Restaurant Review – Home from Home at Saffron Desi
A visit to Saffron Desi in York is rather like visiting a family.
From the moment you walk in you’re greeted with genuine enthusiasm by staff who are pleased to see you: once inside, a roomy bar area leads into the lively restaurant where the music is played just loud enough to generate a buzz, but not too loud to prohibit intimate conversation.
Waiters share a joke with families as they wheel out monster sized Naan breads that are larger than some of the younger clientele. Groups of revellers are accommodated in the spacious rear of the restaurant while couples, business people and old age pensioners can view the historic streets of Micklegate from the front.
The restaurant encapsulates one of the great things about Indian curry houses in general – it appeals to everyone across the board whatever age, nationality or class, and it is a place where people feel comfortable.
Saffron Desi’s sister restaurant in Bradford has been well known for a long time, but the York outlet opened just four years ago: already it has a huge customer base numbering amongst its fans none other than the future heir to the throne, Prince William, who chose the restaurant for a royal celebration in 2008.
For owner Mohammed Nisar the reason for its success is easy to explain: “The answer is in the name,” he says, “Saffron is a spice and Desi means homeland.
“People feel at home here. We are bringing traditional Pakistani food to York and it’s just a little bit different from other restaurants.”
And Saffron Desi is a bit special: situated just a stone’s throw from Micklegate Church in an area full of traditional and cosmopolitan restaurants, its contemporary decor provides an interesting contrast to the surrounding Roman walls and ancient Micklegate Bar (the entrance to the old city); the menu also offers something out of the ordinary with delicacies like lambs’ brains, fresh quail and, somewhat of a rarity in these parts – paneer dishes including Paneer Pahora – soft goats’ cheese with herbs and spices coated in flour and deep fried.
Prices for entrees ranged from a very reasonable £2.25 to £5.95; an incentive not to skip on preliminaries, especially since main courses average £6.95 to £8.50, with King Prawn dishes ranging from £11.95 to £12.95.
These included a full range of curries, Balti specialities, Tandoori and Biryani dishes with plenty on offer for those with a more adventurous palate, including Paya or lambs’ trotters – I didn’t even know lambs had trotters!
I decided to follow in Prince William’s footsteps and ordered the Royal Delight, a dish created for Princess Diana by the chef of Saffron Desi’s sister restaurant - Parvez Akthar – at a charity function at the Dorchester Hotel. It comprised of diced chicken breast marinated with yoghurt, spices and masalla sauce cooked with tomatoes, ginger, onions, spices and double cream and topped with cashew nuts and fried onion. It was delicious and probably the spiciest dish I’ve had for a while. My partner’s marinated lamb chops were also sumptuous.
We were entertained throughout by waiters Kali and Haida who provided comic relief and wisecracks in between courses, the latter to such an extent that we queried if Prince William had asked for his autograph on his visit!
We polished off the meal with sweets from the range of beautifully presented Asian and American desserts, including Gulab Jamon and Chocolate Fudge and staggered home feeling that it wasn’t only the food that had contributed to our feeling of wellbeing.
There’s one thing customers can be sure of receiving at Saffron Desi and that’s a right royal welcome –
whether you happen to be Prince William or not.
Address:
Saffron Desi
105 – 107 Micklegate
York YO1 6LB
Tel: 01904 659999
Saffron Desi Website
The chicken livers proved to be a succulent choice in my case, whilst my partner’s Machli Masala – haddock chunks marinated in Masalla sauce – was a refreshing change from the ubiquitous onion bhaji (although I’m sure that was on the menu too).
Mr Nasir himself provides a distinguished and proactive presence in the restaurant, greeting and helping to serve diners, ably assisted by manager Mohammed Rafiq.