Sarban - Den Bosch 🇦🇫 — Restaurant in 's-Hertogenbosch

Honestly I don't get the hype.. We went there because of the great reviews and the place was full when we arrived. The waiter explained that you basically have two options and they both cost the same price which is almost €30. You can either choose one starter one main and one dessert. Or you can choose the "introduction" menu which, according to the waiter's explanation consists of a mix of the starters, a mix of the main courses and a mix of the desserts so obviously less food from each one, put together to allow you to try more of their dishes and become acquainted with their food. We opted for the introduction menu. First of all I asked if it was possible to choose from specific starters because I was sure I didn't want meatballs or salad as a starter. He said no problem, you can explain your preference and the chef will prepare accordingly. Then another waitress brought me a single appetizer and we realised the first waiter who took the order did not understand and thought I wanted only that one apetizer and nothing else from the starters. We said nevermind, it's fine. To make up for it, they offered meatballs which I said from the beginning I did not want, and then brought us a complimentary salad "to make up for it" which was the other apetizer I didn't want :-)) Then came the main courses. Considering we were 2 people and paid 72€ both (each having one glass of wine and sharing a bottle of water) the food seemed to be in a very small quantity for that price. Just one portion of chicken and very little lamb, a little rice from 2 kinds they had in the menu and 5 small dishes with lentil, spinach, beans, beetroot and salad. Very small! Secondly, in my opinion the dishes were way over spiced and salted. Perhaps to mask the fact that they were not cooked in the best way to bring out the flavours. I expected the lamb to be melt-in your-mouth considering how much they emphasised that it's prepared hours in advance. It was not. The chicken was tasty, but also extremely over spiced. Rice wasn't cooked well in my opinion. The spinach was good. Everything else was average. At the end I decided to ask for takeaway for whatever we didn't finish because after paying so much, I thought at least I would save some money the next day. But the waitress told me that they "don't do that". Something about how the food is out in the open for 2-hours as we are eating and it's possible to be contaminated from the other guests breathing the air in the space of the restaurant. I will admit I lost my patience at that point and told her that I did not like the food too much, but I am paying for it and I want to take it with me, if anything at least to save some money the next day. She said they don't have any take away boxes and eventually gave in and wrapped it in aluminum foil over a plate. After this they brought dessert which was one scoop of homemade pistachio ice cream and one scoop of fig ice cream. They were very average tasting. As we went to pay the waitress asked us where we are from. I said Romania and as I was about to say that we both live outside of Romania for the last few years, she responded "oh, so that's why" :)) not sure if she meant that there is a difference in taste, food-wise or if she meant something else but me and my friend left it there. A couple of things worth mentioning: we initially asked for tap water and they also said in response that "they don't do that" so we could only buy a bottle of water. Asked for room temperature, they said they only have cold water. And we did not complain about the food until they refused to give us the takeaway. So we were trying to be polite and and not make a big deal, although I still think that if you are going to charge €30 for each person and also have a whole speech about the preparation of the food, then the quality should rise to that expectation. This was something that I never would have complained about if it would cost €10-12. Until we showed that we were not satisfied with the food the waiters were very nice, but they didn't try to make up for it...

I had a pleasant dining experience at Sarban Afghans in Den Bosch. The staff was lovely and very helpful, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The restaurant offers a fixed menu where you can either choose your own three courses or go for a surprise menu selected by them, priced at around €40 per person.

As a Turkish guest, I was curious to try the mantu as a starter since it’s similar to Turkish mantı. It was nice, but I believe there’s room for improvement and portion was small. For the main course, I had the Noshaq Gerecht, and the rice was absolutely above and beyond my expectations—perfectly cooked and flavorful! The dish also came with meatballs, green lentils, and spinach. While I found them a little too spicy for my taste, the overall flavor was good.

For dessert, I chose pistachio ice cream, which was a pleasant surprise since it’s not something you can easily find in Den Bosch. They also offer date ice cream, adding to the authenticity of their menu.

It was a good experience, and I appreciate the effort they put into bringing Afghan cuisine to the city. If you’re looking to try something new, I’d definitely recommend...

The food as usual is top quality but they are not child friendly. I wanted to give my husband a wonderful birthday experience but unfortunately we were disappointed. We made a reservation for two adults and I mentioned that we had two young kids ages 1 and 4 respectively. Notably, there was no high chair for the younger child. When ordering we were asked to order a plate for the four year old at half price as we made a reservation for four. We explained that she would not eat this type of food (it's exotic and as a picky eater she simply won't eat). Despite this the manager insisted that we pay for a plate for her. So we said ok we will take it home if she doesn't eat it and she was like I don't give doggy bags, you can eat it. The other waiter who was quite pleasant was more accommodating.

At the end of the day, it's nice as a couple but don't go there if you have young kids. Their inflexibility could ruin what was meant to be a pleasant experience. I am disappointed and I doubt I will ever return. My being upset is more about how things were handled and where I am from customer satisfaction is a priority in this case, it was more...