FABULOUSLY FRESH
Saffron spices things up
Edmonton is no stranger to Indian restaurants. They’re easy to find all over the city, with more than a few standouts to satisfy when the craving for rich flavours and aromatic spices hits.
So, when a new spot opens up, they’ve got their work cut out for them. And when new management takes over an existing location, ready to breathe new life into the menu, well — it can be tough to spread the word that while the appearance remains the same, the food is far from it.
It’s the position the owners of Saffron Indian Cuisine are in after about a year at the helm of the eatery in south Edmonton.
My friend and I arrived for dinner on a Monday evening, joining a handful of other tables in the dining room. We were quickly warmly greeted by a host who showed us to a table and stopped to ask us about our days as we got settled.
Soon our server arrived, dropping off a menu with dozens of offers — appetizers (both veg and non-veg), a long list of curries (again, veg and non-veg) along with a few biryani and tandoori offerings, not to mention a long list of accompaniments (mango pickles, anyone?).
The drink list featured a few cocktails, and a variety of wines. My friend had no complaints about her Tequila Sunrise ($7) while I opted for a house specialty, the Delhi Spiked Brew ($8.50). Saffron’s take on the Long Island Iced Tea, it features house-made lemon mint tea with a mix of vodka, rum and gin along with a splash of soda. It was wonderfully crisp and not too sweet.
Nearby we overheard the host chatting to another pair of diners praising the restaurant since it has come under new management. We hear the young man explain the kitchen uses fresh ingredients and makes most items from scratch.
“You can really tell,” says one of the diners, nodding enthusiastically.
As we look over the menu a few items that seemed more suited to a pub pop out as head-scratchers. Rather than turn up our noses at them completely, we opted to try one, ordering the jalapenos stuffed with four cheeses ($6) (cheddar, mozzarella, pepperjack and Parmesan). Sensing the dish might be on the spicy side, we chose the dahi bhalla, described as a cold starter.
The jalapenos arrived quartered and smothered in creamy melted cheese. We were pleased to learn mozzarella and cheddar are made in-house. A light layer of tamarind chutney was brushed under the cheese, which gave the spicy dish a slightly sweet undertone, though not enough to cut the heat of the peppers.
We were glad, then, to have the dahi bhalla ($6), a rich dish of fried lentil fritters soaked in a thin, almost soup-like mixture of creamy yogurt and mint chutney.
Never one to turn down anything from the tandoori oven, we opted to share a sizzling platter of chicken tikka ($12). The chicken was nicely marinated in a blend of spices and yogurt, keeping it juicy and tender.
But what really shines at Saffron India is the plethora of curries. Everything is scratch made and can be adjusted for your heat preferences, and the paneer (a personal favourite) is made fresh in the kitchen.
Learning that, we chose the paneer makhani ($13), a delectable dish of a buttery curry featuring a subtle yet slightly tangy tomato flavour. It packed a slightly spicy aftertaste, but was complemented nicely by the perfectly cooked longgrain basmati ($3). The freshly baked naan ($2) took care of the rest.
Our only complaint was the cucumber salad, which we ordered after realizing we had neglected to include in our dinner anything fresh or green. What arrived was quite literally slices of cucumber arranged on a plate with a couple of tomato slices and a hint of tamarind chutney. It felt a bit basic but for $3, we didn’t feel right complaining.
Still, the service was friendly, the food fresh with a depth of flavour you’d expect from a kitchen that takes its ingredients seriously.
And my friend loved it so much she made the trek down to sample a few more curries just days later, passing at least a half-dozen Indian restaurants along the way. It goes to show when you take your time and put out quality food at a reasonable price, diners will always find their way back to you.