Have had cravings to go back to Afanti Uyghur after our last time, however as with many restaurants recently, the original store at Sunnybank Hills had closed down. Thankfully, they had a second store opened at Sunny Park, which is where we went for our weekday date night. Little did we know that even on a weekday night, it was very difficult to get a table without having first made a reservation. It took us only 20 minutes to get a table, but larger groups took considerably longer.
Once we got a table, we realised that ordering was done via our phones through their QR codes, but payment was still done at the counter afterwards. The menu was decidedly a lot more Chinese and less Uyghur than their original store, with a large assortment of dumplings on their menu. Prices were also definitely not good value as I had remembered. Notably the lamb skewer with bread dish was $25 last time I went, but now it is $38.
Despite my cravings for Uyghur food, when presented with the option of beef noodle, I will always gravitate towards comfort food. It came as a set with a drink, some pickles and a braised egg. The pickles and egg was fairly ordinary, the egg was a bit rubbery but didn't stand out. The beef noodle was fairly standard also, the taste wasn't very different from what you would find in a regular Chinese restaurant. The bowl was big but there wasn't too much by way of noodles, meat or veggies though, instead being filled with mostly soup. The noodles had good texture but there was definitely a lack of meat in the bowl. Taste wise, it was still wholesome and warming as I had expected, I just wish there was more.
Our other dish was the Lamb Skewers with bread. We had really enjoyed this when we had it last year but found that this iteration was a bit worse than we had remembered. The seasoning was strong and peppery like previous, but the meat texture was definitely a downgrade, being quite tough and chewy. The portions were very generous, but this has to be taken into account given the increase in price. The bread was surprisingly served at room temperature and not warmed, while the sauces gave it the much needed sharp tanginess which I really liked. Overall though, I think that what made Afanti stand out as a venue has been lost at Apandim, and I will be in no rush to return.
Taste: 7/10
Value: 5/10
Value: 5/10
Service: 6/10
Environment: 5/10
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