I have been searching what is the meaning of zaffron. Most of the definitions that I found doesn’t make any sense to this Indian restaurant which I am about to introduce in this post. Well, I believe the owner could have change the letter “s” to “z”, which it makes more sense to me that the spelling is saffron. The meaning of saffron is “an orange-coloured condiment consisting of its dried stigmas, used to colour and flavor foods.” This is just my guess. :)
Located along East Coast Road, the exterior design of this restaurant looks like another typical local restaurant with a conceptual outlook. Looking into the glass windows where I can see the chefs busily preparing the food, the skewers of Tandoori chicken tempted me to try this Indian restaurant.
I hope my first Indian restaurant post will give me a good dining experience of North and South India cuisine.
The exterior of Zaffron Kitchen.
The dining area with an open concept kitchen. No smell and not smokey at all.
A play house for children.
Tables and chairs for children to mingle around and lots of toys!
In Zaffron Kitchen, the layout of the restaurant is clearly identified as 4 main areas: an open concept kitchen, outdoor and indoor dining area and a children play area that fits well for 6. As for the dining areas, the walkways are spacious but the table-to-table are a little too close. The service staffs are warm and approachable. The food menu is objectively simple; for every Indian cuisine, there will be a short description, no photographs are printed in the menu. For diners like me who knows Indian cuisine minimally, the chef recommendation menu will help you in choosing your food easily.
I love the front page cover of the food menu. Those spices portrays their food business.
The Chef Sampler for 2, great small signature bites. The sampler which I took up close is called the Puri. This is a South Indian cuisine which deep fries the flatbread and topped it up with masala potatoes. It has an interesting mint taste. This sampler cost $13. The Chef Sampler for 4 will cost $22.
This is Pakoda, which is deep fried vegetables with spice batter. Not really crunchy like what the food menu states but it sure has a rich spice taste.
On my plate of Chef Sampler for 2, this is the Bhel Puri. This Indian snack mainly consists of the Indian puffed rice, mixed with fresh cucumbers, roasted peanuts and spices. The puffed rice is soft and with the spices from the chutney, this snack gives a rich and flavorful taste.
Served with 3 slices of garlic naan, the aroma of the garlic and buttery taste is tantalizing. The price for garlic naan is $4.50. If you like to have plain naan, that will cost $4. If you like to have cheese or Kashmiri naan, that will cost $5.50.
Classified under the curry section in Zaffron Kitchen’s menu, the Butter Chicken really lives up to it’s name. Added with chucks of tender chicken Tikka, the chicken chucks are really, really and really soft. The gravy is buttery in flavor, simmered with tomato sauce, yoghurt and spices. The price for this curry is $16.
Conclusion
A nice Indian cuisine restaurant that will make me go back the second time to try their other food. I have to admit that the pricing of the food are on the high side and the portion is not a lot. So far, I am happy with the food I have ordered. No disappointment. The restaurant also sells alcoholic drinks to go along with your food.
Zaffron Kitchen
135/137 East Coast Road
Singapore 428820
Opening hours:
Mon – Thu: 11:30am – 3:00pm
Mon – Thu: 5:00pm – 10:00pm
Fri – Sat: 11:30am – 11:00pm
Sun: 11:30am – 11:30pm
Tel: (65) 64406786
Website: http://zaffronkitchen.com
