Kabul Express' Dishes Delight and Surprise in the Patch

Kauash Adalat was born in Afghanistan but moved when he was a child to India, then to Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Russia and, eventually, Germany. All this context coalesces when you taste the chicken tikka masala at his Patch neighborhood restaurant, Kabul Express (7704 Ivory Street, 314-499-4369). It's a staple of Indian cuisine so ubiquitous, you likely have its taste committed to memory — until you try Adalat's version and feel your flavor pathways being rewired. In place of the typical, almost poached pieces of chicken, the tikka masala at Kabul Express contains hearty hunks of meat infused with such deep char flavor you can taste Afghanistan's kabob heritage though the sauce. And that sauce — though you get the expected flavor profile from the masala spices, here they are more intense and vibrant. The color, too, is more vivid: a bright red-orange that underscores its mouthwatering snap. Familiar to a point but also unlike anything else you've ever tasted — it's the sort of dish that can only come from someone influenced as much by tradition as their own unique journey.

Ever since he was a child watching his parents cook, Adalat knew he was meant to express his experiences through food. Though he received no formal culinary education, he spent a great deal of time helping his family prepare dishes and, as he got older, became enamored with videos featuring people from a variety of cultures demonstrating how to prepare traditional dishes. Adalat soaked it in, but he always felt compelled to put his own twist on things, adding a little extra seasoning here or a bit more spice there, relishing the experimentation.

Food was a hobby for Adalat, but he didn't think of it as a career until well after arriving in the United States as an adult. After meeting his wife at a wedding in St. Louis, Adalat relocated here from Germany, got married and supported his family by taking on a variety of different jobs. One of them, a server position, gave him some insight into the area's restaurant industry and sparked the idea that he might open a place of his own one day. In 2016, those dreams became reality when he came across a small turnkey storefront in south St. Louis County. It felt manageable and was within his budget; sensing this was his chance, he signed the paperwork on the space and opened Kabul Express as a tiny takeout restaurant.

Adalat enjoyed success right out of the gate and developed a loyal following for his unique interpretations of internationally inflected Afghan dishes. But over time, he realized that he would need a much larger space. In March of this year, he found that spot in the Patch neighborhood and relocated Kabul Express as an expanded, sit-down restaurant. The extra space allows him to not only accommodate more diners and provide more formal service; it has given him the capacity to expand his menu, pairing familiar favorites such as gyros and shawarma with kabobs and other offerings.

You understand the warm reception Adalat's food has received over the years the moment you taste the offerings at Kabul Express. The chicken tikka masala is no anomaly; every last dish at this wonderful restaurant is packed with flavor. The chicken shawarma wrap, for instance, has the familiar pulled texture as a traditional Middle Eastern shawarma, but it is amped up with a rub that tastes like yellow curry. The spice blend perfumes the succulent meat, which is wrapped in soft, grilled naan and accented with crispy lettuce and a house dressing that is like a combination of tzatziki and raita. It's a wonderful take on such a quintessential dish.

Adalat's take on the gyro is equally wonderful. Instead of the typical shaved, compressed meat, Kabul Express' version has a more rustic, chopped texture. This results in juicy meat that is coated in his riff on tzatziki and overstuffed into a pillow-soft naan — not a shocking departure from the standard gyro playbook, but different enough that it registers as a refreshing new twist.

Kabobs are exactly what you want. The chicken is tender and marinated in warm spices, then grilled so that its edges crisp up with delicious char. The beef kabob is a showstopper; marinated, seasoned with tangy sumac and perfectly grilled, the meat is fork tender, its juices soaking into the wonderful Kabuli rice that serves as a base for the dish. Adalat serves both kabobs with a piquant green chutney made from pureed jalapeños, cilantro and vinegar that tastes like a verdant pepperoncini. Adalat jokes that people love the condiment so much that they ask for extras and basically do shooters of it. It's understandable.

This chutney dressing also features prominently on the falafel salad, which pairs well-seasoned rustic chickpea fritters with lettuce, diced tomatoes and cucumbers. The chutney's heat is softened by the cool vegetables, which cut through the falafel's deep-fried richness. The dressing is also served alongside the samosa appetizer, an outstanding interpretation of the classic South Asian snack. Here, the mixed-vegetable filling is perfumed with spices such as cumin and cardamom, but there is also a significant chile heat that doesn't overpower but warms every bite. The crust, too, is a marvel — so flaky it feels like a cross between a traditional samosa and a puff pastry.

If the chicken tikka masala felt like a subtle departure from the norm, the chickpea masala turns the norm completely upside down. Adalat's take on the dish is quite unique — more of a masala paste than a sauce — which intensifies the flavor. He also adds a generous amount of tender braised greens to the chickpeas so that it's an equal mix. Hearty, soulful and powerfully spiced, it offers the sort of warm, stewed comfort you want as the days get colder and darker.

Though really, Adalat's food is so uniquely delicious, you could eat it any time of year — every day, even — and it would still hit the spot.

Open Mon.-Sat. 11:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. (Closed Sun.)

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