SAFFRON

Have been eating Persian food for almost 30yrs so am quite familiar with the dishes. I was shocked to find that they served American long grain rice with the dishes rather than perisan or basmati rice. Never under any circumstances should this happen. It is catering for locals who are not persian and do not therefore have knowledge of how it should be. The joojeh kebab was also of poor quality. The chicken was pumped full of water and tasteless. The ghormeh sabzi was over stewed and had the taste and texture of a dish which had been re-cooked over a period of several days. The kidney beans were mushy and the meat dry and chewy. The starters were meagre and they had used dried herbs rather than fresh ones.

The only good thing was the polite and pleasant service. I would not go back again as there are much better persian restaurants closer to where I live.
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steph
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 3
Saturday, May 17, 2008

If you're looking for an inviting restaurant then you should give this place a miss!!!

After having booked a table in advance it was disappointing to be seated under a staircase!! The restaurant is very small so don't be fooled by the photography.

As for the meal, it was very avarage and if you have a sweet tooth, you might be a little disappointed with dessert menu.

My friend in the end decided on a pomegranate jelly but as we were pushed for time we decided to cancel it soon after ordering and requested for the bill instead (as it was a cold jelly we didn't think that it would be any problem).

A couple of minutes later the same waitress appeared with the dessert and I again apologised and explained we no longer wanted it. She then got moody and told us that it had already been sent down.

When we received the bill I was annoyed that we had been charged for the jelly (under the boss's order it seemed) by this point I was losing patience and crossed out the dessert from the bill and asked them to recalculate the bill. When she bought the bill back the boss decided to charge us for the service instead!!!!! which came to near enough the same price as the dessert. I was outraged and decided on not paying any service whatsoever!!

This is the worst service I have encountered in a restaurant and I hope yours will be more enjoyable :(
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Rashid - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 2
Sunday, March 30, 2008

If you're looking for an inviting restaurant then you should give this place a miss!!!

After having booked a table in advance it was disappointing to be seated under a staircase!! The restaurant is very small so don't be fooled by the photography.

As for the meal, it was very avarage and if you have a sweet tooth, you might be a little disappointed with dessert menu.

My friend in the end decided on a pomegranate jelly but as we were pushed for time we decided to cancel it soon after ordering and requested for the bill instead (as it was a cold jelly we didn't think that it would be any problem).

A couple of minutes later the same waitress appeared with the dessert and I again apologised and explained we no longer wanted it. She then got moody and told us that it had already been sent down.

When we received the bill I was annoyed that we had been charged for the jelly (under the boss's order it seemed) by this point I was losing patience and crossed out the dessert from the bill and asked them to recalculate the bill. When she bought the bill back the boss decided to charge us for the service instead!!!!! which came to near enough the same price as the dessert. I was outraged and decided on not paying any service whatsoever!!

This is the worst service I have encountered in a restaurant and I hope your will me more enjoyable :(
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Rashid
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 4
Sunday, March 30, 2008

Good Persian Cuisine. Although the prices are similar to other Central London Persian places, it’s not cheap. A bit too cramped for families.

The only criticisms I might have are (I hope the proprietors take notice of them):

1. The food (esp. rice) can be heavily laden with butter/oil (whatever they use).

2. The meat is never well done when you ask them (such foods should be chargrilled for full authentic flavour).

Otherwise it’s the only one of its kind in SW London.
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SOR
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 6
Saturday, November 17, 2007

Very disappointing.

The fish for my wife was good. The starter and bread were good.

However the main reason we went was for the kebab.

The lamb koofteh kebab was oily and very poor. The chicken kebab was dry. So much for juicy pieces of kebab!

The witresses could not wait to clear the tables.

Give it a miss.
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TheCube
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 0
Friday, November 02, 2007

Went to this restaurant with a friend, our first experience of Persian food. We were pleasantly surprised at how tasty the food was! The soup Ash Reshte with the noodles was heavenly and the aubergine starter was really tasty. For the main course we tried 2 stews Gormeh Sabzi and Fesnjan which we had with rice. Both were very delicious with distinct tastes. Highly recommend the restaurant. I will be back!
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S. Carey
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Monday, June 18, 2007

Went to this restaurant with a friend, our first experience of Persian food. We were pleasantly surprised at how tasty the food was! The soup Ash Reshte with the noodles was heavenly and the aubergine starter was really tasty. For the main course we tried 2 stews Gormeh Sabzi and Fesnjan which we had with rice. Both were very delicious with distinct tastes. Highly recommend the restaurant. I will be back!
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S. Carey
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Monday, June 18, 2007

Went to this restaurant with a friend, our first experience of Persian food. We were pleasantly surprised at how tasty the food was! The soup Ash Reshte with the noodles was heavenly and the aubergine starter was really tasty. For the main course we tried 2 stews Gormeh Sabzi and Fesnjan which we had with rice. Both were very delicious with distinct tastes. Highly recommend the restaurant. I will be back!
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S. Carey
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Monday, June 18, 2007

My fiance and i go there all the time and we order take away food pretty much every month!! Coming from iran and having tried almost all persian restaurants in west/central london, i can say hand on heart that this is one of the best places to eat good hearty iranian food. The best are the starters; a great mirza ghassemi and on mains go for the Ghormeh Sabzi.
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aby
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 7
Thursday, March 01, 2007

Been here a couple of times in the evenings on the weekend and during the week, and can't say it's ever been particularly busy, so never needed to book in advance. One of the few non-indian halal restaurants in the area, the food is simple and straightforward, with most of the main dishes being based around various types of kebab with rice. They also do a selection of stews which I've never yet tried (maybe next time!).

Service has always been friendly and helpful, and the food is good value for money. The two of us had starters, mains, soft drinks and tea for around £45+tip. They do a lunch menu too, which I'm sure is a very good deal, although I've not yet had the chance to try it.

I've no doubt I'll be back in the future and would certainly recommend Saffron to others.
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Z - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9
Thursday, November 23, 2006