for one, because apparently, the concept of serving food with a plate is not universally understood here. It’s a kebab restaurant, not a street food stall where I’m expected to eat directly off the table.

And then came the dessert debacle. I ordered gulab jamun, expecting it to be served warm as per universal dessert etiquette. Instead, the staff member plopped it in front of me at room temperature, blissfully unaware that this particular dessert is meant to be heated before serving. At this point, I had to take on the role of culinary instructor and inform her of what should have been basic knowledge. I do not mind a slight lapse in expertise, but when I, the customer, have to provide restaurant training, it’s safe to say the experience is not exactly seamless.

In conclusion, Afghan Kebab Sunshine delivers good food at unreasonable prices, with a side of inattentive service and a severe lack of sweet options. If you enjoy overpriced kebabs, playing detective with missing plates, and educating staff about how to serve dessert, this is the place for you. Otherwise, manage your expectations, or better yet, go somewhere else that understands that customers should not have to do half the work. Three stars, and that’s me...

Absolutely delicious, highly recommended!!!

I think we've just found our new go-to place to grab a guaranteed, consistent, flavoursome and simply delicious dinner in Sunshine!!!!

It's a great mix of dishes that are available here, Afghani, Pakistani, Indian, overall a great menu with many offerings to satisfy a wide range of tastes.

I've never liked Indian food much and have tended to steer clear of Indian restaurants as I just don't like curries, overpowering spices, nut-flavoured sauces or yoghurty, milky, creamy type sauces. Luckily as this place serves a range of different dishes that aren't just Indian, it is the absolutely PERFECT place to go out to dinner with someone or a group of people where some like Indian and others don't.

Another thing worth mentioning about this place is the great value!! All dishes on the menu are very well priced, so you can be sure you'll get delicious food that will satisfy your taste buds, yummy bread that's sure to fill you up and all at very affordable prices. We got 2 main meat-based meals between me and my fiancee, a serving of rice, two servings of bread and she also got a mango lassi, all for under $40!!!

I ordered the Saag Goat which was just simply delightful!! Saag is a spinach-based sauce that just tastes amazing, highly recommended!! My fiancee ordered butter chicken and she thoroughly enjoyed the flavour. I gave it a quick try and I didn't mind it too much. It's probably the best butter chicken I've ever tasted, but then again I try to steer clear of it as it's not a flavour I personally enjoy. Though as she loved the taste of it (and she's quite critical when it comes to food), you can be assured that if you're a fan of butter chicken, you'll love it here!! The garlic roti bread as also an absolute joy to eat!

Another thing worth mentioning is that their menu had an awesome selection of vegetarian dishes too, so this would be a great restaurant for a group of people where some are vegetarian!

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, it's absolutely beautiful inside!! The chairs and tables are just lush and have a very high-quality vibe about them.

Overall, highly highly...

Rude lady on the phone. I asked if it is a walk in or do we need to book a table? She replied "it's a walk in". Now, I am not from Melbourne, we have traveled the whole day and I have 4 people with me plus a toddler, so I'd like to know if there's even a possibility to get a table there. Because to be honest, we are starving. I asked again to confirm, "what about for 5 people? Can we book a table?". And she rudely reply. "I told you we are walk in, we are busy here". I was very surprised with her reply, so I ended the call saying "alright, thank you". Then she just hang up. Not even a decency to reply "you're welcome". I will not come to this place. Doesn't matter if your food is good, but if you are rude, you're just killing the mood. Really not worth it. UPDATE: thanks for your response. For some reason, seems like I can't reply to your post below. I don't know why, but to answer your question, I called you on 27/12/2021, 5.41pm according to...