Aatish on the Hill – Satisfying Customers with Authentic Pakistani Cuisine
By C. Naseer Ahmad
For almost a quarter century, Zafar Iqbal Khan has been satisfying customers’ appetites for high quality Pakistani food. Customers know the place and have become familiar with the spice levels. Art on the wall and Pakistani music give customers the feeling of being in Sargodha from where the Khan brothers come.
It is pleasing to see the staff eagerly put the fresh items on the buffet a few minutes before the opening at 11:30am.
Starting on the right side, fresh rice dish with some steamed mixed vegetables along with some cherries start the appetite going.
Though it is tempting to fill up the plate with rice, wisdom is in taking things slowly and just to absorb the aroma fueled by the burners underneath the big pots.
Freshly made daal meets your plate next and it is hard to resist. Your eyes and lentils can’t let each other go but as there are many more items to follow, diners’ discretion will help you move forward with a little bit more space on the plate.
Aalo (potatoes) Qeema is waiting for you the diner in the next pot. The dish looks very good and wasn’t on the buffet yesterday. Greens sprinkled on the sauce make this dish too difficult to pass.
Well-rounded Koftas (goat meat balls) with gravy that appears freshly made and juicy is the next item laid out on the buffet table, so a reasonable helping still leaves much space on the plate. Tandoori chicken with some freshly cut onions and number of other meat dishes along with Naan provide sufficient nutrition for the diner to enjoy on the plate.
Regular customers keep coming back to the buffet table, if they are not ordering their favorite dishes from the Aatish on the Hill Menu of delightful choices. Rumor has it that among the notable recent customers is Vermont’s Senator Bernie Sanders. However, you don’t have to be highfalutin bigwig for Zafar Khan, his brother Iftikhar Khan, and the staff make everyone feel at home and give every customer special attention.
In Washington DC and around the country, it is the customers who keep businesses – especially restaurants afloat. Like in any other business, it is not always possible to keep everyone happy. Nowadays, social media people let their opinions be known by putting reviews either on the restaurant websites or on popular websites like Yelp and Trip Advisor.
One of the recent reviewers wrote on Trip Advisor: “We hadn't been to Aatish for some years. We'd found better Indian food at other places, but we returned and had a good meal. Service was excellent, and the food came mild and medium (pretty spicy, if you ask my wife) as we ordered. Prices were mid-level, appropriate for a restaurant with waiters, tablecloths, and the like. We walk by Aatish a lot, and it is rarely crowded. But we see Aatish delivering food on Capitol Hill all the time so it seems to do a lot of take out business. We will return.”
Another customer wrote with a heading Old Standby for South Asian Food: “A Hill golden oldie. Good Pakistani/Indian menu and reasonable prices. Attentive service. Special buffet lunch dishes that are a great value and allow for seconds.”
“(I) was a regular at this place since I lived three blocks away. wow did I miss? The food is of excellent quality and I know the owner Mr Khan very well. He prepared a banquet for four, wow I will never forget it. Best kulcha bread, yogurt sauce and chicken makani....,”writes another happy customer.
On the restaurant’s website, Heather, a satisfied customer, gave a five star rating with the following comments: “Love Aatish! Not only is the food delicious, they actually read the special order instructions - yes you can get an extra order of rice even though it’s not listed. The staff is friendly and fast.”
Matt – another happy customer wrote: “This place is the real deal. You can count on the food items to be exactly as described, but be prepared for there to be a lot of it! I might be eating chicken biryani all week! Outstanding food, outstanding service, prices reflect the quality. Can't go wrong.”
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